An interview with Bullionite’s Founder and Head of Trading
If you have been following our blog here at Bullionite, you know that we are huge on mindfulness and meditation, as well as mental and breathing exercises to help bring ourselves to the present moment and in the right frame of mind. But why do we talk so much about these topics when we are supposed to be about trading? Well, for one the body is a full machine and all parts need to be running properly in order for us to operate at full capacity. While it is easier to keep track of things like exercise, eating habits and sleep patterns, emotional and mental well being are harder to pin down. This is where mindfulness steps in to help us maintain our mental well being. Another reason we are so into mindfulness is because our head trader, Mukarram Mawjood, has used mindfulness to completely reinvent his life. Come with us now on a personal interview with Mukarram as he delves into what led him to start using mindfulness techniques in his life.
Though Mukarram now has a daily practice of mindfulness meditation, this was not always the case. “Though I was always interested in meditation, I never quite got it.” He confessed to me. “I never got how someone could just sit still for 10-15 minutes, I wanted to figure it out, I had the inclination, but never really took it seriously.” And that is how he lived his early work life for many years, with a desire to learn mindful practices but with a lack of understanding on where to begin. Because of this, he did what many of us did in the first few years of our careers: work long hours, pushing ourselves to extremes all while on limited food, sleep and relaxation. But things were going great. His trading was taking off, he also owned and bred horses across the country that were very lucrative for him, everything was going great but then 2008 happened. With no safety net in place yet in his young life both fiscally and mentally he had to scramble to find the best solutions. In these challenging times he found a strength and reserve in him he didn't know he had previously. “I know I can make money so I am not going to stress out that I lost money. I won't act out of fear of losing money, I can always make more money. This is a lesson I teach in my trading classes, you can create money.”
With this calm approach to his finances, he was able to successfully navigate the 2008 financial crisis, but his mental wellness was suffering. “It was then I started researching about meditation and found the young Vietnamese Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, who owns a meditation center called Plum Village and I read a book from him about mindfulness and this changed my life.” Thich Nhat Hanh brought the concepts of mindfulness to the West and continues to run the Plum Village in France where people travel from all over the world to learn about mindfulness, so this was a great first step for Mukarram, but this still was not the beginning for him. “I still didn't meditate, I lacked the discipline, but I learned about mindfulness and being in the moment so I started to try.” Now the next step may seem a little mundane. I think sometimes we are hoping for grandiose story arcs but oftentimes the biggest changes in our lives start from the smallest habits.
“I started focusing on being very present when preparing dinner after work.” That's it, it is such a small task, but gave him large and lasting results. “When I came home from work, I would always be so tired. And it was easy to allow all the bad thoughts of the day take me over, but instead I started really focusing on preparing my meal and eating it and later cleaning the dishes. When I was done I would find myself refreshed and very relaxed.” We have all been there, allowing tasks or emails to take over our thought process while we eat and next thing we know, the food is gone and we don't even remember having any of it. This is a small example of how stress and lack of mental wellness can affect us. Of course besides the meal not being a moment of respite for us it can also lead to other concerns such as overeating or indulging in junk food in order to try to “feel” the food. But with this small step, he was able to start his mindfulness practice and also start seeing results right away. “I got better on the phone. When I was talking to clients I was really present and I also really cared, was emotionally invested in the conversation. This hadn't happened for me previously.” Excited with his new skills growing with his mindfulness practice he was eager to start continuing it, but it wouldn't be till after he got married that he really started meditating. “We were a young family, going through all the things young families go through but this combined with my work life, it just wasn't a healthy place for me.” It was then that he remembered his mindfulness practice and decided to take it a step further. “Through meditation I became a better person, I was more calm and relaxed, I was able to let things go instead of starting an argument over it. I became a better father and husband as well as a better trader.” With such great benefits from meditation and mindfulness from the beginning he realized this was what his life was missing and started to grow and perfect his meditation techniques.
Want to know what Mukarram's daily mindfulness techniques are? Join us for our upcoming article next week where we join Mukarram for his morning and evening rituals that help him become a better trader and more present husband, father and friend. Reach out to us at info@bullionite.com with your comments and questions.