It’s amazing how my work performance has changed since I stopped day trading. Not only my work performance, but everything in my life.
Even now, as I just got out of a spit bath shower using a pot of heated on the stove water, I feel so much better about myself. Not everything is hunky dory, no, not even close. But I am working. And I’m working hard. I’m not staying up til the wee dawn hours watching stupid charts bounce back and forth, praying they go the right direction.
Even as I’m contemplating filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy I feel more like a normal person than I have in a very long time. Now, maybe that is strange, considering I have over 300K in debt. But at least I’m no longer adding to that debt!
Even if I file the 13 I will have an incredibly difficult road ahead. I will probably still be paying $1500 or so back to creditors. I will also have to live below my means so that I can send $400 to my mother each month. She would not even be considered in the bankruptcy, but I have to send her that money each month or she cannot survive.
Friendships
In talking with my one close friend who knows about this, I asked if she would still be my friend (I wasn’t being too serious here, it was in a joking manner) if I declared bankruptcy, and was living in my office, and would have to check “ever declared bankruptcy” on those forms for jobs and the like. She replied,
“I’d still be your friend even if you had to check five boxes!”
Aww..I about cried.
(the other boxes are like “ever had a felony?” ect,)
Now that I’m not trading I don’t feel like I know some “secret” that no one else knows about. I can relate better with people, and I feel more like the person I was 4 years ago.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’d like to make a friendly spelling correction, since I’ve seen you make this mistake a bunch of times: The word is “etcetera” and the abbreviation is “etc.” You’ve been writing “ect.”
Oh, yeah, I think I know what you mean about feeling better about not adding to a debt. It’s sort of like – even if you’re standing still, at least you’re not still falling down the side of the mountain.
There is hope. I’m not bust yet, but surfing around, came across your blog. Struck a chord with me and inspired me to diarise my own experiences. The company I’m a partner in went bust last month. A phoenix form the ashes was born. So far so good. Good luck with your quest! Your blog has pride of place on my new site. I hope both your and my story end happily so it can maybe give hope to others in a similar situation!