The road to full time
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@matt-wood Thanks bud, once we hit a bank milestone that i have planned ill start to show how i use betfair for other areas of passive income which for me is index trading/crypto. The topics ill only ever discuss on here are things that we are all equally capable of. Yes i started a business from betfair trading profits, but things outside "trading" are hard to repeat and "trading" in my opinion can be done by anyone regardless of skill. Im hoping this will shed light to how i operate and how i see the best way to use betfair profits. While i dont plan to retire, i think this modern world of internet and options it brings will mean less people actually now retire, i do plan on being financially free (no money worries) by the time im 40 via passive income. In fact its my mission and target to do it sooner. I think betfair is the ideal way of building a passive income funnel. Right now i cant stress enough how i think betfair is a sorely untapped potential for lets say the working-middle class. You dont get this type of return for such little effort with such little bankroll needed. The snowball effect doesnt just need to be used on betfair but get spreading it to other areas. Before i get ahead of myself here and ramble, just wanted to say that i do plan on sharing this journey and adding in this once we hit around the 10k mark which i hope to hit just after new year. At 10k is when ill be looking to not only pay myself but also add other streams too. I think thats when you start to make more money than you need and at that point i invest. That period ill be excited to share and will be as transparent as my football trades because i want to help people bridge that gap. Will also keep me accountable and not get carried away. Things to look forward to.
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Excellent post Darri. Really helps, as Daniel said, to see that even the pros have rough patches and can make mistakes. Also a great lesson to never rest on our laurels or take our eyes off the ball, no pun intended, with our own systems and filters. Just because something is working, doesn't mean it always will. Think that is going on a colourful postit on the monitor for me
Appreciate your work in this blog Darri, it is always a good reference point when I'm not sure about what to do next.
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@daniel-mills Thanks bud! Been doing the blog for 2 years now, had its ups and downs but im still most pleased about the transparency. I know i wanted that when i first started. I give a lot of advice to others and i suppose in a way this blog helps to show those techniques in action. This past couple months iv deviated from my own advice and halted progress, still profit but not on par with what im used to. Thats also down to the fact i changed strats from an in play only trader to a more data only trader. Most who have followed since beginning will associate me with late goals trading. Thats the strategy that got me to full time, but im trying to change how i trade now as back then i was honestly a slave/workaholic to trading and making money i neglected other areas of life. Im glad iv documented this whole journey, including this transition phase and id encourage others to do the same, if its not a thread on here write it down somewhere for future reference.
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@darri Appreciate the transparency Darri. I've had a frustrating month too but helps to see its not completely isolated. Here's to a healthy green September
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End of month review:
Football:
Not to go on about this too much but as explained on previous posts the way iv been trading the summer leagues has not been optimal. This is a mix of summer leagues not being so consistent and my own mistake in terms of not seeing a clear data tweak. This is what the month should have looked like:
As you can see this would have been a great month and would have regained momentum going into a busy period. Lets not dwell on it too much. I suppose thats why im posting now so i can turn off the trading mind for a few weeks. When i come back ill restart both strats, so not taking a pause as there is nothing suggesting to do that. Looking at the data for the whole of both strats id be in a very good position right now, i know we have still made 105pts since the last week in march which is still averaging if we dont count the 1 week in march to be 20pts a month this year. Ill take that but looking at data it could have been a lot more. Cricket carrying me here tho so need a regain of football, these tweaks will help.
Needed a wake up call and a rough patch just to make me take a closer look at things. Had this just been ticking along id not have seen these tweaks and not have been aware just how good these strats are. So a happy resolution to a wobbly patch. Hopefully rest of year ticks along nicely. While ill not reach my end of year bank target ill hopefully get as close as i can.
Cricket:
Not much to write here, solid as ever, unreal run of games/wins but we are away to hit a busy period so it wont be so easy to have hyper focus on set games. So expect variance to be a little more realistic going forward. Ill save doing a big piece on this until next month when there are more games. Ipl and t20 wc are around the cornerSummary:
As you can see summer leagues have really halted progress, we all know the reasons for that mix between my own mistakes and outside influences. Hopefully now i have a solid set of strats again we can regain some form and get back to consistency. Right now cricket is carrying my trading and i really want it to be far more equal an actually id have been preferring football to be higher p/l wise as im hoping to change my trading calendar to accommodate taking summer off from trading. More on that in time and will discuss it later on.
Here is the outlook on all the strats:
For reference old/other is a mix of old strats and trades that iv since removed from portfolio such as old SHGs/LTDs/Lates/FHGs
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Taking a pause on football trading for the next month or until leagues reach 10 games in. Summer leagues have slowed my progress. Its funny because im looking at a sheet of data that should have us in a great position. The thing is thats after iv noticed tweaks i should have made. I really ought to have been sitting with 13pts profit on the shgs this month. So its not a case of summer leagues being bad its that iv not been managing it well enough. So for the sake of confidence in the strategy im taking a pause. Letting the summer leagues finish and building more data with the new tweak. If they continue to do well with the tweak then at least ill be in a good position come next summer. The tweak also sees a boost in winter leagues data. So im improving on the strategy overall. I just need to remember patience. Iv been far to fast to jump on trades when some blurred lines in the data, its backfired. Was the same with LTD.
The thing is looking at this month if i had traded both the LTD and this new tweak to SHGs then id have been sat here with 13pts SHG + 18pts LTD (old criteria not the one in testing) so a total of 31pts profit. That would have been a healthy buffer going into the int break and before main leagues start to hit filters. So for a better mindset going forward and not having a fomo moment im gonna pause trading them and just collect data so im in a good headspace for summer leagues when they come back around. Its winter leagues im focussed on making the majority of football profits with cricket topping it up. Thats what im hoping for long term, with a view to having summer off.
Not too disappointed tho, we are away to hit a mad house period of cricket, in fact the rest of year is packed with cricket. Ill restart posting updates on the trades. Excited for it.
In terms of football wont be until october/november until main leagues hit numbers so dont expect live trades. Remember im in this for the long term not the short. Im really happy with my trading right now, despite this pausing of football this is the best version of my trading going forward both lifestyle and money wise. Yes inplay trading would net me more but its a energy/social sapper and best trying to improve data only wise. Cricket will see me tick along nicely. So just a quick update, just incase anyone wonders why im not posting on the football thread for next wee while.
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@darri said in The road to full time:
@stuart-capstick Thanks for kind words mate and thanks to everyone who has messaged, legends
I went along to watch my team in the final to get out of the flat, iv made plans with friends/family (not big ones) giving me something to look forward to. I made a big effort to get myself up and about over the past week. Simple things like get up and dressed early, I work from home so on lunch breaks iv been nipping to shops for lunch instead of keeping myself in flat. Slowly with a decent routine im feeling settled. I think thats key to me, i dont always need to be active but doing simple things but a lot of it seems to work. The knee has dropped in swelling and will be getting an appointment for it asap for a scan. Think im more of an accepting view that there isnt much i can do now, its more how best to just get on with it and accept it. Turning focus onto other areas is now my goal. While i still care how well my club does rest of season im not so overwhelmed in the details and im happy about it. So just an update im feeling a lot better and back in a decent mindset. I know none of this ever was about trading but just felt i wanted to share it. Never know if others are in same boat etc.
Been happy with trading this past summer. In fact i think i needed a period of time to step back a bit from normal trading. I needed this test period to open my eyes a bit to not being so tunnel visioned about my own strategies and trading. Whilst not much has changed small things like a more relaxed criteria seem to be better. I feel im getting back to the best version of my trading. Whilst the results have been slower due to testing only, im in a good mindset that come January these strategies i have will take off again like they were start of year (winter leagues) but with a better knowledge of seasonality results/consistency being good throughout year.
Ideally id like football to be back being my main sport and for cricket to be a passion project. Feel like its gone the other way because of these test runs halting the football progress. Remember tho its about the long term. Id have still been super strict with my strats and not have allowed them this period to see if relaxing them a bit more works. So long term im benefiting. Im still interested in how im gonna be trading come January. What strats ill be trading and sports. Im gonna be looking into this more come end of year. But right now everything is good and moving in the right direction. Consistency remains the key word for me, regardless of how big/small the gains are as long as its consistently on the up thats all thats matters. The big rises will slowly return once i have all 3 strats working again.
I think we can and we have to share more than just trading so as everyone else has said, well done.
Sometimes we need a sounding board as much as anything else. I know that was the case for me a short while back.
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@eamonn-hogan i think the rehab ill need for the knee injury will actually be a good thing also, removing cricket from my routine was the biggest factor i think to how i was feeling the other week. Im a person that while i like spontaneous things when it comes to normal periods of my life i like routines. Cricket was a huge part of it. Now im gonna need to replace it with something else. I suppose dads and mums get to have more family time, for me i need to actually replace it with something social. But this week im feeling positive about the change, iv got things to work towards and things iv planned with people to look forward to. So back on track. Yes its good having loads of work/business/trading stuff all of which iv built from scratch but also need some social/family time to unwind. Iv been bad at that in past. Now im beginning to realise iv done the hard work and should now be reaping the rewards of the earlier sacrifices. Which includes more social and family time. Working towards a healthier body for cricket next year and work are all positive outlooks and things i can work towards.
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Glad to hear you are getting out and about and not getting stuck in the flat, keep it going mate.
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@darri this is great to hear mate. You’ve done a lot for a lot of people on this site and it’s awesome to hear that a really good lad is coming out the other side. Like a lot have said it takes balls to put your hand up when we are feeling NQR. Keep being you bro.
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@stuart-capstick Thanks for kind words mate and thanks to everyone who has messaged, legends
I went along to watch my team in the final to get out of the flat, iv made plans with friends/family (not big ones) giving me something to look forward to. I made a big effort to get myself up and about over the past week. Simple things like get up and dressed early, I work from home so on lunch breaks iv been nipping to shops for lunch instead of keeping myself in flat. Slowly with a decent routine im feeling settled. I think thats key to me, i dont always need to be active but doing simple things but a lot of it seems to work. The knee has dropped in swelling and will be getting an appointment for it asap for a scan. Think im more of an accepting view that there isnt much i can do now, its more how best to just get on with it and accept it. Turning focus onto other areas is now my goal. While i still care how well my club does rest of season im not so overwhelmed in the details and im happy about it. So just an update im feeling a lot better and back in a decent mindset. I know none of this ever was about trading but just felt i wanted to share it. Never know if others are in same boat etc.
Been happy with trading this past summer. In fact i think i needed a period of time to step back a bit from normal trading. I needed this test period to open my eyes a bit to not being so tunnel visioned about my own strategies and trading. Whilst not much has changed small things like a more relaxed criteria seem to be better. I feel im getting back to the best version of my trading. Whilst the results have been slower due to testing only, im in a good mindset that come January these strategies i have will take off again like they were start of year (winter leagues) but with a better knowledge of seasonality results/consistency being good throughout year.
Ideally id like football to be back being my main sport and for cricket to be a passion project. Feel like its gone the other way because of these test runs halting the football progress. Remember tho its about the long term. Id have still been super strict with my strats and not have allowed them this period to see if relaxing them a bit more works. So long term im benefiting. Im still interested in how im gonna be trading come January. What strats ill be trading and sports. Im gonna be looking into this more come end of year. But right now everything is good and moving in the right direction. Consistency remains the key word for me, regardless of how big/small the gains are as long as its consistently on the up thats all thats matters. The big rises will slowly return once i have all 3 strats working again.
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@darri
It's brave of you to admit this vulnerability and will help others reading in a similar situation.
People often divorce body and mind, wrongly. You know yourself when you have a stomach bug your mood isn't particularly joyful. I think Lee may well be right in that the low mood is catalysed by the injury, but I know that when I am injured, I'm not much fun to be around (not that I ever am in any case..).
Your body and brain are connected; they are physical organs and one has an impact on the other. The healing process drains resources which lowers energy etc. Couple that with the current situation, seeing others seemingly living it up on social media and a million other things...It's understandable why you may be feeling low.
You strike me as a guy who has a hell of a lot going for him; intelligent, mature, lots of interests etc. I think other people seeing that you have your moments of doubt and pain will at least provide some form of validation; it's not just a case of "pull yourself together"- probably the least helpful thing to say. So, while I can't really offer anything concrete, good on you for sharing this. -
Thanks for the posts and for the guys who messaged, going to go work on a few things throughout next few weeks that guys have suggested and get back to it. Have a good weekend!
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@darri I find injuries can be like this, even with my club level tennis it's so frustrating but on the plus side you are part of a team and if they win you can still share in that.
try to enjoy the freedom of being so young, the world is your oyster and there is no rush to get settled.
the irony of this is when you have a family in the future you will actually miss the days you had no plans or nothing you had to do! i refer to those days as 'the glory days' when i speak to people now.
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@darri Part of the beauty of this forum is the community aspect. We can speak about fears and worries etc and there is always someone on here who will help if they can.
Injuries are never as bad as they seem in the moment, sure you might ultimately have to make some changes once you are recovered, but you will recover. I have had several bad injuries and they are world ending stuff when it stops you doing something you are passionate about. Sounds like you have an over active imagination the same as me. My worst imaginings have NEVER come to pass, it always works out better than you think it will.
I will echo Lee here too and say small focused goals will go a long way to help. But take the time to learn about yourself, about you, this will help you find those goals and passions that are right for you. As Lee said, take the time to 'listen' to how you feel when doing something, good? bad? meh? it will help you find the right things. Another indicator I have found is when relaxed and doing nothing in particular, do you find yourself thniking back to one of those things you did and smiling (internally or out loud)? If so that random moment of introspection is probably a good clue that it was something good for you.
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@darri I think it’s hugely important to talk about stuff like this, not many do but thankfully most of the ignorance around mental health seems more and more reserved for the very ignorant few. At least now we’re starting to see more that people who don’t go through it can at least appreciate it’s a thing for those that do, whilst people who do go through it see the implications it has on everyday life. You can feel on fire, feel you’re doing everything right and then something seemingly insignificant in the grand scheme (in your case an injury) can really set you into a spiral. You’re a logical person and I’m sure you know it’s not that big in the context of big issues out there, but that doesn’t always snap you out of it. In reality i doubt it’s the injury that’s the root cause, that just happens to be the trigger.
How to deal with it is a personal thing, if someone has say a broken leg then there’s usually a narrow selection of options to treat it, the same with any type of physical injury, but with mental health it’s very difficult and personal. I find that developing good habits in the good times helps in the not so good times, whether these are habits around home life, social life, work, trading, fitness…..anything really. Having a good lifestyle of things you genuinely enjoy helps aswell. So for example say you wanted to keep fit and decided to take up running, if you find that you don’t truly enjoy it then it’s going to be the first thing that’s drops when you feel down. You might find the gym, cycling, martial arts or whatever is a better option. Having purpose, goals, ambitions, things to look forward is a great thing to pull you through. I have young kids so for me they’re my main purpose, for others it may be a holiday, an occasion, an ambition (fitness, professional) - but I think it’s important to choose a very small, focussed amount of things and choose wisely. It’s taken me a few years to get into a better position around this, once I accepted it and tried to understand it I found it helped. Keep paying attention to how you feel when doing certain things, how you feel when you’re up or down and what situations get you going (in both good and bad ways).
Even though it’s not trading related and we’re just ‘strangers on the internet’ it doesn’t have to be all about trading. Trading can be fun, it can be a tool, but it can also be stressful, a pain in the arse and a mindf*** - overall it’s good but it’s not the be all and end all!
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Going into the weekend feeling a bit down tbh. Injury stopping my cricket, my club are in the cup final on sunday and even after injury news i was still excited for it but for some reason i feel quite down. Been a tough week mentally for me in terms of up and down mood. Everything has been going along calmly for months. This injury seems to have spurred on a few down moments and for me to be at home too much. Being in the flat is great at first, but you quickly realise its not a great way to go. Its led me to be on social media too much, seeing mates with their partners and others out just generally being busy.
Really need to have a chilled weekend and get some plans in place, with things to look forward to and for making some changes asap to my lifestyle. I know this is a trading blog but in a world where lads dont speak about issues, my little place here with people iv not met is an easy one to just say how im feeling. Sorry for a down note, ill hopefully have a few winners rest of month to help those reading not get too down. Just a couple of things getting me down which havent really before. Think a change of routine for next week might spark some change. If any of you ever need a chat dont be afraid just to message. We can ignore trading beliefs or ideas, there is more to life. Any tips please tell me. Hopefully next week can get back to being my usual self, everything else is fine just these 2 things seem to have tanked me mood wise. Have a good weekend and ill come back in a better headspace in time.
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@darri said in The road to full time:
@matt-wood said in The road to full time:
Thanks for posting that video by Ali Abdaal. Never seen him before but he has some great videos on his channel
His investment portfolio video this week was so well put together. No cringe. no jokes, just clear info and well presented. Think people think you need banter in videos to keep people engaged, thats just because their content isnt engaging in first place. Him and matt d'avella are great to watch but purely because ali talks about investing and business i prefer him. As im getting closer to my 30th bday im starting to think about all these things they post and finding it great to watch.
Yes I watched that right away. Great presentation, he didnt glorify or gimmickify anything just gave the info in a straightforward manner. Excellent. Something else I like is that he talks at a proper speed. I get so bored I turn the video off with a lot of american youtubers as they speak so slowly and in such a roundabout way I find I am just sitting there waiting for the point to be made. Ali just blasts away with info, but in a lighthearted and easy to listen to way.
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@matt-wood said in The road to full time:
Thanks for posting that video by Ali Abdaal. Never seen him before but he has some great videos on his channel
His investment portfolio video this week was so well put together. No cringe. no jokes, just clear info and well presented. Think people think you need banter in videos to keep people engaged, thats just because their content isnt engaging in first place. Him and matt d'avella are great to watch but purely because ali talks about investing and business i prefer him. As im getting closer to my 30th bday im starting to think about all these things they post and finding it great to watch.
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End of my cricket season
injury to the knee and quite frankly its bad. Stubbornness has prevented me getting it checked and then a moment in the game when it gets exposed and boom me done. Was only 4 more games to go aswell, silly silly man!However what that does mean is iv fast forwarded 4 weeks in that now i can trade weekends again. Not super important as still mainly summer leagues and an international break approaches. But will help with cricket trading also.
The pausing of the ltd was results wise premature but confidence wise fantastic. Instead of carrying on hoping this still worked for summer leagues after a good winter league run i stopped and tested it. Think this is a big reason why my mindset to trading has improved so much. This is all about the long game and not the short. When you go into a trade you have to be doing it for the right reasons. The more haze you have the closer it is to a gamble. Remember as traders its our job to eliminate risk. Having a doubt in a game is a risk. Its great to see them working well still and yes those 11pts would have been nice but so too will those points be when im doing it for a whole summer next time.
SHGs have also been on a similar run (background testing shows 17/17 so 17 pts), iv been selective as to which ones to use but they too have raked in the points. Remember its not about skill its about mindset. Easy when they are winning but had these gone on bad runs id be left with egg on face having not fully tested them with summer leagues. Now tho we are at a healthy stage of some solid data and the winter leagues back. Meaning SHGs should start to be fully up and running again.
So happy with SHGs and still testing LTDs until winter leagues come up on filter. No rush to be on them. Should see me be less selective and more set and forget orientated, back to the plan. Could have been sat here with 28pts, but if it works long term then who cares. Ill be in such a better headspace knowing even if bad runs happen these are solid.
Slow and steady at present but consistently on the up which is the key to this long term. Im not doing anything different to what i did with a £20k bank and its still just all about compounding slowly. The benefits of that will be reaped over time not a quick rise or a chase to that goal. Even i have to remind myself of that almost every week.
