Never enjoyed working for/under someone else (loathed it) and had been involved in markets for some time, saw two bear markets etc so went FT investor. You know it's the right gig for you when you look forward to Monday with a passion. Has also allowed me to spend large amounts of time with my two young kids in their first few years of life; time you just can't get back. Wife now transitioned back into FT work, kids in childcare three days/week. Three days is plenty for me to review opportunities and attend meetings with brokers, companies etc when required. Two days/week I look after my kids and anything market related is usually off the smartphone. Quality of life for me is synonymous with time. Time with family. Time to exercise and keep fit. Time to walk down the beach most mornings. Time to take the day off when you feel like it. Investing FT provides this opportunity but worth noting, most of my bread is made from MT positions - not quick trades. This makes the above much more achievable. If I had to be glued to the screen all day and increase my trading frequency considerably, it may not work for the lifestyle I'm after and some of the things I value most, would need to be sacrificed.
Investment wise, biggest challenge is accepting that it's ok not to trade at times and to simply sit tight with the investments you've done your homework on and let them run. For quite a while, I viewed this idle time as an indicator that I mustn't be "putting in" enough, which resulted in overtrading and going outside my niche. Once you identify your niche, don't be swayed and influenced by others who insist their strategy is the optimal method. It may be for them but not you and that's ok. Don't try and emulate the surface "success" you see someone achieving; emulate philosophies that resonante with who you are and the results will come with time. For me, fewer positions, with larger amounts invested, for the medium term (or until targets are hit) has been by far the most successful strategy. It's just fortunate this strategy also lends itself to more idle time but it was never planned.
