I was the favorite grandchild of my larger-than-life grandfather.

I know this because my grandfather, who everyone my age called “Da”, often took me to his weekend retreat, a log cabin in the hills of Brown County, Indiana all by myself. He never took any of the other grandchildren without their parents.

I was the favorite and I liked it

On Friday afternoons, we would drive from Indianapolis to Brown County in Da’s Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. I loved riding in the big black car and smelling the real leather. Riding in Da’s Rolls was very different than riding in my parents’ Plymouth.

Our cabin was located on Jackson’s Branch Ridge Road. Jackson’s Branch is the name of the creek at the bottom of the hill and we lived on the ridge.

When we drove up the hill from town, my grandfather loved taking a shortcut.

Laughing all the way, he bypassed the bridge over Jackson’s Branch Creek and drove the big black Rolls Royce through the creek, which was otherwise used only by farmers in their pickup trucks. At the time, I did not appreciate the absurdity of driving the Rolls through the creek.

I just thought it was great fun.

Once we arrived for the weekend, I was out the door to roam the woods in search of adventure. I would look for arrowheads, climb trees and explore the area, far and wide.

While I was making my own fun in the woods, my grandfather would be in the house reading a book, smoking unfiltered Chesterfield cigarettes and, in the late afternoon, having an Early Times and water.

Dinner was usually at our favorite local restaurant, Mid and Lesta’s where Lesta, the cook, always saved a piece of her homemade cherry pie for me. Then, it was early to bed for me so I would be ready for the next day’s adventure.

It wasn’t until I reached adulthood that I realized why I was Da’s favorite grandchild

It was not because I was the cutest or the smartest. It was because I was completely self-sufficient. All I needed was the woods and I was happy. I left early in the morning and returned from my adventures in the woods for lunch and dinner.

I did not even mind that the TV got only one fuzzy channel.

My grandfather’s success came from the paper company that he founded in 1928.

He used savings he had accumulated during the twenties to start the company. He had barely begun when the stock market crashed in 1929. An often-repeated family story told of how Da founded the company in 1928 and did not let the Depression stop him.

By building the company in what would seem to be the worst of times, he had no legacy of unhelpful habits learned when times were good. He only knew he wanted success.

He realized he gained nothing by complaining. To him, the only logical path was to take advantage of the opportunities presented to him, right then and there.

Today is very much like the early 1930′s.

Times are tough.

As a trader, this is the time to enhance your trading skills and work to build your trading account. You can be confident in knowing that when better times come you will be that much more advanced in your trading having used this time to your advantage.

You need to remain confident and optimistic and not succumb to the general malaise around you.

If you are a new trader, you can be happy for today’s tumultuous times. Learning to trade now will teach you valuable lessons that will help you build your skills, today, and be ready for the better times that will come.

If you are an experienced trader, you can use these times to trade conservatively and resolve to build your trading skills, capitalizing on today’s markets knowing that you will be ready for whatever the markets bring you.

Like my grandfather, you will be making the best of the worst of times.

Wishing you success in your trading,

Copyright © 2009-2011 by Jeff Quinto

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