In my late twenties, as a trader on the floor of the options exchange, I was a “Master of the Universe”. That’s a very common affliction down there. Apparently, when you put a bunch of young, fearless, risk-takers together and give them the power to move markets around the world, you end up with a bit of a monster. At one point I attended a symposium with my fellow traders; each of us secure in our status as Cowboy and Superman rolled into one very special gift for the world. We listened to the latest market analysis systems and celebrated our shared royalty. Amidst all the revelry was a speaker who didn’t have a financial background; he was more of a self-help, motivational kind of guy. (Believe me, the last thing that group needed was motivation!) I remember not paying much attention to him – you know, being a “Master of the Universe” and all – but I wish I had. He wasn’t there to motivate us, he was there to help us – to keep us from losing ourselves… an effort made mostly in vain.
Within days of the symposium all was blissfully forgotten; let’s face it, what could these talking heads possibly teach a “Master of the Universe?” All, I should say, but this bit of wisdom from the self-help guru – the one who was so out of place. This stuck with me and I damned him for it:
If you want to know who you really are, listen to that quiet voice you hear while driving home after a meeting, late at night and tired, with no one else in the car and the radio off. That voice is who you really are… and the fears that voice brings forth are what you really fear.
Over time I was pretty sure I understood what he meant… but I didn’t.
I was thinking about this the other day. I had just finished with a group of agents in my POPs Program, where we had been favorably comparing the stress AND the fun of being Read more