Why did I start trading?

Initially, it was the lure of early retirement that started me down this road. It's always said the stock market is a place to make lots of money and riches, so what better place to then make lots of money that trading them. It was such naive thinking looking back, haha. But I think what I had gotten out of this whole trading journey is a healthy respect for hard work, and also mental toughness. There are no consistently free lunches in trading, no crystal ball, no one to rely on or blame except for your own judgement. If I didn't do my due diligence or followed a guru blindly, at the end of the day, the full responsibility lies with me. And I am really grateful to trading for making me realize that.