Success is usually described as something we build.
We study hard, work longer, take risks, earn promotions, make more money and keep moving toward the next milestone. For many people, progress becomes a habit. There is always another level to reach.
But some of the most important decisions in life have very little to do with moving upward.
Sometimes, they are about knowing when to stop, when to change direction or when the people around us matter more than the path we have spent years building.
That idea sits at the heart of Chris Cathey’s memoir, Bulls, Bears and Pigs: Trading, Grief and Reinvention.
When Ambition Works
Cathey’s early journey is a powerful example of ambition in action.
He grew up in a working-class environment in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, later attended the University of Cambridge, completed a PhD in Chemistry and eventually entered the world of professional trading.
He went on to spend thirteen years at Goldman Sachs before later working at a hedge fund.
By conventional standards, this was a remarkable professional trajectory.
The financial world rewarded many of the qualities Cathey had developed over time: discipline, confidence, analytical thinking, competitiveness and the ability to make decisions under pressure.
But life eventually forced him to confront a very different kind of decision.
When the Goal Changes
Cathey’s wife, Claire, died from breast cancer, leaving him as a single father to four children.
At that point, professional ambition no longer looked the same.
The question was no longer simply how much further he could go in finance.
The more important question became: what did his family need from him now?
That shift is one of the most human parts of Bulls, Bears and Pigs.
A career can become deeply connected to identity. Walking away from a professional world you understand can feel like giving up years of work, momentum and status.
Yet sometimes staying on the same path is not the bravest decision.
Changing direction is.
Choosing Presence Over Prestige
Cathey eventually returned to Newcastle and placed his focus on raising his children.
There was no trading-floor applause for that decision.
No bonus.
No promotion.
No scoreboard proving that it was the right move.
But that is exactly the point.
Some choices matter because of what they preserve, not because of what they achieve.
Being present for children after loss may never appear on a résumé, yet it can carry more significance than any professional title.
A Different Definition of Success
That is why Bulls, Bears and Pigs reaches beyond readers interested in finance.
Yes, the memoir offers stories about trading, risk, Goldman Sachs, ambition and the intense culture of financial markets.
But underneath those stories is a wider question about how we measure a life.
Success may matter.
Achievement may matter.
Money may matter.
But there are moments when love, responsibility, family and presence matter more.
Chris Cathey’s story reminds readers that changing direction does not necessarily mean abandoning success.
Sometimes, it means redefining it.
And sometimes, the most important decision you make is the one that would never appear on a performance review.
Discover the full story in Bulls, Bears and Pigs: Trading, Grief and Reinvention by Chris Cathey.
Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX34WRSD/
