83) MOTIVASI: DON'T BE GREEDY, STOP COMPARING & PRESERVE YOUR CAPITAL.
If you are struggling with your trading… follow these rules:The intraday moves of the market present you with many opportunities. Therefore... Do NOT be greedy! If you are a beginner, and struggling, learn 2 setups. And that's it. Learn them well. Inside and out. If you were woken out of a deep sleep at 3am, would you recognize these 2 setups without a moment’s pause? If not, DON’T TRADE REAL MONEY! If you are an experienced methodological/rule based trader, and have run into tough times, go back to square one. Identify your top 2 highest probability trades. And ONLY take those. Period. While this advice can’t give you even close to the same help you can get with one to one trading psychology coaching, if your issues are not too deep, you might be able pull this one off on your own.Stop comparing yourself to the way you used to trade... to your mentor... or to others in your trading room!In fact, stop ALL comparisons! Focus on getting better, one small step at a time. Like Tiger Woods after he remade his swing, like Michael Jordan after his FIRST retirement, simply get back (or discover for the first time) the fundamentals. Forget the past, and focus, like a laser, on the present. Get back to profitability by ONLY taking the highest probability set-ups. Then, as you progress in your profits, add one more HIGH probability setup per every 2 weeks of winning.IRON CLAD RULES FOR EVERY TRADER...IGNORE THESE AT YOUR OWN FINANCIAL PERIL! If you are a new trader, DO NOT TRADE real money until after you not only know your method inside and out, but prove you know it – and prove that it REALLY WORKS - in simulated trading.At the beginning levels, IF you can’t win in simulated mode, you CAN'T win with real money.Rule number one in trading is to preserve your capital. There are so many great trading opportunities - each and every day. But if you blow up, you are out of the game. So... don't trade real money until you know your system/setups/method well. Then, start out small. (You can always increase steadily, provided you use proper money management.)You don't have to prove anything to anyone... especially yourself. If you feel compelled to prove yourself in the market, it will suck you dry!And... if you can't discipline yourself to trade this way, I promise you will run into bigger problems. So at least have a fail safe. If you lose some predetermined amount of money, then stop trading live. Learn your method.And if your issue is mental/emotional, then please, just face it. Don't bury your head in the sand, only to have your trading career ruined. Remember: The psychology part is the hardest part of the trading business. You have to deal with, if you are committed to your dream. So, stop losing, and start getting help.Even VERY experienced traders who are learning a new method should backtest… trade in simulated mode… or at very least reduce leverage and size dramatically. Then, after 2 -4 weeks of successful simulated trading (one week is the bare minimum), you can consider trading real money. After a few weeks of trading real money, if your results are not the same as when you are in simulated mode, then you know one thing: Your trading psychology needs help. If that’s the case, go out and get it. Don’t waste time, because is money, especially in this business, where time can equal major losses.Don’t believe – and even more important, don’t give a hoot about what your trading friends, teachers, and trading room attendees tell you about their profits. If you compare yourself to others, you are setting yourself up for mental self-sabotage. Have goals in mind… and measure yourself ONE step at a time. As they say, Rome was not built in a day… and good(and great) traders are not either.Focus on improving, day by day, week by week. And again, NEVER compare yourself to others. It can’t help you… and will usually wreck havoc with your trading psychology.
Be aware of this fact regarding the stated performance of others:
There are many people who will try to fool you in this business, not necessarily out of malice (although there are certainly those), but out of self delusion.
Ignore their wins/losses.
Learn your method.
Stick to it till it becomes a part of you. Then evaluate it in e aware of this fact regarding the stated performance of others:
There are many people who will try to fool you in this business, not necessarily out of malice (although there are certainly those), but out of self delusion.
Ignore their wins/losses.
Learn your method.
Stick to it till it becomes a part of you. Then evaluate it in simulated mode. Don’t jump around from one guru to another, one method to another. Most methods can be back tested. DO THAT! Put in your screen time. Don’t take shortcuts. Focus on your 2 highest probability trades… if you are really new, then focus on only one. And master it.
And ignore those who claim to be sucking every point out of virtually every swing.
Learn the value of patience. For most traders, this equation holds true: Trading less = winning more.
And please, DON’T TAKE OR MAKE CALLS WHILE YOU ARE TRADING. Trading is a lonely profession. One that requires TOTAL concentration.
Talk after you have shut down your trading software! Not while it’s on. And... don't be teased into taking a trade after you've shut down. Stay with your rules, and achieve your dreams! Don't play around.
If you can’t totally focus, get help with this issue.
If you are wondering why this is so hard, let's look backward for a second. This may be the first time you are totally accountable to no one. No employees or payroll to meet. No boss. No quota.
Realize these are different circumstances than usual.
Behave accordingly. Determine how many losses you will take in a day. And… figure out how much money you are willing to lose in a day.
Write these numbers down, on your rules document. And if you break your rules, take a day off from trading.
If you can’t, you are addicted. Get trading psychology help, fast, before you blow your account up.
If you break your rules twice, take a week off. Take off, before the market takes away your money. It has a tendency to do that to those who don’t follow their rules.
And ignore those who claim to be sucking every point out of virtually every swing.
Learn the value of patience. For most traders, this equation holds true: Trading less = winning more.
And please, DON’T TAKE OR MAKE CALLS WHILE YOU ARE TRADING. Trading is a lonely profession. One that requires TOTAL concentration.
Talk after you have shut down your trading software! Not while it’s on. And... don't be teased into taking a trade after you've shut down. Stay with your rules, and achieve your dreams! Don't play around.
If you can’t totally focus, get help with this issue.
If you are wondering why this is so hard, let's look backward for a second. This may be the first time you are totally accountable to no one. No employees or payroll to meet. No boss. No quota.
Realize these are different circumstances than usual.
Behave accordingly. Determine how many losses you will take in a day. And… figure out how much money you are willing to lose in a day.
Write these numbers down, on your rules document. And if you break your rules, take a day off from trading.
If you can’t, you are addicted. Get trading psychology help, fast, before you blow your account up.
If you break your rules twice, take a week off. Take off, before the market takes away your money. It has a tendency to do that to those who don’t follow their rules.
