Ayn Rand Works and Life
Ayn Rand was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on February 2, 1905. At age six she taught herself to read and set herself on a path of writing which included such great books as Atlas Shrugged and Foutainhead. Every book by Ayn Rand published is still in print, and hundreds of thousands of copies are sold each year and she has sold, a staggering twenty five million copies. So why do I like her and why is she an inspiration to my trading? Well first she tells people to go out and achieve what she believes they can:
“Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves – or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth” (Ayan Rand)
We all can do much more than we think and in Forex trading this is totally true. Most traders are blinded by the idea its to complicated to do or we should follow others. Society teaches us to conform but success in trading is reliant on the opposite of not conforming which when 90% of traders or more lose should be obvious
Reason - Selfishness Objectivity and Individuality
I never found beauty in longing for the impossible and never found the possible to be beyond my reach.” (Ayan Rand)
Rand, as novelist, tries to show what we can ALL achieve and must not be restricted by others. In terms of trading, you need to be an INDIVIDUAL to Prosper but you also need to be objective.
The Primacy of Reason. Rand defines man as "a rational animal": reason distinguishes us from other species. Being rational means - being able to exercise reason which enables us, to survive and prosper – how many traders, are not rational but emotional or led by the crowd? Most. The Virtue of Self-Interest or what she calls "selfishness" was the idea of, not running with the crowd but to live using one's reason, to pursue worthwhile goals. The Imperative of Freedom was another concept she put forward - If individuals are to live lives guided by reason and pursue there goals, they must enjoy freedom.
The philosophy behind her work tells us to go out and do! Not to follow but to strive for our goals but to do so whilst using reason judgement. We are taught to follow and look up to others and society, has a huge influence over us but by freeing ourselves of society and thinking objectively and with reason, all people can achieve much more than they think.
Rand called her philosophy "Objectivism" and put this forward as the "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute”
She was not a person who wanted to see people hurt each other or do evil as many claimed she did but a person who stressed finding our path in life and achieving for ourselves using reason and being free of constraints – if you think about trading this is what you have to do to win. Sure you cannot free yourself of rule and law in society but in trading you can.
In Conclusion
“You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.” (Ayan Rand)
You can be objective, make reasoned judgements and enjoy being an individual away from the influences of the crowd and think for yourself. Of course, if you embrace this view, believe in it and believe in yourself - you can win at trading.
I read her works, after reading an interview with Monroe Trout Junior, one of the great traders in Market Wizards and it helped me in life and trading. I would urge anyone, to read about her life and her books - there very inspirational.
