I had done all of my homework, I was prepared for this.

[Open*]

I was vaguely aware of other voices in the room, people asking me stupid questions, I occasionally mumbled an answer.  I remember feeling nauseous and worrying that I might actually throw-up.  My heart was beating so hard and fast that I thought I might be having a heart-attack. If this went wrong, I had no idea how I could pay the mortgage.  I tried to focus on what was happening but was unable to ignore the nightmarish vision of being homeless and penniless.

[Close*].

24 minutes later it was over and I was £45,000 richer.

I am also a liar, sort of. Let me fill in the ‘*’ and explain…

* The door.

There were 24 minutes between me opening the door and closing it behind me again. I was £45,000 better off only after I had worked there for a year. It was the interview from hell.

My point is that our lives are full of gambles. These gambles, the outcome of which is very often a mixture of skill and luck, have serious financial implications. So please don’t have a go at me, and friends and family do, for being ‘irresponsible’ by trading.  There is a lot more risk-management at work in my trading then is ever possible in real life or in any kind of business venture. I’m not drawn to trading because I am reckless, I am drawn to trading because it is a simple, controllable system. 

Learning to trade, putting it all on 27.

The biggest gamble is investing the time and effort to learn, not knowing if it will ever pay-off.  It takes a lot longer than 24 minutes which is probably why very few, quite sensibly,  take the risk.

[14:31 GMT, I'm really hoping lots of people are gambling on EUR/JPY not breaking through 132.00. I hate counter-trend trades but this was too hard to resist.  My FX trades have improved since Monday, thankfully.]