The reason you fail to grow & win at life is that you also expect to be happy. Here's what you should expect: it sucks wet ass. But looking the wet ass in the eye is your best bet. Growth by default is a horrible experience. If you're pushing yourself... I'm sorry, you're going to be miserable. Taking risks. Doing pure labor. Mastering things you DON'T want to do. All while NOT getting results. It sucks dick. This is why people who grow are usually either: A) Psychos who are in MASSIVE pain if they aren't winning B) Desperate people who have no other choice The PAIN of growing becomes less than the pain of staying where you are. Most people never get that. It's actually bizarrely hard to find the urge to MAX grow unless something is wrong with you or your life. If it were fun, everyone would do it, constantly. They don't. They start the thing. They slow down. They stop. Sound familiar? (By THEY I mean YOU.. by the way). That slow-and-stop part... that's when the dick sucking and wet ass starts. The truth is: you're going to have to accept being frustrated and unhappy if you want to grow. You will probably be peak unhappy when you're making the most progress. Results usually come on delays after all. When your making the most progress, it will feel like you're the biggest fuck up of all. Bezos isn't great because he loved working on Amazon. He's great because he got over how awful building Amazon likely was: years of chronic uncertainty, no reward, and a shit life. If you can get over this part...You will win at anything. Everyone else will get to the awful part and dilly wag around it. You will raw dog it like a pile of bricks. You will come out stronger. That's the cost becoming something greater than you are. Keyword : cost.

How to fill your "free time" as a trader: (full breakdown...feel free to bookmark + use) Some of you guys know that the majority of big success in trading comes from waiting + letting positions work. I've talked about this before, but it's too important not to resurface. So how do I fill the extra time with stuff that makes me a better active investor? Welp, I'll walk you though some of what I do. Do Deeper (Continuous) Research: > what's a stock/theme that everyone's overlooking > find cases of unusual volume, insider activity, etc > study thematic maps + changes over time (finviz) > dig into geopolitics, macro > study historical tendencies of markets > look deeply into teams & leadership > understand a company's moat + potential > keep digging into your current positions' thesis Education: Youtube channels: > @Qullamaggie (swing trading mechanics) > @RealSimpleAriel (swing trading, etc) > Amit Kukreja @amitisinvesting (deep dives) > @TheShortBear (all his old stuff is gold) > @TraderLion (well-rounded edu) > Harvard Innovation Labs (business acumen) > Institute of Trading (retail trading) > @Wordsofrizdom (conversations with traders) > @tbpn (business acumen + current events) > will be adding more Substacks: ~ @agnostoxxx's (good mix of macro, ideas, thoughts) ~ @zastocks's (trading principles, lessons, research) ~ @citrini (all around, thematic deep research) ~ @market_sleuth (experience, vix + data, lessons) ~ @michaelsikand, asymmetrical bets (deep research) ~ @babyfolio's edelbridge alpha ~ @Gaetano2026 (photonics, ai, tech) ~ @ren_stocks (ai infra, semis, tech) ~ @TheBigBerbowski (great guy, great writeups) ~ others based on your style Messing around with tools + seeing how to best leverage: - @finviz_com (screeners, thematic maps, etc) - @GodelTerminal (data feeds, movers, news) - @tradingview (charts, scripts, indicators) - bunch more, but it's always good to mess around with tools & see what functionality can help you Interviews: - @StocksOnSpaces (@stocktalkweekly + team) - @MollySOShea's interviews (ceo's, executives, pe/vc) - @patrick_oshag's interviews (investing + market legends) - @amitisinvesting's interviews (ceo's, public companies, leaders) Data dropping favs: + @ConnorJBates_ (data, charts, sentiment) + @WallStJesus (surveys, price target changes, etc) + @KobeissiLetter (deep analysis, news, data) Books: = Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (psych + cycles) = Market Wizards (pattern recognition across styles) = The Psychology of Money (behavior > strategy) = Poor Charlie’s Almanack (decision making) = The Outsiders (capital allocation) Use "free time" to get smarter on markets, business, and how the game works...without overtrading or making stupid trades out of boredom. Other things to observe: > use @finviz_com's (or other) screeners for top gainers/losers, most active, unusual volume, etc. > what headlines dropped + how did those assets react? > which names have relative strength consistently? > what doesn't make sense? > what are the next big catalysts for the markets overall, and your assets? Don't forget to review performance: - use some of your "free time" to go back and review the past few months/years. - what worked? what didn't? why didn't it work? what should I change? - where did I break my rules? - average holding period, % performance month by month, etc - know what makes you tick. find your weaknesses. use data to understand your style Physically LEAVE the desk & screens: > go for a walk > workout > go to the coffee shop > hang out with your kids > drive around with your wife This isn't everything, but it's a start on how to best use your "free time" during, after, or in between trades. The edge isn’t doing more…it’s doing less, with better information. Luc