The Path to Becoming a Successful Trader
Trader’s still seeking their success, tend to lack a fundamental quality that successful traders have uncovered and evolved to. They fall prey to the dilution that things are OK. They ignore the warning signs when they’re off and, more critically, tend to “push” their trading with the sub-conscience desire of satisfying their egos rather than controlling the trade. The harsh reality is they usually just perpetuate a speedy draining of their capital.
Knowing who YOU are as a trader takes courage to face all the faults and strengths of ones character. It’s not a mystery that we all come to the trading desk with some kind of “stuff” or baggage from our past, filled with good and bad beliefs that at some point will creep into our trading.
I know with my own trading, past baggage and “A Type” personality lifestyle, I had to master the discipline of patience for each trade entry and exit. My first 3 years of trading were spent honing my “feels” for the market by watching the price action of “time and sales”, totally void of charts or technicals.
This is how a large percentage of day traders made their fortunes, in the fast markets of the 90’s. Today this method is a lost art replaced by a fine-tuned set of endless varieties of technical analysis and strategies. To this day, and I will be very honest, I still find myself working on my patience especially when a volatile market presents itself. That’s the reality of my stuff, and the one thing I am determined to master and gain control of. With time, determination and focus, each attempt of control lessens the addictive tendencies, over my mind.
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This brings me to the determination needed to strive for solutions to our weaknesses. Successful traders do anything and everything to master these self-proclaimed weaknesses, knowing very well that ignoring them will cost more in the long run. They will come up with a way to attack the problem and if it doesn’t work they will go to all lengths and create strict rules in order to overcome them. Your determination is required to do the same. First, is to acknowledge the weaknesses. This takes a special self-honesty and soul searching. Second, is to look at the flaws, followed by developing a strategy that reduces the impact on a trade. This is not the fun part of trading, but it is something that will safeguard your trading in the long run and one of those “musts” to master.
In the beginning when I was chasing trades (getting in after lots of trend confirmation to be absolutely sure I would be right) and of course was confirmed to be too late by its immediate reversal, I decided it was time for a plan. I would read my hand written post-it note that said, “Are you chasing the trade?” if the answer was yes, my new rule was — do not enter. So on my next trades, when the trading room called yelled “Microsoft’s running”, I flash read the note — answered Yes — and proceeded to take the trade.
Plan one didn’t work. So I had to ask myself, what I was feeling. It was as close to addiction as I could get…my fingers had magnets and the keyboard was the mega-magnet pulling my fingers with not one ounce of mental awareness or control. I was truly “hooked” and now I was determined to fix this.
So the next time it happened, which it did — three more times that day, I found myself having to literally sit on my hands. The emotion of desire and fear of missing out was in a battle with my intellect and my intellect was not winning. I withstood the three temptations…and still had the feeling. It was locked in my body even though my mind knew I should do something different.
This is when I first realized the power of a mental sub-conscience “block” that so many of us get while trading and never get over. A physical connection of mind and body. That stays until removed. One way successful traders have found, unknowingly, is through positive repetition (doing the right thing over and over and over). This will eventually reduce the impact of the block and lessen its potency over time. There are some other techniques that can be done one on one that just do not work with a written description. They tend to be much faster and longer lasting.
So, in essence if you are choosing or have chosen trading as your career, knowing who you are with an honesty and truthfulness is what this occupation demands. Facing our trading integrity can sometimes be very awkward, yet it’s the only way you can develop new strategies to overcome or control them.
The common thread to successful trading is, knowing truthfully who YOU are.
Filter out your strengths, leverage them and at the same time attack your weakness and minimize them. It will add to your profitability as well as the quality of your life.
You see, it’s never just about trading but about your past and what you bring to the trading desk. Repairing your trading weaknesses will also have an effect on the rest of your life.
Till next time, great trading!
Robin Dayne, known to many as “The Trader’s Coach” is a trader herself, and has spent the past 12 years studying the emotional and psychological aspects of trading. Robin has appeared on CNBC, 20/20 News, the CBOT and CME training site, BusinessWeek and TheStreet.com . She also hosted one of the highest rated online radio shows “Elite Masters of Trading”. For more information about her unique coaching services, you can email Robin at info@robindayne.com or go to www.RobinDayne.com.