There’s one thing that, if you can’t do, will virtually guarantee failure for you as a trader. It’s counter-intuitive because it actually seems like you shouldn’t do it. But who said good trading was intuitive? Not being able to do this one thing will be responsible for more missed opportunities than anything else I can … Read More …
It’s not meant to be easy to do all of this; in fact it’s meant to be very hard. If it were easy anyone could do it. Almost everyone knows what it takes; few can actually do it consistently. That’s the challenge. When adversity strikes even when you’re doing the right things, it’s not unfortunate … Read More …
We all know trading is very hard. Those who say otherwise are frankly full of BS. But does hard necessarily imply struggle? Struggle Is Not What You Think Let’s think about the definition of struggle. Here’s what the dictionary says: 1. To contend with an adversary or opposing force. 2. To contend resolutely with a … Read More …
Few people are likely to understand self sabotage more than traders. While it’s an innate tendency in almost all of us, traders get to experience it more often and more directly than most others. If you’ve traded for any period of time, you know what I’m talking about. It seems like whenever things start to … Read More …
There’s a lot to learn to become a good trader. A lot of market understanding, strategies, and techniques. But sometimes it’s the things that seem completely unrelated to trading that teach us the most about it. And our task is to find those analogies and to use them to our advantage. Find one different way … Read More …
The closing bell rings. You turn off your screens, reflect briefly on the trading day, and you’re off to relax. But wait. Have you ever wondered what the top traders are doing? You know, the ones making consistent 6 and 7 figures. Well, I’ll tell you what they’re doing. They’re taking a brief rest, because … Read More …
It’s not always about the big things. We do so many complex and painstaking things to work on our trading, but sometimes it’s the subtle changes that can make a big difference to our bottom-line. And what’s more subtle and seemingly innocent than having expectations? As traders- and human beings for that matter- it’s very … Read More …
It’s easy when things are working out. Easy to be positive. Easy to think correctly. Easy to stick to the plan and be disciplined. But sooner or later you’ll face adversity. And that’s when you’re going to have your real test. How you react to adversity is the only thing that really matters. The time … Read More …
A lot of traders think that they think in probabilities. But just because you think about odds and reward-to-risk doesn’t mean that you actually think in probabilities. One of the best quotes I’ve ever read on the subject comes from poker pro Annie Duke: To be a great poker player you have to have what … Read More …
No subject is more misunderstood than that of trading risk. I see so many varying opinions, and a lot of traders have major misconceptions about it. This is partially brought about by financial industry professionals and academia. I won’t get started on the value (or lack thereof) of most formal education, but I will say … Read More …
