Why I Do This
Over the last few years, I’ve gotten this question soooooooooo many times, I thought it would be best to write an article about it so people can understand and make their own conclusions about such a poignant topic.
The general question is one below someone recently emailed me;
If you can make money from your systems, why would you take the trouble to teach it, or teach at all when you can just make money trading?
I’m sure you as someone in the trading and learning process at one point thought of this question, or wondered about it yourself.
For the record, it’s a legitimate question as a whole, depending upon how it’s being asked which I will explain shortly, but here is my answer below;
About 12+ years ago, I decided I would only do that (for work) which I was passionate about. If I am going to spend 1/3 or 1/2 of my life working, then it better be something I am seriously passionate about. Although I have a lot of little passions, there are only a few I feel intensely passionate and think about daily. They are listed below;
-Trading
-Teaching/Training Traders
-Yoga/Meditation
-Philanthropy
-Zen Archery/Iaido
Beyond this, I cannot imagine doing anything else in my life as my daily work. Does that mean something new couldn’t come down the line which I would not do? Of course not as I’m always open to what life presents.
But, if I was stuck on a deserted island, with food, shelter, a laptop and internet connection, I would still be trading, and still training traders.
Why?
Because I am that passionate about it and love it to death. Passion is a fire that ignites something inside others.
It is the same thing John Coltrane had when he played till 4am (after doing a 3hr set earlier).
It is the same thing Michael Jordan had when he went back to the gym just 2 days after winning the NCAA championship (as a freshman).
If you have this, it will be what helps you overcome some of the greatest obstacles for your success – and trust me, you will face them in trading.
Retirement and Passion
I was once asked by a deca-millionare businessman who still worked 45+hrs a week at 50yrs of age – what is retirement?
Doing what you want everyday when you want? If so, then I am retired because I love what I do.
This is what he told me a long time ago and it stuck with me ever since. Today, I feel the same and understand what he meant.
I realized a long time ago, when I’m doing something I am passionate about, I put my whole being and 110% into it. When things get tough, I see the big picture. When things are going well, I remain focused and keep my head down. When things are boring and sometimes rote, I find enjoyment in doing it and perfecting my skills.
Simply put – when I do things I am highly passionate about – I am more apt to put my entire being into it then something which I have no real interest in – regardless of the money.
Life is short. I have no idea how long I’ll be here on this planet, so I only want to be doing the things I am totally passionate about. It would be torture for me to do some office job where I hate my boss and my work, just for the money, even if it was 10x more than what I make now. I cannot tell you how many business opportunities I have passed up which had the potential for a lot of money. But they didn’t excite me at all.
I feel very connected and in touch with who I am, and to do something just for the money (even though I hated it) would be torture for me. It would be disrespecting my being and who I am. I learned a long time ago not to care about the money, and just do what I love 110%. When I do that, the results will come, and even if the money didn’t come, I’d still be happy doing what I love everyday.
Money
It is always really sad to me people seem to think the sole motivation for doing something/anything should be money. More than likely, the person asking this question is NOT doing what they love right now – and likely doing something just for money. Most people ask and think, ‘if you can make more money trading than teaching (which is true – my comment), then why teach?‘
If money was the SOLE or TOP motivation in my life for doing something, then I would just trade. But its not.
So why do you teach/train traders?
Three simple reasons;
1) I do not want to spend 8hrs a day just pushing buttons to make money – that is the equivalent of being a human ATM machine
2) My energy is most creative / involved / expressed when I have a very dynamic day in terms of activities. Just doing one thing doesn’t help me to activate all my creative ideas
3) I have a vision of training 10,000 traders to become profitable. If the success rates are as stated (about 25%), I want to break them all. I want to help others find a method to become abundant so they can do what they want in life, and have the time they want to spend it with whom they can. I treasure the lifestyle and choices I have. If I can give a tool which can help others have this – then I’ve done some good work
It’s as simple as that. This is why I teach and I am passionate about it. When I’m doing something I’m passionate about, it helps to activate my entire being along with all my creative energies and natural intelligence. Not activating these day in day out is torture to me or falling backward. I feel like I am cheating myself (and others).
Trading, archery, yoga, meditation, philanthropy and training traders helps me to bring these things forward. Trading is one of the top things on my list, but it just so happens teaching others to trade successfully is also on that list.
Now just because someone wants to push buttons all day for 8+hrs a day trading, doesn’t mean its a bad thing. If that is what they are passionate about, then fire away.
But for me, I have a different vision of my lifestyle and my time. Time to me is more precious than money, and you will find that with most wealthy/abundant people. So if I can make a lot of money trading with less time, while getting to do a bunch of other creative activities, then why not?
It’s sad people think if you can trade, then you would not teach. They use this old saying;
Those who teach don’t know, and those who know, don’t teach.
Most don’t even understand where that came from or what it means. It came from the Tao Te Ching and was based on their philosophy of teaching through your natural being and actions, part of their wu-wei principle. Then it got applied to martial arts as many taoist things did, but was misrepresented. If there were no teachers in martial arts, how would we ever learn martial arts? Channeling? Good luck with that!
Eventually, it got applied to trading, likely through some distrust of people who teach but with no real understanding of the actual saying.
Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and many other athletes (from other sports) who make millions from playing basketball, teach training camps (and get paid for it). Does their pay from these camps = what they make playing their sport? No. So why do they do it?
Because they want to help others learn their craft, share their joy and what they know. Would you ever tell them they are a fake because they teach kids how to play basketball? No. Do you think they are only teaching little kids to play because they are only motivated by money or cannot play? No, so why is this the same with trading?
Sure, there are some suspect people out there who likely cannot trade, who are more marketers than traders, are scammers, or can only trade marginally. But some can and still like to help others for their own reasons.
Eventually, you get to a point in your life where the money comes in more than you expected, and then you face a fork in the road;
-You either keep working just to make more and more money (path of the ego)
-Or you try to figure out what good you want to do with your life and skills
I chose the latter, although less to do with the money, and moreso because I have no choice at this point – I have to do what i’m passionate about. Anything less would be disrespecting my being, my skills, my natural intelligence and would not help me manifest these latent energies I feel inside.
So hopefully this answers the questions once and for all, but even moreso, gives you an understanding of who I am, why I do this and an inside to what makes me tick.
All the best.
Chris Capre
2ndSkiesForex.com
Other Related Articles:
Trading Rule #1 – Know Thyself
Mindset of A Successful Forex Trader
7 Signs You Know You’re Maturing As A Trader
Great article Chris!
I try to live by similar principles that you stated so I really appreciate you putting it into words like this.
You’ve made me rethink some of my life decisions.
Kind regards,
Tino
Chris, I believe in coaching and training. It not only benefits the student but equally the coach / trainer. If we did not have people like your self dedicated to coaching and training knowledge would not be passed on and new things, ways and methods would not get developed as quickly as they do. Ask any Olympian or athlete where they would be if it was not for their coach or trainer.
I am thankful you are willing to teach and train. Your training and insights have made me better in forex and my life away from forex. Please continue to share your knowledge. Thank You!
PS, many super star Athletes and teams have more than one coach and or trainer. Why because they know the importance of coaches.
Nazaar
Hello Tino,
Am glad to hear this article help you to re-think some things which is something I hoped it would for all.
Kind Regards,
Chris
Thank you Chris
Chris, this is not a typical article, this is a deposit of soul, a manifestation of your life choices. It touches sensitive strings deeply within me (all of us?) and proves that you are not merely a trainer or a coach but a true MENTOR. People like you are the oasis in the desert of fx trading and prove that the fx training industry is not entirely impersonal to say the least… After reading your write-up I feel that I’m a couple of steps closer to enroll to your Adv Price Action course. Kind regards, Tasos
Cheers – thanks amigo.
Kind Regards,
Chris
Hi there Chris././thanks a lot…yeah…heard something interesting..and it goes like this..”repetition strengthens and confirms..and faith comes naturally”..
take it easy / regards/ colin
Hola Colin,
I like this saying you mentioned as repetition definitely strengthens neural connections in us which lead to automaticity and it is there that our true intelligence and skills come through.
Glad you liked it.
Kind Regards,
Chris
There is one more thing that passing on know how or wisdom does for you: You can only explain well what you understand well. So a good teachers has to make the effort of understanding how it`s done right, how he/she himself/herself does whatever it is they do and want to teach.
It is obvious that the teacher has an enormous benefit by increasing their level of understanding of their field. In other words: Skill becomes solid expertise.
Definitely a stronger reason ‘why’ you do what you do, it is clearly an internal driver not an external one… Who you are, not based on materials widgets (noise)
I think the same way although have not reached the financial point yet where I can do the same
Nice post Chris
I believe that some of the most complicated inquires in life have a simple answer. Been able to make a living doing that which one feels passionate about is a key ingredient to happiness. I recently joined the community of Forex traders and still find myself in the early stages of the learning curve. Your contribution has been extremely helpful. I/we would always be grateful for the integrity, hard work and dedication of your service. Passion is a key ingredient to success and St Clemens of Alexandra remind us in one of his most famous quotes that If we do not hope, we will not find what is beyond our hopes. Education and Training, dedication, discipline, persistence will follow hope. Once again thank you for your contribution.
You could have chosen to ignore the question but it is your passion and commitment to improving others which makes you bare yourself to others. Your example is very inspirational and I particularly liked the Retirement quote and Michael Jordan’s training example.
Thanks once again for a thoughtful article
Hi
chris nice to hear from you.
Nice reply to the person who has asked this sort of question to you and every mentor.
we learn from you and you help us in make us understand markets and trading better day by day from your valued articles and experiences.
let the dogs bark ….
we appreciate you.
regards
rocky
Hi Chris,
An absolutely top article. Spoken straight from the heart. Almost without knowing it, some of this is starting to rub off on me (I am one of Chris’ Price Action Course students, and have been a member since Dec 2011). I have found myself moving from asking numerous questions, which Chris patiently answers each and every time, to now answering other member’s questions when I feel my knowledge allows and its a great feeling helping people. This can only lead to good Karma for all parties, and furthermore encourage confidence and success in all course members.
This is what Chris promotes, if you are not part of the community yet, it really is lifechanging, trust me.
Well done Chris!
hi Chris
i don’t know anything about Forex and little about price action and still a fresh trader but all i know is from reading most of your articles that what made my decision that i choose you as a teacher to learn from is … YOU!! YOU SOLD ME ON YOU! your knowledge and wisdom expand WAY beyond just trading , you know the brain and im pretty sure you understand the mind witch is were it all starts, you know philosophies of life and prosperity, abundance and wealth witch are GREAT!! and from this article showed passion and dedication that earned the credentials of a true teacher and does it for all the right reasons …… i dont have the money NOW but i will soon and when that day come i know i will be taking giant leap forward towards my pursuit of becoming a great trader when i acquire your teaching. with my last words i hope to meet and hear from you soon, …. i asked a stranger one time “i desire to gave alot to the world ,but wouldn’t that mean i would have to receive alot” he said ” god knows you heart and your intentions, and for that he will give you everything you need and more” and i believe your heart and your intentions are in the right place and for that i hope you receive happiness , health and wealth including everything you desire in life and more!
Carlos Macias
Hey Chris, I have gone through your Blog and It states you are good human being.
I am from poor family in India and I have being trading since last 6 months and have no success. I really want my family to get what they deserve and my children to study in good school. In short iam struggling to meet ends.
So My question is can you help me to get successful in trading? I don’t have money to buy your course but promise when i will earn from forex i will pay for your course. Can you help me?
Hello Mark,
I thank you for your kind words and can understand your situation.
However, I do not offer courses for free, or to people who promise to pay at a later date as I have no protection if you do not.
Plus there is no way for you to guarantee you will trade the systems as is, or make money.
It would also be disrespectful to my other course members who also were low on funds, yet paid the full amount with what little they had.
In terms of getting successful in trading, you are always welcome to study my free content as much as possible which by itself can help improve your trading.
I have a free video which may be of use to you called ‘The Laws and Mindset of Abundance’ which you can find here;
http://www.fxstreet.com/webinars/sessions/session.aspx?id=b9a5028a-1d3e-4d45-acb1-2b3e6589efd3
I think that would be a useful place to start and hopefully help you attract more abundance to you.
I hope this helps.
Kind Regards,
Chris
HI Chris,
Thanks for Abundance video
I Will Save money for your course and get back to you, but one question can you suggest me which course i should take of yours to start making money and what will be the fees for it.
If possible can i get installment facility for paying fees?
Thank you and God bless you all
Hello Mark,
I’d recommend starting with the price action course which will give you rule based systems for reading/trading price action – a critical skill you can use in any environment. On the page it says the price but all the courses are the same which are $399 USD.
I don’t offer installment plans for the course.
Hope this helps
Kind Regards,
Chris
Dear Chris
The More I read your posts and articles the more I respect you and be glad that I was Lucky enough to find this Blog and meet you here ,
Thank you so much
Regards
Rona
Hello Ro,
Thank you for the positive comments – they are much appreciated as I take great pride in my work.
Kind Regards,
Chris
Keep it up Chris you are doing great job of teaching. “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” Siddhartha Gautama.