Hello Hive community!
Today, I wanted to share something deeply personal and incredibly exciting that I'm embarking on: my journey into the world of trading. As a stay-at-home mom with close to zero income right now, this isn't about getting rich quick. In fact, it's the exact opposite. This is about dedicating years to learning a complex skill, building multiple income streams, and ultimately, striving for true financial freedom for my family and myself.
My "Why": A Vision for the Future
My motivation runs deep. Growing up in poverty, I never learned about money management, saving, or investing. My dream isn't just about my own financial stability; it's about being able to retire my incredible parents and secure a home for them, as well as for myself. I'm prepared for this to be a long game – I'm genuinely okay if it takes 10 years to start seeing significant profits from trading. My focus is entirely on building a solid, sustainable foundation.
Why Trading? It's My Special Interest!
Interestingly, trading has become a special interest for me, largely because it's so heavily rooted in pattern recognition. As an autistic individual, this aspect deeply resonates with how my brain works. I'm a highly visual learner, and the world of charts, candlesticks, and market movements is incredibly engaging for me. This natural alignment helps me focus and absorb information more easily than ever before.
The Learning & Simulator Phase: Building Unshakeable Foundations
My immediate plan is all about intensive learning and practice, entirely on a trading simulator. This isn't live trading, and that's intentional. I firmly believe that real trading is a skill, not gambling, and I want nothing to do with gambling.
Here's how I'm approaching this crucial phase:
Duration: I'm committing to 1 to 3 years of daily simulator practice before I even consider putting real money on the line.
Daily Practice: From 9:30 AM to 1 PM daily (market open hours), I'll be actively using the simulator.
Structured Sessions:
9:15 AM - 9:30 AM: I'll use this time to carefully review stocks, make notes, and plan my trades.
Half-Hourly Checks: I'll set a timer to check my positions, journal my observations, and make decisions every 30 minutes. This prevents over-monitoring and encourages deliberate action.
Balanced Day: In between those checks, I'll step away from the screen and tackle other daily tasks and household chores. This ensures trading integrates into my life, rather than consuming it.
Risk Management from Day One: Even with "play money," I'm practicing strict risk management. For example, today I bought 10 shares of Amazon, saw they only went up a few cents but knew they were likely to reverse, so I exited the trade with an 8-cent profit. Protecting capital is paramount, even in simulation.
Knowing When to Stop: Like today, I ended my simulator session at 11 AM because it felt like the right time to sell. I walked away from the screen, freeing up the rest of my day for other activities.
Weekend Learning: On weekends, when the market is closed, I'll keep my learning material light and focus on my other side hustles and self-care.
Addressing Emotions & Past Experiences
I'm very aware that emotions, especially concerning money, can be a huge hurdle. Having grown up very poor, the thought of financial freedom is powerful but also brings its own set of anxieties. I've started journaling, learning about money management, and actively working on understanding my relationship with money.
A key part of my simulator phase is to journal my emotions during each trade. My hope is that by the time I transition to real money, I'll have trained myself to detach emotionally from the immediate ups and downs, knowing that emotional trading is one of the biggest reasons people lose money.
Building Multiple Bridges: My Side Hustles
My plan for financial stability isn't solely reliant on trading. I'm actively building other income streams right now:
Ambiance Sound YouTube Channel: Creating content for relaxation and focus.
Hive Blog (like this one!): Sharing my journey and interests with a supportive community.
Etsy Shop: Selling digital planners.
My goal is to build these up to a consistent income of $3,000 per month. Once I hit that milestone, I'll have enough income for daily needs, other savings, and then, and only then, will I allocate a budget of $300 per month to my live trading account. This ensures any money I put into trading is truly "risk capital" – money I can afford to lose without impacting my family's needs. From there, I'll apply the "snowball" concept, reinvesting profits to gradually build a larger trading account.
My Daily Commitment & Self-Care
To make all of this happen, I'm planning to wake up at 5 AM daily. This dedicated time will be perfect for focused learning and working on my side hustles before the day gets busy. I'm also strategically using my upcoming time staying with in-laws and camping, which means fewer chores and cooking, to maximize my learning curve.
Crucially, alongside all this hard work, I'm prioritizing self-care. I know the risk of burnout with special interests, and my goal is to manage it carefully to stay consistent for the long haul.
This journey is just beginning, but I'm incredibly excited and committed to building a life where financial worries are a thing of the past, and I can truly provide for my loved ones.
Thank you for reading and for being part of my journey!
Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-looking-at-a-graph-on-her-laptop-7677856/