Monday, November 17, 2008

Fine tuning the machine

You've got the latest, greatest trading platform. You've got new flat screen monitors. You've got support, resistance, candlestick patterns down pat. You've got a trading plan that you think is easy to live with. Now you need to work on the most important market interface...your body/your brain.
A Ferrari won't last too long without proper oil in the engine or air in the tires. You as a trader won't last long if you are stressed, out of shape, weak minded, sluggish or off balance.
View trading as a tough arena that only the fittest will survive. Each trading day becomes an opportunity to hone your skills and develop yourself. How can anyone attempting to perform against seasoned pros in any type of contest have a hope of success if they don't prepare themselves in every way for the coming conflicts? They can't. Period. They will blow through their account and be left with angry recriminations that the market screwed them. The only thing that screwed them was themselves with a failure to adequately prepare.
You have to have an undiminished focus. You have to immerse yourself in the market. You have to trade your plan automatically.
If you find yourself with drifting thoughts at crucial times, you'll need to find a way to counter this. In todays fast paced world there are many distractions. Take some time out to slow down and think. Try this little exercise in concentration: close your eyes and think about what an apple hanging on tree looks like. Visualize the colours and texture of the skin and stem, the size, sheen, shape, curves, imperfections, any flowers on the bud. Can you think about only the apple for 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or a minute before some sports score or bill payment intrudes into your thoughts? If you’re got too much noise going on inside your head to think of a simple apple for a minute then perhaps wait until you are free of whatever distractions are affecting you before you get deeply involved in trading situations that can scar you for a long time.

Trading is a thinking person' marathon, hours long in duration and requires your precise attention. Try mediation. Simplify your life. Dump whatever garbage is in your life dragging you down if your goal is to become a successful trader.

Having an active life away from trading is vital as well. Challenge yourself to become better at what you do. Being in good physical condition will pay you back big dividends in all parts of your life. Being disciplined to maintain a healthy weight through exercise can become a transferable skill to being a disciplined trader. If you can’t stick to a simple plan of regular exercise how can you expect to be able to be really disciplined in other areas? Eating right and cutting out the junk food will help you become a better trader. I’m very active in mountain climbing, back country skiing, mountain biking. I’m 46 years old but my climbing and skiing partners are 20 years younger. They push the hell out of me.

I take fish oil supplements for my brain, drink “greens” to help my body, eat good food and get plenty of exercise. I am confident in myself and of my abilities.

If you don’t view all this behind the scenes work as important to being a successful trader, ask yourself this: do you think an average football fan who is out of shape, has no plan, no practiced skills, no confidence in their abilities, can go head to head against a pro player in the championship game for several hours? Probability says no.

5 comments:

Stewie said...

great post and agree with you completely. off pitch attitude and ways of life will SURELY transfer over in the ever mentally challenging trading arena.

Anonymous said...

thank you scott for your quick response.
Yes, I realized during reading your posts the ultras are effective movers.

I think the fascination coming with your trading style is:
All the things you are doing are deeply logical. Everybody knows the basic rules to handle probabilities but almost no one does it in the purity and consistency you show. That signals its always worthy to clean up and
refocus his trading. Be sure its a motivation not only for stock traders.

Scott said...

stewie, eu max, thanks for your comments.
I'm pointing out seemingly logical and basic rules because I believe they get lost in the haze of too much information at many other sites. I'm attempting to chronicle my way of doing things, the simple way, for people who have tried every new indicator and news feed and are still not getting the results from the endless stream of opportunities out there. Success comes from within.

ez said...

thanks for this clear points yep .FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS.TO DONT LET OTHERS DRIVE US LIKE OUT BIG ENEMY "EGO" we dont to prove that we right only listen what the market telling NOW , and do like you eating like a pig shitting like a bird. but i like to know the trend is like wave in ocean when the momentum stops the go other.... how you get this small looses we need to give them room to breath and let them be some red till the go up so what tell you to get out so fast whit such small loos ...beside the juices u can also try blue allge very powerfull to build ur cells in brain to keep you up[eskimo fish oils i think is better then others]

Scott said...

EZ,
If I'm reading your question correctly, all I can say is that there is an entry point in time that the reversal or trend says to me that "here I am" and I make the trade. After that point I am safe and then it becomes a money management issue.