The label 'free trader' sounds cool:
No need to clock in, no need to attend meetings, no need to watch the boss's face, no need for teamwork; with just a computer and an internet connection, you can start your work anywhere in the world.
But do you know? 90% of people simply cannot handle this 'freedom.'
I. Full-time trading ≠ freelance; it is high-intensity 'self-management.'
Many people think full-time trading is an upgrade from working; it’s a shortcut to escape the workplace.
But the truth is: full-time trading is not 'working in a different way' but 'you are the company.'
The difference is that ordinary people in business manage people, projects, and processes;
And for traders, entrepreneurship is managing one's emotions, systems, rhythms, and risk control.
The hardest part is— you must **operate the company called 'yourself' in the long term**, and all your failures, inertia, excuses, and emotional trading will ultimately be directly reflected in your asset curve.
No one will catch you, no one will bear the stress for you; the consequences of all decisions must be swallowed by you alone.
II. Most people long for 'freedom', which is essentially an escape from responsibility.
Many people think they want to trade to take control of their lives.
But to be honest, are you really in control?
How many people are actually just:
Not wanting to go to work, not wanting to be managed;
Unwilling to bear the boss's emotions but also unwilling to manage their own emotions;
Wanting to live freely but unwilling to bear all the responsibilities that freedom brings.
True freedom is never about 'doing whatever you want' but about 'being able to bear the consequences of every decision.'
And this is the root of failure for most people—they want to be free traders but are unwilling to be mature adults.
III. An excellent full-time trader must have an 'entrepreneurial personality structure.'
Trading is lonely and brutal. What you face every day is not team encouragement or boss guidance, but:
A feedback-less candlestick chart;
Endless fluctuations;
The market's indifference and the temptation of emotions.
In such an environment, you must:
Use a system to control impulsiveness.
Replace complaints with reviews.
Use cognition to penetrate the noise.
Execute your plan with discipline.
This is a higher requirement than most industries.
A full-time trader must possess qualities similar to those of an entrepreneur: stress resilience, delayed gratification, self-correction, continuous learning, and strong execution ability.
And how many true entrepreneurs are around you? Then you'll understand why 99% of people fail at full-time trading.
IV. If you are used to 'someone telling you what to do', then full-time trading is not suitable for you.
In reality, there are too many people:
Accustomed to having schedules arranged and KPIs set;
Accustomed to surviving within a system, with tasks, feedback, rewards, and punishments;
When encountering difficulties, they instinctively seek guidance instead of solving problems autonomously.
But in the trading industry, what you face every day is not 'guidance', but 'chaos.'
Go long or go short?
Stop loss or hold on?
Increase position or wait and see?
No one gives you the answers; even if you make five consecutive mistakes, no one will tell you where you went wrong.
At this moment, you must rely on yourself.
Can you withstand the psychological impact of continuous losses?
Can you not break down while reviewing trades alone late at night?
Can you maintain your rhythm in a market where 'doing right doesn't earn'?
If you can't, then full-time trading is not freedom for you; it's a form of slow self-destruction.
V. Final thoughts:
I am not advising you not to trade, but I want to remind you—don’t fantasize that trading can save your life.
It can make a person soar high or crash down to pieces.
Trading is not an escape from life but a mirror that magnifies the essence of your life.
If you are already disciplined, calm, and have strategic thinking, trading will help you succeed.
But if you are impulsive, lucky, and inconsistent, trading will ruin you.
Before trading, it’s good to ask yourself a question:
When no one tells you what to do, can you make the right choice and bear the consequences?
If you can't, it's best not to embark on the path of full-time trading.
Because freedom is not a reward; it is a responsibility.