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How A Broken Neck Made Me A Better Trader

How A Broken Neck Made Me A Better Trader

Posted On August 13, 2022 3:35 pm
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Growing up, I loved sports.

I played tennis, basketball, and I was just about the biggest body surfing enthusiast there was.

Until one fateful day…

I was 17 and it was just another day out in the ocean, trying to catch a wave. In the midst of my body surfing, I got caught by an unusually large wave for the beach I was on.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. Except this time, I had a freak accident.

I wasn’t ready when the wave broke and I tumbled out of control. My head hit the ground underwater, leaving my body to twist in the wrong way.

A massive pain shot through my neck and a few seconds later when I washed up on shore my right arm felt like there was electricity running through it and my legs were numb.

Luckily, I was at the beach with friends, so they took me to the ER immediately.

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This was before cell phones, but the ER called my parents, who then rushed to the hospital.

That’s when I overheard the doctor say to them, “He’s lucky he isn’t paralyzed… or dead!”

When I really grasped how close I had come to a fate far worse than this, a few things came into focus for me. The most obvious is don’t take dumb risks. Next, try to always be ready for the unexpected.

I also realized that life is precious and can end at any second. So, I beg you, do not leave things undone. Someday is not a day on the calendar, live your life to the fullest each day.

That message was reinforced over the next 6 months as I walked around with a halo brace to keep my neck perfectly still while it mended.

All these years later, those beliefs still outline everything I do…

Especially the way I trade and manage for my Options360 member community.

We take the shots, but not foolishly or without preparation, but with precision.

If I was cavalier about trading, we definitely wouldn’t be crushing it in the worst market in decades. In fact, Options360 is up by over 19% year-to-date.

I like to say, we are “intelligently aggressive” and it pays off week after week, month after month, year after year.

Want to be part of the action? You can try Options360 out for just $19 per month, and finally learn how to profitably trade options. With this kind of deal, you can’t go wrong…

In addition to all my trades, you’ll receive access to bi-weekly market breakdown webinars, which are worth 50 times the trial rate. Trading is tough, but you don’t have to go it alone.

Join our community of traders here, and we’ll see you on the “inside!”

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About author

Steve Smith

Steve Smith have been involved in all facets of the investment industry in a variety of roles ranging from speculator, educator, manager and advisor. This has taken him from the trading floors of Chicago to hedge funds on Wall Street to the world online. From 1987 to 1996, he served as a market maker at the Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE) and Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). From 1997 to 2007, he was a Senior Columnist and Managing Editor for TheStreet.com, handling their Option Alert and Short Report newsletters. The Option Alert was awarded the MIN “best business newsletter” in 2006. From 2009 to 2013, Smith was a Senior Columnist and Managing Editor for Minyanville’s OptionSmith newsletter, as well as a Risk Manager Consultant for New Vernon Capital LLC. Smith acted as an advisor to build models and option strategies to reduce portfolio exposure and enhance returns for the four main funds. Since 2015, he has worked for Adam Mesh Trading Group. There, he has managed Options360 and Earning 360, been co-leader of Option Academy, and contributed to The Option Specialist website.

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