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72 THE DAILY TRADING COACHeverything comes together and I’m able to make a meaningful differencein someone’s life—those are affirmations that carry me through many sessionsof slow, gradual, difficult work. Similarly, to prepare a challengingtrade idea, execute it with a plan, and then see it make money yields a kindof happiness that cannot be achieved by the same profits from a dumb lucktrade. Pride, not as in overweening arrogance, but as an inner sense of convictionabout the rightness of one’s choices, is an important manifestationof Aristotle’s happiness.Sadly, participation in the markets does not bring this fulfillment tomany traders. Yes, they feel pleasure when they make money and painwhen they lose it. But they lack the deep, inner sense of satisfaction andjoy possible only to those who are pursuing a calling. The reason for thisis that they are hoping that profits will bring happiness, when in factthe relationship works in exactly the reverse order. We profit from ourlife’s endeavors when we pursue our happiness. Just as sexual conquestscannot provide the happiness of a fulfilling emotional relationship and winninga lottery cannot yield the depth of experience possible to one whobuilds a business, profits on trades do not provide the primary emotionalfuel for a trading career. They are the happy results, not the causes ofhappiness.Unfortunately, many traders pursue markets in ways that cannot leadto fulfillment. They pursue profits like a pick-up artist goes after sex. Sometimesthey score, sometimes they don’t. There is nothing cumulative intheir efforts, however: they no more build a career than the barfly buildsmeaningful relationships. Many times, traders recognize that gnawing existentialguilt: they realize that hours upon hours in front of a screen are contributinglittle or no economic value, but also yielding no ongoing senseof meaning and satisfaction. It’s not that they’re necessarily anxious, depressed,or frustrated. They are just empty.We can recognize the happy trader because he is immersed in the processof trading and finds fulfillment from this process even when marketsare not open. I track the traffic to the TraderFeed blog daily and have longnoted that the visitor count drops precipitously when markets close on aFriday and through the weekend. After all, what fun are markets if they’renot open and active? This is the mindset of the trading barfly. The happytrader finds joy in researching and understanding markets, in preparing forthe next day and week, in reviewing trading results and tweaking performance,and in generating new ideas and methods. The distinction betweenweek and weekend is as immaterial for such a trader as it would be fora dedicated artist or laboratory scientist. Indeed, it’s not uncommon forthese traders to increase their reading during evenings and weekends: theyare immersed in the entire process of trading, not just the process of makingmoney from trades.