Much introspection has littered my blog posts recently. I genuinely had no intention of ever lifting my finger to keyboard (doesn't have any of the romanticism of "pen to paper" does it?) again, back at the start of the year. I haven't missed blogging or the online trading community one little bit. It's been a restful hiatus for me and my trading has blossomed during that time but as long term readers will know, one of my passions is writing and it's what I did for a living before I was a trader. I miss it. For those less creative or who don't quite understand, sometimes you get these bursts of energy and inspiration which have to be released and this blog is my best outlet for that (140 characters on Twitter doesn't really cut it!). I've been feeling that need more and more this summer and it has finally spilled over, uncontainable no more!
Anyway, I digress. Today, I actually have come to a major decision. It's been building for a while now and you perhaps won't be surprised if you've read any of my recent blog posts but I've decided that I no longer want to be a professional tennis trader. As you'll know, I had planned a round the world trip next year which was to take place from July - December. Six months of backpacking and seeing parts of the world I'd never been to before. Afterwards, it was my intention to just pick up trading again when the tennis season began in January and carry on my usual work on the ladders. But I don't think I can.
I remember what it was like when I last travelled, which was not long before I started to learn to trade. I was gone for almost a whole year that time and settling back into normal life was extremely difficult. I'd already made up my mind that I didn't want to go back to my 9-5 career and needed a change of direction so that I could be my own boss and have greater freedom - namely so I could travel again! Little did I know at the time, that the gambling industry (something I knew next to nothing about and had never partaken in) would provide the job that would facilitate this freedom. But that's exactly what it is to me, a job. It's not a career. A damn good job if you can get it and one I really appreciate because of how hard I worked to get it. But a job nonetheless. And I need a career - one that I will truly enjoy, feel like I'm contributing to society in some way and with more human contact. I don't know what that career will be (obviously not totally ruling out political mediator just yet) but I hope to stumble across that when I'm in some foreign country next year, perhaps whilst strolling barefoot along a tropical beach!
I just feel as though I'm wasting my talents and am not being challenged mentally. The Academy has been a great help in aiding my focus and making my days more purposeful and varied but at the end of the day, I'm still sat alone at a PC talking to myself. It's not enough.
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I'm not quitting just yet. I want to hit that Super Premium Charge and my projections mean I might just reach that around the middle of 2015. The thought of giving away 50% of my profit to Betunfair turns my stomach and as much as I'd still be making a substantial sum each month, I feel as though I'd rather use my time to do something more worthwhile with my life. Returning to England with the travel-blues and then forcing myself to sit down and stare at a computer for 8 hours a day knowing that 4 of those hours are basically me lining some Betfair fat cat's pockets with cocaine and whore dollars, is chundersome (I made that word up - this is what happens when writers don't write for so long. Feel free to use it).
It feels good to have made this decision. It hasn't been that long that I've been making money on Betfair but that shows you just how quickly things can spiral when you compound your winnings, are good at saving and remain patient. Last year was a very profitable year but nothing greatly out of the ordinary. This year has exploded though and next year, I aim to hit heights that I'd only dreamed of. It might not happen but even if it doesn't, I'll be satisfied with my lot and excited about the new pathway I'm about to take in life.
I've been trading tennis since February 2010 and have been full time for the majority of that period. That's well over 10,000 hours on the ladders, one year of coaching and working with other traders and four years of blogging. I've had an amazing roller-coaster of a journey and I'm beginning to feel as though I'm ready for the final chapter and a change of scenery. One final year to go then and I feel rejuvenated just knowing that. It has given me a new injection of energy and a real challenge to aim for that super premium charge.
Anyway, I digress. Today, I actually have come to a major decision. It's been building for a while now and you perhaps won't be surprised if you've read any of my recent blog posts but I've decided that I no longer want to be a professional tennis trader. As you'll know, I had planned a round the world trip next year which was to take place from July - December. Six months of backpacking and seeing parts of the world I'd never been to before. Afterwards, it was my intention to just pick up trading again when the tennis season began in January and carry on my usual work on the ladders. But I don't think I can.
I remember what it was like when I last travelled, which was not long before I started to learn to trade. I was gone for almost a whole year that time and settling back into normal life was extremely difficult. I'd already made up my mind that I didn't want to go back to my 9-5 career and needed a change of direction so that I could be my own boss and have greater freedom - namely so I could travel again! Little did I know at the time, that the gambling industry (something I knew next to nothing about and had never partaken in) would provide the job that would facilitate this freedom. But that's exactly what it is to me, a job. It's not a career. A damn good job if you can get it and one I really appreciate because of how hard I worked to get it. But a job nonetheless. And I need a career - one that I will truly enjoy, feel like I'm contributing to society in some way and with more human contact. I don't know what that career will be (obviously not totally ruling out political mediator just yet) but I hope to stumble across that when I'm in some foreign country next year, perhaps whilst strolling barefoot along a tropical beach!
I just feel as though I'm wasting my talents and am not being challenged mentally. The Academy has been a great help in aiding my focus and making my days more purposeful and varied but at the end of the day, I'm still sat alone at a PC talking to myself. It's not enough.
Camila Giorgi
It feels good to have made this decision. It hasn't been that long that I've been making money on Betfair but that shows you just how quickly things can spiral when you compound your winnings, are good at saving and remain patient. Last year was a very profitable year but nothing greatly out of the ordinary. This year has exploded though and next year, I aim to hit heights that I'd only dreamed of. It might not happen but even if it doesn't, I'll be satisfied with my lot and excited about the new pathway I'm about to take in life.
I've been trading tennis since February 2010 and have been full time for the majority of that period. That's well over 10,000 hours on the ladders, one year of coaching and working with other traders and four years of blogging. I've had an amazing roller-coaster of a journey and I'm beginning to feel as though I'm ready for the final chapter and a change of scenery. One final year to go then and I feel rejuvenated just knowing that. It has given me a new injection of energy and a real challenge to aim for that super premium charge.