Sometimes to become 'good' at something, you have to embrace being 'bad'. This might sound counterintuitive, so let me explain.
This weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Bad Traders Tour in Atlanta. I had the chance to meet some of the TastyTrade personalities, to me these are the hero's in the world of math based options trading. It was a unique chance to pick their brains, and believe me, it was as enlightening as it was entertaining. The cool thing about Tasty is the personalities you see on youtube are just as genuine and friendly in person as they appear virtually. They actually care about their customers and it really shows!
I enjoyed meeting Dr. Jim before the show, he has a knack for making complex trading concepts feel like a walk in the park. We discussed how his famous slogan "for every gimmie has a gotcha" applies to all aspects of life not just trading. He mentioned he has his daughter saying this already as well! His official talk discussed working in a restaurant, it wasn't the Bonefish Grill tho. No spoilers here Dr Jim... I won't discuss how they just ran out of the strawberry surprise for dessert... He reminded us that every opportunity or advantage we get often comes with a hidden cost or challenge. The key: being prepared for the 'gotcha' while enjoying the 'gimmie'.
Then there was Liz and Jenny, the dynamic duo whose on-air banter is as educational as it is fun. Their back-and-forth, their questioning of each other, makes them relatable and provides a real-time learning experience for all of us. It's like eavesdropping on two expert traders discussing strategies and then getting to pocket the nuggets of wisdom they drop along the way. Both of their talks were great! Such good mindset nuggets were shared.
Julia covered some topics from her book specially around black swan events, Jermal dropped some knowledge about his time working at a prop firm and even his experience as a lyft driver!
But of course, they saved the best for last. Enter Tom Sosnoff, a powerhouse of option trading know-how with an unmatched passion for the game. Tom brought a whole new perspective to what makes a 'bad' trader. Spoiler alert: we actually want to be 'bad' traders in some ways...
After talking about how horrible the food was in Atlanta (health wise, not taste wise) Tom was open about his past, discussing the bad business deals he's made and the importance of pushing forward, no matter what. He stressed that we learned from our losses, but also reminded the crowd that many of us aren't taking enough risks. We're held back by self-limiting beliefs, scared to embrace losses and 'bad' trades as progress towards bigger goals.
This hit me hard. How often do we let the fear of failure stop us from even trying? But here's the thing: in trading, and in life, it's those very failures, those 'bad' trades, that help us learn, grow, and improve. They're not setbacks; they're stepping stones to success.
If you get a chance you need to attend the Bad Traders Tour. It's a fun few hours of learning, laughter, and some serious food for thought. You might even meet some new friendds! It reminded me that it's okay to be a 'bad' trader, to take risks, and to make mistakes. After all, that's how we grow, right?
So let's embrace being 'bad' traders at Good Kids Trading. Let's push past our self-limiting beliefs, and yes let's take risks (don't forget risk management tho), and see every loss as an opportunity to learn. Because, as the TastyTrade personalities reminded me, that's the real secret to success in options trading. Let's be 'bad' together and see where it takes us. Join us on Good Kids Trading Discord, and let's shake things up a bit.
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