Take action and take control, says Louise Bedford.

I’ve always felt I would die young. I’m not sure where that thought came from, but, weirdly, it has served me well. I’ve done everything to cram as much ‘living’ into my life as I can, just in case the next breath is my last.
There are so many disasters in the world – tsunamis, earthquakes, floods. Sure, it’s statistically unlikely that one of these events will take you out, but still… People act as though they have 300 years to live instead of 80 (give or take a decade or two).

If you’re in your 30s now, and live to be 80, you have fewer than 2500 weekends left. Doesn’t sound like many when you put it in that context, does it? You just never know.

I think about this whenever I ignore something I really want to do, and instead do something I don’t really want to do. I wonder whether ‘that’ was my last chance. I’ve even started admitting that when I’m alone I eat dessert first. And I’ve been advising some of the older, wearier, members of the audiences I present to that they should do the same thing.

Is this attitude morbid? Maybe. Does it help me revel in every minute of every day? Definitely.

So, whatever it is that you are really passionate about doing, I suggest you do it. Sooner, not later. Trying to time anything right is truly beyond most of us. Don’t pretend that you’ve got all the time in the world to achieve what you want to achieve. You probably don’t – unless you do it now.

If you’ve been putting off learning about the share market, or even learning how to trade a particular instrument, can you really guarantee that you’ve got a ‘start date’ written down? Or are you too busy blaming market conditions for your failure to get off the couch?

Although the markets are volatile, that should not be used as an excuse for not learning, striving and stretching to be the very best trader you can be...

Excerpted from an article originally published in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of YourTradingEdge magazine UK. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2012, Your Media Edge Pty Ltd.
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