Lessons from the Trenches: Hard Work, Markets, and the Power of Ignoring the Noise and Enjoying the Journey

From digging pools at 12 to trading markets today—why the best lessons come from doing, not predicting.

A conversation today, took me back to when I was 12—when my mother decided it was time I learned a lesson.

I was a handful. Not in a rebellious, “breaking the law” kind of way, but in the way that a kid who doesn’t fit neatly into a system often is.

I was adopted into a lower middle class family in East Cleveland—never went without, but also learned early that if I wanted something, I had to earn it.

My mother worried about me. She wanted me to shape up in school so I could go to college.

Her solution? Make me work for a week with my cousin Darrell. I loved Darrell, so I thought it would be fun.

Darrell dug in ground pools…

For a full week, I showed up, worked, came home, and collapsed. My hands were raw, my feet ached, my body was wrecked. And yet, I had to finish the week.

At the end of it, they handed me $500 in cash.

I thought I was rich.

My mother had hoped I’d learn a lesson about hard work steering me back toward school.

Instead, I learned something else: If I put in the effort, I could get something out of it. But more importantly, I could learn a trade—learn from someone who knew something I didn’t.

And that?

That was worth more than money.

The formula was simple—work, learn applicable skills and get paid. School?

That formula never made sense to me.

Not because I was against school—though the school system is another conversation entirely—but because I was an undiagnosed dyslexic trying to learn in a way that wasn’t built for me. So I had trouble and became a problem child.

Instead, I learned in ways that worked for me.

That’s why I can teach anyone how to do anything today. I break things down simply because I had to build my own way of learning from scratch.

And that’s why I know I can learn anything.

From a 12-year-old kid working on cars and building pools… to an adult teaching himself to code.

The takeaway?

Never stop trying. Never stop learning.

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Stop Giving a Shit About Your Bias

The market slapped everyone in the face this year. Hard.

It (like my mother) handed out a lesson—find strength and stop caring about your damn bias.

Gold moved a lot last year? Doesn’t mean it wasn’t a buy this year.
International stocks sucked for 15 years? Doesn’t mean they weren’t a buy this year.
The dollar looks strong because it’s the world’s reserve currency? Doesn’t mean it can’t get wrecked.

And guess what? It is.

Look at the chart. This could be one of the worst weeks for the dollar since the last major drawdown after its 2022 peak.

The Rate of Change is flashing a warning sign. When the dollar heads lower, it usually starts like this. Not with a whisper, but with a crack.

The Market is Shifting – Fast

This isn’t a deflationary shock. If it were, everything would be getting slaughtered.

Instead, the pain is concentrated. The money is leaving the United States.

Yes, some U.S. sectors are holding up. But zoom out. Look at the U.S. compared to the rest of the world.

Normally, you’d expect some disparity—maybe the U.S. up 10% while China is up 12%. Not this time.

The U.S. is down. Meanwhile, EM and European markets are up 20%-30%.

This is not a blip. This is a fundamental shift.

And yet, I keep hearing the same tired line:

“No one cares about international stocks.”

Good. IDGAF.

That’s exactly how cycles work. No one cares… until suddenly, everyone does.

And by the time they do, I’ll be cashing out.

Riding the Trend – Not Fighting It

All of these trades are deep in profit. Now? We sit back and ride the wave.

The biggest winner in this weak dollar cycle? Our silver calls.

I love the idea of taking 1-2% of a portfolio and buying 1-year call options on silver. Will it be hard to time? Sure. But if this precious metals bull market is still intact, the move will come.

A close above $33 on spot silver? It’s gone.

Gold is crushing the S&P 500 over the last year while it is giving us a long term band squeeze break out signal and hitting new 52 week highs!

Is the market ready to listen yet?

Doesn’t matter.

We’re happy to be early. We profit while everyone else stands around muttering the dumbest phrase in trading history:

“This can’t keep going…”

Yes. Yes, it can.

Against All Odds Research

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