7/8/2026 - A well-known quote from Ayn Rand is "To say 'I love you' one must first know how to say the I". In other words, love is an expression and affirmation of who we are. It is not meant to fill the void of an undeveloped self. One important implication of this view is that need can never be the foundation for a successful relationship. Love is a sharing of the positives of each person--their values, personalities, passions--not a desperate path for filling the voids when those things are missing.
We hear people talking about loving trading. What kind of love are they referring to? Is it the love of finding in markets the kinds of challenges and complexities that engage our greatest cognitive and personality strengths, or is it the love of trying to fill what is missing in life when one hasn't been successful in other arenas? For love based upon fullness, losses are challenges to dig deeper, learn, and adapt. For love based on emptiness and needs, losses are threatening. Without P/L to fill the void, the needy person cannot tolerate the pain of digging deeper into markets.
When you enter a good romantic relationship, there is something about the other person that makes you want to dig deeper and get to know them better. That's also what drives the person who truly loves trading--or any field of endeavor. Those who fall in love are driven by positives; they're not running from negatives. Markets can affirm who we are, but they can never fill what is missing.
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7/7/2026 - It was way back in 1974 that I was on college vacation in Florida, sitting on a beach reading Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead. It's a book about an innovative, creative architect who has to fight mediocrity (and more) to see his visions realized. There's a loose parallel to the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, which is why Fallingwater has always held a special place in my heart. There was a moment on the beach when I looked across the water and was struck by an intense insight: *This* is what psychology should be all about. Not just treating illness and solving problems, but helping people find "the hero in your soul". From this perspective, the goal is to live a visionary life of values, purpose, and meaning. The best way to sustain the fire of a heroic life is to stay connected to the greatness in others. The best relationships inspire and a true positive psychology leverages that connection.Wealth--in all its forms--is not a vision; it is the consequence of realizing a great vision. When we pursue trading for wealth and without a vision, is it any wonder that we stumble blindly through markets? The important question for any trader/entrepreneur is, "What is your Fallingwater?". What is the vision you're pursuing that will guide your innovation and your success? If you're not doing something uniquely, you'll never achieve unique and distinctive returns. You'll copy what the gurus tell you, you'll pursue one funded trading possibility after another, and your fire will "go out, spark by irreplaceable spark...in lonely frustration for the life you deserved".
True passion comes from purpose and true purpose expresses a vision of what is and what is possible. What you see uniquely and distinctively is your vision and in its pursuit lies your heroism and your key to a meaningful life. No guru will tell you that. They want you to follow them, not your own vision. When you discover something new and promising in markets and you feel the excitement of possibility, you know you're on your heroic path.
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