\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\tOpinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.\t<\/p>\n
Some of the hallmarks of a successful entrepreneur include the ability to self-actualize through rigorous study,\u00a0continuous learning, relentless\u00a0tenacity\u00a0and the resilience to rebound after setbacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I know this firsthand. At 25, my goals were set in stone. I knew what I wanted: a career in architecture. At the time, I was\u00a0enrolled in\u00a0UCLA\u2019s\u00a0master\u2019s program in\u00a0architecture, studying and working on projects nonstop, setting the bar as high as I could. The renowned\u00a0Pritzker Prize-winning\u00a0architect Thom Mayne was my mentor. I was at the top of my game.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, overnight, I received the blow of a lifetime: I was diagnosed with a brain tumor that\u00a0required\u00a0immediate surgical intervention. When I awoke, staring at the cold, clinical hospital ceiling, I had 150 stitches on the side of my head and was unable to move. However, I was able to discern two searing sentences of a conversation between my mother and the surgeon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat have you done to my son?\u201d\u00a0My\u00a0mother railed at the\u00a0doctor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have given him 50 more years of life,\u201d the doctor replied decisively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From that moment on, I knew I had to make that 50-year gift count.\u00a0After taking half a year off from my studies, I returned to class with renewed zeal \u2014 and mounds of debt. Despite the appearance of gradual\u00a0recovery, I\u202fhad a long\u00a0road ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, I was determined to make the most of every moment. But the medical bills kept piling up, and I was forced to make a drastic change \u2014 a pivot to a high-income skill. While searching online, I found day trading, which I understood less than nothing \u2014 but not for long. I studied the discipline for countless hours, delving into books, podcasts and YouTube videos until my brain\u00a0hurt. I became so assiduous and single-minded that I knew I had to go further and immerse myself completely in my new focus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By sheer force of will and necessity, I absented myself from everything and everyone I knew.\u00a0My colleagues\u00a0and friends thought I\u00a0had taken leave of my senses. My family\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0know what had become of me. I sold my car, changed my\u00a0number and ensconced myself in an office in an LA skyscraper for $230\/month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to David?\u201d echoed faintly in my ears,\u00a0carried by\u00a0the grapevine.\u00a0But\u00a0I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0care what anyone thought. I had \u201cburned the boats,\u201d as Hern\u00e1n Cort\u00e9s told the Conquistadors in the\u00a016th<\/sup>\u00a0century. There was no turning back. I had survived life-altering surgery; now my future was on the line, and I had to shape and claim it.\u00a0<\/p>\n To support my new venture, I took on odd jobs as a tutor and an Uber driver. The landlord kept knocking on my door, and the creditors\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0wait. While these practicalities held sway, I worked day and night, sleeping on the floor of my office to\u00a0ensure wakefulness\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0market open.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In my personal life, I became a minimalist\u00a0\u2014 again, not by choice, but by necessity.\u00a0For example, when the world went into lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, all the gyms were closed, and I had nowhere to shower. So, I resorted to\u00a0Skid\u00a0Row. Stoic and poker-faced, I walked through the streets of downtown L.A., intent on reaching my destination undisturbed. I had 10 minutes to shower and then\u00a0return\u00a0to\u00a0monitor\u00a0my trades. Everything was\u00a0the trade.\u00a0<\/p>\n When I\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0trading, I read voraciously and studied into the night, honing my skills, journaling and envisioning. The Law of Attraction was central\u00a0to\u00a0my approach. I\u00a0truly believed\u00a0\u2014 as I still do \u2014 that what I projected in my\u00a0mind\u2019s eye\u00a0would manifest. And\u00a0so\u00a0it did: I became a high-stakes, 7-figure day trader\u00a0with a\u00a090%-win\u00a0rate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n However, success was not an overnight phenomenon. It\u00a0required\u00a0rigorous discipline and sacrifice. Some might say my tactics were extreme, but I had no choice. I had to become an autodidact, front-loading all my strategies and\u00a0literally devising\u00a0them. The result was a set of proprietary winning strategies that\u202fI share in my book, Short Selling Master: Proven Strategies from a High-Stakes Day Trader<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(Harriman House).\u00a0<\/p>\n My\u00a0objective: to vanquish the 96% failure rate in my industry by providing cogent strategies for success. Today, I have become the mentor I never had, with the opportunity to\u00a0witness\u00a0others advance in the field and\u00a0attain\u00a0financial freedom.<\/p>\n Some might say that my unique\u00a0methodology\u00a0for\u00a0attaining\u00a0success \u2014 a compelled absence from mainstream society \u2014 was extreme. Indeed, that plan took all the fortitude I could muster. In no\u00a0guise\u00a0do I advocate such a plan for my students or other aspiring traders.\u00a0But looking back, I have absolutely no regrets.\u00a0Hard work and ingenuity led me to where I am today. I\u00a0hearken\u00a0back in gratitude while moving forward and lifting others up.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Some of the hallmarks of a successful entrepreneur include the ability to self-actualize through rigorous study,\u00a0continuous learning, relentless\u00a0tenacity\u00a0and the resilience to rebound after setbacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n I know this firsthand. At 25, my goals were set in stone. I knew what I wanted: a career in architecture. At the time, I was\u00a0enrolled in\u00a0UCLA\u2019s\u00a0master\u2019s program in\u00a0architecture, studying and working on projects nonstop, setting the bar as high as I could. The renowned\u00a0Pritzker Prize-winning\u00a0architect Thom Mayne was my mentor. I was at the top of my game.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Then, overnight, I received the blow of a lifetime: I was diagnosed with a brain tumor that\u00a0required\u00a0immediate surgical intervention. When I awoke, staring at the cold, clinical hospital ceiling, I had 150 stitches on the side of my head and was unable to move. However, I was able to discern two searing sentences of a conversation between my mother and the surgeon.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nKey Takeaways<\/h2>\n
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