A lot of people kid themselves thinking they want to be a trader, when all they want is the money.
There is a difference. If you do, you would be a huge step closer to becoming profitable.
Why not do both?
Because while they can exist together, they can also be mutually exclusive.
I’m coming into forex to make money so wouldn’t I take the time to learn what I’m doing to become a profitable trader to make money. So how can it not be both?
So the question begets-if there is a way to make money without trading, would you quit trading?
If the answer is yes, then you don’t have the passion to become a trader, you just want the money.
In that case, if you want to be profitable, you would be best off learning/copying other profitable traders’ systems, instead of figuring out your own. Because you don’t have the passion to develop your own.
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I have been a trader since as far back as I remember. The first trade was made when I was six years old at school. I held a raffle and the prizes were some silly toys worth a penny or so.
I have recently (this month) partnered with a younger person who will do all of the mechanics of buying, selling, trading and (if applicable) margining part of m crypto account. So in answer to your question, I want to make money from trading, I am already a trader.
I wrote a bunch of stuff, and I changed my mind.
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I think there’s some value in taking a broader perspective on any enterprise.
For example, a farmer might believe his job is gowing peas. He doesn’t really want to make a lot more money, as that will just make his life more complicated. But what little thought he gives to the problem probably suggests to him that the better the peas he grows, the more money he will make
This attitude might seem fine if he just wants to make enough money to live on from month to month. Recognise it won’t change his life - he will always be a pea farmer. But that’s fine because that’s what he thinks he is - a person who grows peas well. This defines him - he is a pea farmer.
In fact, his job is not growing peas, it is selling peas.
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I too will one day become a successful pea farmer, as well as excel in the pea trade.
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I’ll offer you an insurance contract for your pea bonds.
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I love trading. I trade because it is a fun hobby for me.
I got into trading around 2012 as an alternative to retail arbitrage-- a very popular business back then. I figured being a retail forex trader could fast-track the idea of arbitrage.
After all, there’s no need to purchase inventory and reship it. You just click a couple of buttons on your computer and instantly have one currency you can buy with another. As the base currency went up, you could sell and make a tidy profit. Do this over and over again, and you have a nice, profitable business. No need for employees, overhead, or shipping hassles.
I quickly discovered, however, that there was a steep learning curve involved in trading. After only a few years, I understood the need to look for other business opportunities. I got good enough to make a full-time go of it, but soon learned I didn’t have the capital to sustain a full-time living.
Now, I trade as a hobby, but I am seriously considering throwing my hat in with Maverick, the only true prop firm left. The hard part is working into something part-time since I have a “real” job.
It’s like any profession or business. Do what you love, get really good at it, and the money will eventually follow. Unfortunately, too many in our society today have reversed it to wanting the money first and then delivering the goods.
The real world just doesn’t work that way.
I think you’re right, because one of the thing to drove me into learning trading was the fun and peace of mind developing your own system can give, rather than hoping on the system of others.
For me, a trader. Whatever comes from becoming a trader, then let them come.
Guess I want to be a trader then 
. I like the thrill of a trade, reading charts, PA, checking the economic calendar, considering which pair to get involved in. I keep checking my trades on my phone, and even if I am not trading big volumes I get excited or annoyed with the movements. I am after the wins, and the percentages. So it is an exciting hobby now, which I hope can be full time in the future. Professional traders who are (claim to be?) say they only open 2-4 trades per week, which opens up your week to lots of other activites (after you are done studying the market of course).
Definitely more into making money through trading. It’s a means to an end for me, not really looking to be a full-time trader. Just aiming to grow my savings smartly 