The Weekend Trader – Kissing the Stanley Cup

Those who have perused these virtual pages over the last several years know that I look to much of life to discuss trading.

Understand life and you’ll understand trading.

Understand trading and you’ll understand life.

And often, I look to sports for top parallels as Trading is the truest of all sports … albeit a mental one.

Last week, we discussed trading lessons from the massive collapse of the Red Sox this year.

This week, we’ll flip to the other side of the spectrum and discuss a sports celebration that will have few parallels as time goes on … last night’s incredible, awe-inspiring raising of the Boston Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup Championship Banner.

The orchestration, production, and execution of the celebration in this old hockey-crazy sports town was simply perfect, as the past (old-times such as me, think “Number Four, Bobby Orr”) met the present to raise a banner to the rafters that will never, ever, be taken down so long as life still breathes on this planet.

You see, the perseverance, determination, and true grit of last year can never be taken away.

Three Game 7s.  Down in the first round 0-2, losing both games at HOME and having to go to Montreal to do the impossible … win two games in a row in an environment akin to trying to light a match in a downpour.

Down in the Finals 0-2.  Losing one of the best players to a season-ending cheap hit in Game 2.  Playing Game 7 on the road in another hockey-crazed sports town.

Yet they overcame it all and flew home from Vancouver after that historic night with the most famous trophy in all of sports to a city and state ready to give them the hug of all hugs. 

From the fire engines and harbor patrol that spewed fountains of water upon the plane’s arrival at Logan Airport, to the parade a few days later before millions of people, to … finally, last night’s closure which was set to the most inspiring music and loudest city roars I’ve ever heard in my 50 years.

Here’s a taste … the whole thing is incredible, but you can jump to the five minute mark for the final music & banner raising.

You see, Boston is a hockey town.  And it was a 39 year drought often full of “close, but no cigar” years.

The Bruins could go 0-82 this year, and the Banner and accomplishments it reflects will never be taken away.

Trading parallels?

There’s not enough virtual ink.

And while I could go on for pages talking about the absolute necessities for a trader to always remain humble, focused, and forgetting the past the split-second it’s gone, it’s also OK to spend one day to look back and celebrate the toil.

Did I celebrate the end of my 2008 $1.6 Million trading run to the top of my industry’s asset class? 

You bet in what remains one of the most viewed posts in the industry where the following excerpt still rings true …

Yet for one night, we’ll dance. We’ll freeze this ever-so-brief moment as long as we can and dance away tonight like tomorrow will never come. We’ll stand in awe of the magic of a fully matured Bamboo, which will forever remain a testament to Man’s ongoing battle with patience, fortitude, and endurance.

Regardless of what happens in 2009 and beyond, no one will ever be able to take 2008 away from me. Ever. Like other far more important life milestones, the year will find its own place in a corner of my heart that I’ll be able to tap whenever I question my ability to conquer a challenge in front of me.

And if you haven’t figured it out by now, this blog goes far beyond my trading race. It’s about life’s race. Trading is a game … nothing more. It pales in comparison to life’s true priorities, and simply provides us with the analogy of all analogies, and parable of all parables. It provides us with a unique practice field on which we can learn and then try to apply the principles to life. The better we trade, the better we live, and the better we live, the better we seem to trade. For me, the $1.6M score will mean nothing unless I can now apply the learned principles going forward, especially to life.

If you read the entire post, you’ll see that God received the true glory … for like the Bruins, “team” will always override individual.

As for tomorrow?

Yes, the Bruins must move on and focus on the new journey at hand, just as I had to do in 2009 and beyond.

Yet the taste of victory that represents the 365-day toil – that no one will ever understand who hasn’t been through the incredible daily sacrifices involved in trading or sports - will be forever sweet.  For if one inhales for 364 days, one HAS to eventually exhale … if only for a day.

And there IS one final page to read before fully turning the page on the historic 2011 Boston Bruins season as I learned earlier today that my family has been invited as guests in a Private Suite Saturday night overlooking the same ice on which the Banner was raised last night.

At 6:30PM ET, THE Stanley Cup will be brought to our suite.

And at 6:31PM, this trader & hockey fan will wrap the cup with both arms in a full embrace.

Trading After Dark Interview – Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with David Penn of TradingMarkets.com about the Trading After Dark effort, which continues to take the industry by storm.  The interview is about an hour long, and is the topic of this week’s “Big Saturday Inteview” on the TradingMarkets site.

PivotPoint Webinar – I also had the pleasure of participating as a panelist last evening for a PivotPoint Advisors webinar, the recording of which is available here. I’ll also update the PivotPoint Briefing over the weekend.

Prop Firm Expansion – I’m continuing my expansion of my recently-established prop firm by adding a Jellie trader located in Europe to maximize time-zone efficiencies and better balance my schedule.  I’ll provide the capital.  Serious inquiries only.

Jellie Webinar Discount – Finally, I’m continuing the 16-Hour Jellie Trader Training Webinar Series $250 discount through the weekend.  If you’re interested, simply email me at don@donmillereducation.com and I’ll email a special discounted invoice.

Enjoy the weekend.