I’ve written a lot about keeping perspective when it comes to trading.  For me this is crucial because it keeps each trade in context, thus not allowing any particular one seem like a “make or break” trade.

Any time I feel overwhelmed in the markets, I make it a point to think about Donald Rudolph. When I am doing “battle” on a trade I think about the real battles he fought in.  I think about the courage and bravery he showed.  I think about about the people who are walking the Earth right now only because of the fact that he saved their grandfather from death.

This acts as a cold dose of reality, reminding me that I am playing with numbers, not dodging bullets.  It’s a humbling thought that immediately embarasses me back into perspective.

I first read about Mr. Rudolph and his heroic feats back in 2006.  I was still reading actual newspapers back then and one day came across his obituary.  It made such an impact on me that I cut it out and taped it on the wall above my computer screen.  It is still there to this day.

“At the first pillbox, he tore open the wood-and-tin covering with his bare hands and dropped a grenade through the opening…..”

Jesus Christ, I’m just trying to catch a buck on $AAPL.

This guy accomplished more in one day that I probably will in my whole lifetime, and it reminds me that I have no business being “stressed,” “angry,” or “pissed off” at the markets.

It also reminds me that there are thousands of other “Donald Rudolph’s” who never made it home, and perhaps I should just shut up and be glad that I have the “luxury” of trading and of never having had to go to war myself thanks to guys and gals like them.

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