Maybe it was getting back to my trading this month after my Dad’s passing in April…
Perhaps it was my recent study of the man.
Either way I was surprised about how impacted I felt by Steve Jobs’ death.
I didn’t even know the man – well, I knew him how hundreds of millions of people knew him; by his products.
Perhaps it is my admiration for his work, how he built the company, and what he thought about the impact both have on the world…
One quote, among the tens of thousands flooding the web:
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do,”
“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”
I thought it fitting, as I’m stepping back into my work, what I love to do.
So, where have I been and what happened to the emails, videos, and support sessions?
To make a long story short, I took a hiatus after my Dad’s death — at first as an act of discipline. I found as the months passed a certain ‘relaxing into it.’ So much so a friend had to practically beg me to get back to trading. I just didn’t feel the NEED.
What was remarkable to me was it’s absence, the attachment.
The market isn’t a HAVE TO.
Like, I HAVE TO get to the market.
The market is open I HAVE TO get to my desk.
One of the things I loved most about my Dad was the way he was just so happy and positive about life. I remember sharing a particularly difficult situation I was experiencing. After my story was finished, he just said “I guess sometimes you have to take the good with the bad.”
This while he was emaciated, dying of a similar cancer that took Steve Jobs’ life.
Amos Hostetter (of the world renowned Commodity Corporation) made the 6-month hiatus mandatory for all traders. Now I see the wisdom of it. (thanks Amos, I owe you another one)
Now that I’m back, you can expect some things to stay the same – and much that needs to change. There will be plenty who would rather things stay like “they always were” – these are the types Jobs took out of his mind when leading his company to greatness. After all, which of us just knew we could use an iPhone, or iPad?
So, to some, the changes will be too much to bear. I expect even long-time Members to be in this group.
Not in a deliberate sort of way, rather like the horse-and-buggy crowd or the “nobody will pay extra for FedEx” some will just rather have it “the way it was”. To them, thank you for your Membership – I wish you well.
For the rest I’m eager, relaxed, and excited to be back at what I love at what I sincerely desire you to consider great work.
