Trading the Market Journal

Always Have A Mental Reverse Clause

"Indeed, no one can thwart the purposes of your mind — for they can't be touched by fire, steel, tyranny, slander, or anything."— Marcus Aurelius, MeditationsA very interesting meditation for toda

02 June

Plato's View

"How beautifully Plato put it. Whenever you want to talk about people, it's best to take a bird's-eye view and see everything all at once — of gatherings, armies, farms, weddings and divorces, birth

03 June

It Is Well To Be Flexible

"He can't serve in the military? Let him seek public office. Must he live in the private sector? Let him be a spokesperson. Is he condemned to silence? Let him aid his fellow citizens by silent public

04 June

This Is What We're Here For

"Why then are we offended? Why do we complain? This is what we're here for."— Seneca, On ProvidenceToday's meditation really hits home and is definitely something to fall back on, if you are having

05 June

Blow Your Own Nose

"We cry to God Almighty, how can we escape this agony? Fool, don't you have hands? Or could it be God forgot to give you a pair? Sit and pray your nose doesn't run! Or, rather just wipe your nose and

06 June

When To Stick And When To Quit

"Think of those who, not by fault of inconsistency but by lack of effort, are too unstable to live as they wish, but only live as they have begun."— Seneca, On Tranquility of MindToday's meditation

07 June

Finding The Right Mentors

"We like to say that we don't get to choose our parents, that they were given by chance — yet we can truly choose whose children we'd like to be."— Seneca, On The Brevity of LifeWhen we compare th

08 June

Brick By Boring Brick

"You must build up your life action by action, and be content if each one achieves its goal as far as possible — and no one can keep you from this. But there will be some external obstacle! Perhaps,

09 June

Solve Problems Early

"There is no vice which lacks a defense, none that at the outset isn't modest and easily intervened — but after this the trouble spreads widely. If you allow it to get started you won't be able to c

10 June

You Can Do It

"If you find something very difficult to achieve yourself, don't imagine it impossible — for anything possible and proper for another person can be achieved as easily by you."— Marcus Aurelius, Me

11 June

Just Don't Make Things Worse

"How much more harmful are the consequences of anger and grief than the circumstances that aroused them in us!"— Marcus Aurelius, MeditationsAnother meditation today which also compares/relates to t

12 June

A Trained Mind Is Better Than Any Script

"In this way you must understand how laughable it is to say, 'Tell me what to do!' What advice could I possibly give? No, a far better request is, 'Train my mind to adapt to any circumstance.' . . . I

13 June

Life Is A Battlefield

"Don't you know life is like a military campaign? One must serve on watch, another in reconnaissance, another on the front line. . . . So it is for us — each person's life is a kind of battle, and a

14 June

Try The Other Handle

"Every event has two handles — one by which it can be carried, and one by which it can't. If your brother does you wrong, don't grab it by his wronging, because this is the handle incapable of lifti

15 June

Listening Accomplishes More Than Speaking

"To the youngster talking nonsense Zeno said, 'The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is so we might listen more and talk less.'"— Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent PhilosophersToday's

16 June

No Shame In Needing Help

"Don't be ashamed of needing help. You have a duty to fulfill just like a soldier on the wall of battle. So what if you are injured and can't climb up without another soldier's help?"— Marcus Aureli

17 June

Offense Or Defense?

"Fortune doesn't have the long reach we suppose, she can only lay siege to those who hold her tight. So, let's step back from her as much as possible."— Seneca, Moral LettersWhen we read today's med

18 June

Prepared And Active

"Let Fate find us prepared and active. Here is the great soul — the one who surrenders to Fate. The opposite is the weak and degenerate one, who struggles with and has a poor regard for the order of

19 June

Stay Focused On The Present

"Don't let your reflection on the whole sweep of life crush you. Don't fill your mind with all the bad things that might still happen. Stay focused on the present situation and ask yourself why it's s

20 June

Calm Is Contagious

"If then it's not that the things you pursue or avoid are coming at you, but rather that you in a sense are seeking them out, at least try to keep your judgment of them steady, and they too will remai

21 June

Take A Walk

"We should take wandering outdoor walks, so that the mind might be nourished and refreshed by the open air and deep breathing."— Seneca, On Tranquility of MindI have mentioned a few times since I st

22 June

The Definition Of Insanity

"If you are defeated once and tell yourself you will overcome, but carry on as before, know in the end you'll be so ill and weakened that eventually you won't even notice your mistake and will begin t

23 June

The Long Way Around

"You could enjoy this very moment all the things you are praying to reach by taking the long way around — if you'd stop depriving yourself of them."— Marcus Aurelius, MeditationsToday's meditation

24 June

The Truly Educated Aren't Quarrelsome

"The beautiful and good person neither fights with anyone nor, as much as they are able, permits others to fight . . . this is the meaning of getting an education — learning what is your own affair

25 June

The Wise Don't Have

"This is why we say that nothing happens to the wise person contrary to their expectations."— Seneca, On Tranquility of MindWhile I was reading today's meditation, a phrase that I use an awful lot i

26 June

Try The Opposite

"What assistance can we find in the fight against habit? Try the opposite!"— Epictetus, DiscoursesToday's meditation is not something that I would think of us doing, as traders. This is because if t

27 June

Adversity Reveals

"How does it help, my husband, to make misfortune heavier by complaining about it? This is more fit for a king — to seize your adversities head on. The more precarious his situation, the more immine

28 June

No Self-flagellation Needed

"Philosophy calls for simple living, but not for penance — it's quite possible to be simple without being crude."— Seneca, Moral LettersAnother reminder to be kind to yourself when things go wrong

29 June

No Excuses

"It is possible to curb your arrogance, to overcome pleasure and pain, to rise above your ambition, and to not be angry with stupid and ungrateful people — yes, even to care for them."— Marcus Aur

30 June

The Obstacle Is The Way

"While it's true that someone can impede our actions, they can't impede our intentions and our attitudes, which have the power of being conditional and adaptable. For the mind adapts and converts any

John's Journal

Conquering FOMO