Chris has 3 apples. His neighbor, Leo, who owns 2 llamas and 14 vintage yo-yos, gives him 2 more apples. Meanwhile, the temperature outside is 72°F, and Chris is wearing mismatched socks; one with polka dots and one with flamingos. If Chris’s favorite number is 7, and according to Alan, the moon is in its waxing gibbous phase, how many apples does Chris have now?
Answer: 3 + 2 = 5 apples. (Everything else is just noise. ugly, chaotic noise.)
Whether in life or in trading, success hinges on the ability to navigate with precision, clarity, and unwavering focus.
Stay Focused – Filter the Noise
Whether in life or in trading, clarity is a competitive edge. The most successful undertakings, whether navigating volatile markets or personal crossroads, are anchored by sharp focus and clear vision. Distractions abound headlines, opinions, irrelevant data, even our own emotional static. But progress demands precision. It’s not about knowing everything, it’s about knowing what matters.
Focus is the filter that separates signal from noise. In trading, that means ignoring the llamas and yo-yos, the colorful but irrelevant variables, and locking onto the apples: the actual catalysts, setups, and probabilities. In life, it’s the same. Strip away the drama, the clutter, the waxing gibbous moon, and ask: what moves the needle? What’s actionable? What’s real? What can I control?
The world will always offer chaos. Your job is to mute it. Zoom in. Lock on. Trade the setup, not the circus. The market rewards clarity, not curiosity.
Distraction is expensive. Precision pays.
The Ninja – Precision Over Distraction
The Ninja thrives on clarity. He doesn’t chase every headline or react to every flicker of volatility. He moves only when the setup is clean, the catalyst sharp, and the risk defined. In a world full of llamas and yo-yos, the Ninja sees only the apples. He filters out emotional static, irrelevant variables, and flashy distractions. His edge is discipline, he trades the setup, not the circus.
The Surfer – Flow Over Frenzy
The Surfer reads the rhythm beneath the chaos. He doesn’t panic when the tide shifts or the moon waxes gibbous. He tunes into macro swells, sentiment currents, and volatility breaks. Noise is everywhere, earnings chatter, political drama, gold melt-ups, but the Surfer rides only the wave that aligns with his style and timing. He doesn’t fight the ocean; he flows with conviction.
The Gardener – Patience Over Panic
The Gardener knows that growth takes time. He doesn’t uproot his trades because of noisy weather reports or mismatched socks. He filters the noise by anchoring to seasonality, structure, and long-term catalysts. His setups are nurtured, not chased. He prunes distractions, waters conviction, and waits for the fruit, not the flash.
Each archetype filters differently, but all share the same truth: only the apples matter.
