Afterword: Trading Spirituality

When we look back on our lives, many times we can detect themes, just as we would in any fine novel or symphony.  Those themes capture the meanings of our lives: the ideas and visions that provide us with purpose.  As a young child, I voraciously read Greek mythology and knew all the gods and heroes.  Later I discovered the writings of Ayn Rand, Abraham Maslow, Colin Wilson, and G. I. Gurdjieff and felt inspired by their ideas of human potential.  Still later as a psychologist, I was drawn to the area of brief therapy and especially the solution-focused modalities that helped people build upon pre-existing strengths.  That found further voice in the research and practice tradition of positive psychology and most recently in my studies of spiritual teachings and practices.  At no point during this sojourn did I consciously move from one to the other; rather, each drew me and moved me forward--as a person and as a psychologist.

My hope is that something in this book has resonated with you and leads you to investigate, explore, and cultivate.  I have intentionally not tried to advocate any specific spiritual path, preferring to lay out ideas that could help you with your next steps.  The links in this text may be particularly helpful in that regard, as I've curated sources that strike me as informative and inspiring.

Not so long ago, the phrase "trading spirituality" would have been viewed as an oxymoron.  Among the traders I work with, there is growing recognition that how we lead our lives impacts how we interact with financial markets.  If this book accomplishes nothing more than a close look at that interaction, it will have served its purpose.  

Of course, we can make that close look a mutual one.  As the introduction emphasized, I encourage you to make use of the comments section to this blog book, laying out your questions and observations and sharing your experiences.  One of the main reasons I wrote this as an online book was to allow for the possibility that we can learn from one another; that your journey might inform mine and vice versa.

Over time, as I learn and experience new things, I will add sections to this book, so that it--like our lives--can be ever-expanding.  I appreciate your interest and look forward to hearing from you.  I have often said that the age at which we grow old is the age at which we decide that our best years are behind us.  May we be forever young!

Brett

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