I can promise you, no immigrant parents
decided… Hey, let’s leave Asia, all our friends and families behind, so my kids can
grow up in North America and become day trader. Hello, my name is Shay, also known as Humbled
Trader. I’m a Taiwanese Canadian living in Vancouver. I was started out trading part time
many years ago while I had a full time job in Film & VFX. Fortunately I got to quit that job many
years later and became a full time day trader. Today I’d like to share with you
my immigrant story and how my upbringing in North America has transformed me
to become the full time day trader I am today. Spoilers, there was a lot of tears, shame but most
importantly, a lot of hard work and perseverance. So if you wanna hear more, then keep on
watching. And don’t forget to drop a like in the bottom of the video if you are interested
in hearing more personal stories like this. So just for context, I was not born in
Canada. I immigrated here with my family when I was around 12. And if there’s anything I
noticed at a young age, and upon my first week living in Canada. Is that I learned the concept
of money and wealth quickly. And the reality is, this was the first time ever in my entire
life that a thought popped up in my head. Wow.. I didn't realize we were poor. Back in Taiwan, we were just
like most other families, living an average middle class lifestyle.
You really don’t need a lot of money to live a comfortable life in Asia. We enjoyed good
food, our home looks the same as everyone else’s. I went to a public school where all my classmates
ate the same school lunch from cafeteria, and we wore the same uniforms to school. There is
really no point of comparison or contrast. And really, no need to evaluate
each other’s financial background. This completely changed when we immigrated to
Canada. And more specifically Vancouver, Canada. While back in the early 2000’s the housing cost wasn’t as high as it is right now. It’s still
not exactly affordable for immigrant families. And I know at this point a lot of
people are thinking… wait a second, I thought all immigrants are filthy
rich. Like Nick Young from Crazy Rich Asians. Don’t they just roll off the boat and
straight into a lamborghini at the airport? All I can say is. That's a gross
overgeneralization. While I obviously can’t speak for every immigrant out there, most
immigrant families I know from early 2000s, have a hard time adjusting to
North American life, financially. And don’t get me wrong. I know I was
extremely fortunate that my family still had the means to immigrate to
Canada. My parents have always been frugal with their finances. And
I'm extremely grateful for that. It’s just that after moving to Canada,
it was the first time I was sitting next to very well off kids here. And seeing the
new “normal” in lifestyle here in Vancouver. I see my classmates eating fancy lunches.
With desserts, drinks and fruits. My classmates had big houses, 2 or 3 car
garages, big front lawns and back yards and a basketball hoop in front while we
lived in tight little two bedroom apt. The first few years of financial challenges were
tough, however, my family never let that stop us. We are resourceful. We don’t sit there and whine
and sulk, crying that our apartments are not as big as other people’s houses or that our cheap
car doesn’t compare to other people’s Mercedez. Which by the way, you guessed it, this is
still the same Toyota Corolla I am driving, today. More than a decade later. It’s
a true symbol of my immigrant family’s perseverance. And it reminds me everyday, where I
came from ,and how hard I've worked to get here. And a big part of how I got here is learning
from my immigrant parents. Especially my mom. My mom is eternal optimist. She moved
us here for a better life and better future, and she believed that she needed to set
a good example for my siblings and I. Instead of just saying… “we don’t have
money, so we can’t afford this or that”, my mom turned those financial
challenges into lessons for us. She taught us the value of each and every single
cent, and that if we wanted to do something, such as going out to eat at a restaurant
once a month… well you better work for it. During our first few years in Vancouver, we collected coupons so we can groceries
or everyday essentials at a discount. My siblings and I all had multiple
newspaper delivery routes, with the help of my mom of course.
Together we made around $50-$70 CAD a month. And that's the money we would use
to afford to eat out as a family once a month. We bought everything second hand at
garage sales… bikes, sports gear, pianos. Even in high school grades 10 to 12, I worked two part time jobs at Tim Hortons
and the movie theatre to help pay for bills. No I regret to say that it wasn’t an AMC Entertainment theatre, we
don’t have those in Canada. During the early 3-4 years as new
immigrants, I only recall seeing my mom cry once when we almost got kicked out
of our temporary summer apartment rental. I mean, If she doesn’t show us how
to solve these financial problems. Then we just gotta pack up and go back
to TW. She has already left her family, friends and a comfortable lifestyle behind in
TW. She has sacrificed way too much to just give up on this chance to immigrate to Canada for a
better life. There is literally no other option. It was not glamorous, but it taught me and my
siblings that you will never make life better for yourself by sitting there whining and complaining,
that you don’t have rich parents, why are you born in this poor family, and why weren’t given
a silver spoon and born into a trust fund. That was a perfect storm for me to build
up the foundation for my future work ethic and positive mindset. Which is something
I carried throughout my previous career in VFX and later on to day trading full time. I
wouldn't have chosen to grow up any other way. I learned to work hard, and realize that
anything worthwhile takes time. I took the same lessons and applied them when I was
applying for college, competing for an exclusive scholarship, or negotiating salaries
once I started working in VFX. And I think this should be
something applicable to everyone, whether you are day trading or
working in VFX or any other career. I think at this point, many people would
easily say, so you’re saying your motivation for working so hard to make more money and
buy more things. And that’s simply not true. It's from my upbringing as an immigrant, I found my true motivation to work hard and
succeed in my career. And the motivation is a better life for my parents. They worked
so hard to raise us here in Canada. I want to make my parents proud. I want them
to know that all the years of coupon clipping, and shopping at the clearance section,
saving empty bottles and cans and all the many sacrifices they’ve made so we can live
here, in North America, were not for nothing. I remember vividly one time, all the way back
in 2005, I went grocery shopping with my mom at the very end of the store, because
that's where the discounted products are. These are perfectly fine foods, they
just don’t look as perfect or as shiny. We were picking through the apples there, and a man pushed through my mom
and I and said under his breath, “if you can’t afford to shop at the front of the
aisle then you should just go back to China”. And this is just one story out of many
in our early years as an immigrant. And I will never forget any of it. My parents may have spent a few years looked down
upon and receiving those humiliating remarks. But now, I make sure they will NEVER have to
deal with that bs for the rest of their lives. And let me clarify, this was never an obligation.
My parents never forced me to take care of them or expected anything in return from me. This
was not an obligation, but a fundamental desire. This is the real reason I hustled through
my early twenties for my career in VFX and now day trading full time. When you have
a greater motivation and purpose than just yourself. You don’t mind failing multiple
times on your way to success, for any endeavour. And it's through the same work ethic
that I made my way up from the bottom as a junior level 3D artist to
a senior in a matter of 2 years. When I decided to start day trading to supplement
my income. I paper traded, tested out strategies, and yes blew up a few $2-3K trading accounts. But
I took those losses as market tuition to learn. While 90% of all traders looked for shortcuts to
get rich quick in trading, like the the alerts, the signals and secret easy strategies… I did
the things no one wants to do, I journaled, observed the market and not liking any
buttons, I saved and analyzed charts, and repeated the same trade
planning process day in and day out. And when I finally decided it’s time to quit my
job in VFX to day trade full time. I didn’t just quit cold turkey. I worked hard at both hustles
and saved up, and prepared for the big transition. The story of why I quit my career to day trade…
probably needs a video of its own. Because just like immigrating to North America, it was
never as simple as it seems. Comment down below if you want to see a video from me talking
about how I quit my job to trade full time. It’s never been about just making money,
sure the money is great don’t get me wrong, but it's a result of years of hard work, and
having a purpose and motivation greater than just being able to afford the latest iphones,
gucci's or buying myself a lamborghini. I wanted a better life for my
parents. I want them to know. Their greatest investment of their
lives, which is me, is paying off. Well my mom still wants to shop at the clearance
section and save all the cans and bottles. And the car my dad allowed me get him in
TW is still a Toyota Corolla 2021. This is the reason I work so hard. This is how
I got through tough jobs in VFX, and in trading Especially through all the
struggles, and all the losses, both emotionally and financially while
transitioning to day trading full time. Looking back now, I wouldn’t have
changed my upbringing in Vancouver any other way. I am so thankful for all
the experiences and all the hardship, and so grateful to have parents who are strong
and taught us true values of money and hard work. There’s this saying I read somewhere in
Taiwan. Thatt really resonated with me: 沒有傘撐的孩子 在雨中才跑得快 It’s the kids with no umbrellas, who
will run the fastest in the rain. While I can not say I grew up with no umbrellas, because I am so lucky to have two
strong parents showing me the way, I can definitely say for certain that they
taught me how to run fast in the rain. So if you’re going through
some tough times right now, whether it’s day trading or your career, or that
you’re going through some financial struggles, hopefully my story shows you what perseverance
and hardwork can lead to down the road. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. The easy thing
to do is always just complain and sulk. But if you put in the work and put your mind to it,
many years later you’d be so glad you did. If you guys want to hear more stories about
how I quit my job to day trade full time. Make sure to let me know in the comments
section below. And if you want to read more about my day trading journey you can check
out my website at www.humbledtrader.com This has been a very emotional and introspective video to make for me personally. So hopefully
you enjoyed learning about my journey. If you did please remember to drop a like and subscribe
if you want so see more in the future. Thank you guys for watching as always. I’m the humbled
trader, and I will see you guys next time.
