The All Star Options newsletter is completely AI-Free. Not a word you will read here was generated by an LLM. All words are typed by my boney, imperfect fingers, as a translation of thoughts from my wildly imperfect brain. Trading is messy, and so is real writing. You're welcome.
Hello again, Spirit Animals.
Continuing the application of Mark Douglas' Five Fundamental Truths about trading applied to life, today we explore:
Truth #2: You Do Not Need to Know What Happens Next to Make Money.
You Do Not Need to Know What Happens Next to Live Well
Most anxiety is an attempt to solve uncertainty in advance.
Life is not a math problem you finish before living. It is lived in direct contact with the unknown.
You do not need:
• Total clarity before acting
• Guarantees before loving
• Certainty before beginning
• Permanent answers before moving forward
You need enough clarity for the next honest step. That is all.
There is a line between planning and compulsive rehearsal. The test is simple: does this thinking lead to a decision, or does it loop? Planning ends in action. Compulsive rehearsal ends in more rehearsal. One is preparation. The other is a trauma response wearing a productivity costume.
Sean here:
How often when trading do we wait for "perfect" before acting, and then miss a great opportunity? In life, how often do we get caught in a spiral of inaction, getting stuck on the uncountable ways something might go wrong instead of simply taking a small step forward into the unknown and betting on it going right?
I don't know which comes first: learning to step forward into uncertainty in life, or learning to take the next trade when it feels hard? I think experience in either area positively effects the other in a self-sustaining feedback loop.
I'm trying to do more in both.
Easier said than done, of course. But something to be mindful of.
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