Adventures in Trading

Contributed by Suzanne Bodlovic (Chicago)

I am deep in the woods, up high on a mountain. It is the dead of night. With a map, compass and a backpack full of gear, I am with my teammates and we are looking for our next checkpoint. We are lost and have been racing for the last 15 hours. We are still nowhere near the finish line. Tired, hungry and cold, with blisters on my feet, I am ready to quit. I tell myself to dig deep and find the inner strength to push through. Focus on good thoughts and ignore the negative – just make it to the finish line.

I am back at work on the trading floor, making markets for my own trading account in a pit full of sweaty men who are out for blood. The tension in the air is thick. I am mentally drained and my position is going against me. Even though people surround me, I am alone, and must rely on my mental strength to get me through the day.

This is life in the trading pits, elbow-to-elbow, face-to-face, making a living. When you are in the pits it is a man’s arena and you play by their rules, “eat or get eaten”. No whining, no crying, just making markets and taking your hits. Emotions are raw, and powerful. It’s hard to think of anyplace I’d rather have been. I came of age in the pits, and learned more about myself than I could ever have imagined.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will say this: I am an adrenaline junkie. I tend to live my life a bit on the edge, and enjoy pushing myself to my physical and mental limits. It should come as no surprise that I am passionate about trading. Trading is, after all, a great adventure. I learn something about myself daily, hourly and sometimes by the minute. Trading can show you the good, the bad, the ugly and the very ugly. It is an adventure of the mind. You can’t know the limits until you push them, and once you do, you become aware of what is deep inside and just how much you can endure.

Adventure racing has taught me more about trading than any book could. An adventure race is a multi-day, multi-discipline race. You are given a map, compass and several checkpoints and must paddle, peddle, hike and climb your way to the finish line. You are with your teammates, but spend most of your time deep in thought, concentrating and identifying your strengths and weaknesses. The urge to quit due to fatigue, frustration and discomfort is at times so strong, you do not know how you can go on, but somehow you do. And when you cross that finish line, the feeling of accomplishment and victory over your negative thoughts is indescribable. The mental stamina needed to endure the swings of trading my own account has been learned and honed out on the racecourse. I cannot tell you how many times I have been so frustrated at work and have wanted to quit. The environment, the people, the fact that I continue to lose money day after day; all have pushed me to the end of my rope. A friend once said to me “if you can compete in those adventure races, you can surely get through this.” It’s all in the mindset, and the more I understand my thoughts, the more capable I become of achieving my dreams and succeeding in life.

Trading is my passion. Extreme adventures have helped me dig deep and find the mental strength and courage to go on, on the racecourse and on the trading floor. When everyone around me is angry or negative, I retreat to my thoughts and focus on my strengths. Pushing through pain and exhaustion to reach the light at the end of the tunnel is key to success in business and in life. When I find myself “off course and lost,” on the trading floor, instead of getting upset, I apply what I’ve learned on the adventure course: accept the current situation and do what needs to be done to get back on track.