My Strong Finish

"It doesn't matter how you start; it matters how you finish." This is a saying that I've inherited from my days with The Southwestern Company.

Well, having the worst day of your trading career isn't quite exactly what I had in mind. The close was pretty crazy and whippy. I was doing ok until my MOC order just decimated me. It should've worked out but all of a sudden it looked like the floor was just yanked out from underneath in the futures and a lot of these financials dropped a few floors like Tower of Terror ride at Disney World. I've had lost more money than that in the middle of the day and always manage to bounce back a bit but this was right at the close and who know what the first day of 2009 is going to be like and I just decided to take the loss... I won't say what stock it is, but it is a regional bank. It made me want to go out and burn down one of their branches.

I was over my goal for December by at least 20 or 30%, which I was really happy considering December is painfully slow compared to the few previous months we've had. I was proud of me adjusting and adapting to the market, especially on some of the play now that some stocks and ETFs have migrated from AMEX to NYSE/ARCA. After that swift kick to the genitals I think I'm just barely over my goal, which is still really good. I should be happy. Again, I should be happy.

Maybe I've been complacent and lost focus. Sure, things have been slower but there are still money to be made in the middle of the day. I've been playing Call of Duty way too much in the middle of the day, which does mean that I miss a few opportunities and in my opinion I'm not as focused heading into the close which is usually when I kick some serious ass.

Sigh... at least it gave me of an excuse to get crazier for NYE. There were so many things going on and my friends are spread all over town. I ended up going to Copa w/ Brett and some of his friends that came up from Houston. Brett's in from California, with his girlfriend-recently-upgraded-to-fiance, and decided that it's better to utilize the time to spend with a friend from out of state. I also made a few new friends as well, one of whom just recently moved from Houston back to Austin.

I have to admit, I try to game it too much sometimes but it's really amazing what you can do when you apply a little Dale Carnegie principle and simply take the time to learn a person's name. Everytime I go to a restaurant or a bar, if it's possible I learn the wait staff or the bartend's name. This is especially handy on a busy night that you know you'll be there for a while like NYE or even just a catered function. Call that person by their first name, maybe even introduce yourself, make some friendly chat, ask them how business is and sympathize/relate to them. From person experience, I know I'd get you what you wanted, whether it's a refill or the check a whole lot quicker if you call me by my first name instead yelling "hey waiter!" or trying to get the bartend's attention along with 20 other people at the bar.

Basically we got there when it's still not too crowded. I got my drinks, opened a tab, learned the bartend's name is Carlos and introduced myself. For the rest of the night, if he sees me standing at the bar, he usually get my order next, no matter how much cleavage the girl next to me is showing. Some people do this thing where they'll try to say your name as many times or whenever possible. That's a little tacky and people know you're just trying to game it instead of taking an genuine interest in them. I was doing this just for my benefits; I was being friendly and I wouldn't mind making a new friend. Let's just say that I was really glad I did that b/c I drank A LOT that night.

2008 was a great year for traders everywhere with the volatility up the wazoo. 2009 probably won't be as crazy but that doesn't mean there's no room for growth. I feel like I focused to much on "making it" as a trader this year and have neglected my relationships with a lot of friends from college. It really is harder though, now that everybody has a consuming job/career, most people moved away from Austin. For crying out loud, Sarah's in Germany, Nien is back in Taiwan and even though my best bud Jack's in Houston we hardly get any phone or face time. It's not like back in school where you run into people all the time either at classes or different organization meetings. It takes work. I found that relationships, no matter how casual, will atrophy just like muscles if you don't put in the time and work (speaking of atrophy... haven't been to the gym in a while after moving to the new house. Need to get on that).

My mind has been on hyperdrive for the past few days. There are so many thoughts floating in there that I feel like I need to reboot b/c the hourglass icon has been floating there for quite a while (or spinning beach ball if you're a Mac user). I would lie in bed trying to sleep but thinking about all sorts of things so I end up watching TV for a while. Funny thing is after watching for a few minutes I basically turn comatose since TV is just so brain stimulating and I fall asleep. It's probably best to break it up into several posts. Stick around for my goals for 2009 and what I'll be watching for trading wise.