Happy Thanksgiving!

In the spirit of the holiday, I want to share with you one of my Thanksgiving traditions…

Trekking through my home territory of the American West.

There’s nothing like being in Arizona. This past week, I’ve been hitting various canyons.

Through all my travels, I’ve never encountered a place that comes close to the American West — it’s magical.

Here’s one of my favorite pictures from yesterday’s hike…

Maybe it’s just my hometown bias talking.

But there’s something about the West’s immense stillness and beauty that allows me to reflect on my chosen path while reconnecting with my roots…

Some people will say that you should keep your business and your personal life separate. We all know that’s not really how life works, though.

Even in trading, it’s impossible to separate your personal background and psychological makeup from what you must learn (or unlearn!) to become a great trader.

You may have already heard some highlights of my story before. But allow me to reintroduce myself…

I was born half a century ago in Salt Lake City, Utah to an immigrant mother and a father whose family had a long history in the American West.

My mother fled her home country Uruguay during a military dictatorship in the 1960s.

Her father was the CEO of one of the major utilities and telecommunications companies in the country, as well as a founder of a major opposition political party.

My uncle was jailed for seven years during the period of political conflict. He went into prison with almost 200 others, and less than a dozen made it out.

My mother came from a great family but was stuck in the United States and unable to return because of the conflict.

My father, on the other hand, came from quite a different background.

He was born in Black Hills, South Dakota. His mother was of Scotch-German descent from a poor family in Nebraska with 12 (!) sisters.

My grandfather came from one of the founding families of the state of New Mexico, a mixture of Spanish and native people that had been there since the late 1600s.

My father had a very tough upbringing. My grandfather was an alcoholic and would abandon the family for long periods of time.

At 11 years old, my father quit school to help support his brothers but was struck with rheumatic fever a year later almost killing him.

He had six brothers, and by the time he was 40 years old, three of them had already died from alcoholism, drug abuse and AIDS.

His story was truly one of the American West and the struggles involved.

The honest story is that my parents got together so that my mother wouldn’t get deported and thrown into prison upon her return.

From the very beginning, it was a tough relationship. They were from vastly different worlds and my father also struggled with alcohol.

Like his father before him, he would disappear when he got a paycheck. Sometimes he’d go off and sell our car for drinking money (he bankrupted my mother twice doing this).

Eventually, though, my mother’s incredible strength persevered.

She was able to separate from him and build her own career in health care, working as one of the founders of the first state-run health care systems in the United States.

Most importantly, she instilled in me several important characteristics that define me to this day…

Perseverance. The importance of hard work. Open-mindedness. The ability to learn and adapt to my environment. Optimism.

I could (and probably will) write an entire note on each of these ideas. They are what have made me who I am today — and what enabled me to become a great trader.

My mother gave me the gift of life, but she gave me so much more than that with her outlook on everything.

When I think about what I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving, this is what comes to mind.

I am thankful that she was able to get us through our difficulties. But these core values are my greatest gift.

They are a gift I must pass on to my friends, my colleagues, my children, and now to you.

These characteristics are what we all need to learn to be great at trading and investing — skills that must be honed.

I am also thankful for the opportunity to share these values with you and help you on your journey to success.

Have a great Thanksgiving. Now let’s get ready to make some money!