[Free Trader Training] Why It’s A Mistake To Be A Courageous Trader
To even consider being a trader takes guts, that’s for sure.
Problem is, being courageous as a trader is really a red flag.
Here’s why.
You see, courage is taking action in the face of fear, in spite of it.
And trading from a position of fear is not a desirable way to trade at all.
If you have genuine fears, not just a little excitement from the anticipation of getting on with your trading day, then that is a sign that a real problem exists…
…a problem that will wind up costing you.
What kind of fears?
- The fear of losing money (or capital)
- The fear of failure
- The fear of making mistakes
…just to name a few.
Fortunately, there is a simple and direct way to become free of your fear.
That’s right. Instead of feeling fearful and anxious about your trading, you really can feel very at peace and secure.
It’s all about replacing your fear with real and well-founded confidence.
That’s why the addage “Treat your trading as a business” is so critical to being able to trade with true confidence, rather than hope and courage.
This approach gives you the full confidence that you are trading in a calculated and knowing manner.
Now, there are certain elements and processes involved in treating your trading as a real business, and a proper business plan is at the heart of it all.
The word “proper” is the operative term in that statement. Most traders make the mistake of having “make lots of money” as their business plan, and that’s all. That’s not a business plan by any means.
To have real confidence in your trading operation, discover the trader training program specifically designed to walk you through the steps of properly organizing your trading business, including the creation of your own personal Trading Business Plan,
When you don’t treat your trading as a business, you’re running on hope and faith, which leave you open to all sorts of fears and other emotions.
When you are properly organized and prepared, you have true confidence in what you’re doing - and you no longer have need for courage because your fears have been addressed.
It is truly the best way to trade!
Cheers
Brian
“The Trading-As-A-Business Coach”
Forex Trader Training - Discover Why Some Will Never Succeed
Sadly, there are some people that just plain will NEVER make it as a trader.
Oddly, the reason is NOT because they aren’t smart enough or because they don’t have the ability. It is because of something that happened along the way that they haven’t addressed. They are aware of it to a degree, because they can make money in their trading. The problem is that they have a decent run and then get cocky and reckless, and then wind up giving it all back to the markets.
And this happens again and again and again.
Another ironic thing is that it really isn’t their fault because it is caused by their primal survival systems kicking in and over-riding their rational mind. It’s a response triggered by a specific set of circumstances that are very common in trading, and once activated, this response tends to create a vicious cycle that is nearly impossible to break, at least without some help.
Here’s how it works. We’ll use my friend Jerry as an example (of course Jerry isn’t his real name).
Prior to opening his account, Jerry hadn’t ever traded at all. He’d just heard about it, but didn’t really know what it was about. He quickly sought out the basics of how trading works and chose to try a few things he’d read about on different forums he’d found.
It didn’t take long and Jerry felt confident enough to open a live trading and began placing his first trades. Afterall, how trading works is straightforward enough and he was pretty smart, certainly smart enough to get this.
During this time, he was trying earnestly to make money, but he was mostly hitting losers because this was all still very new to him. When he hit his first decent winning trade, he was jazzed. What a rush! What a great surprise!
The next winner was even bigger and WOW this really rocks!
Jerry managed to run his account up by just over 20% and he was feeling invincible! He’s got this trading thing down and he’s on his way!
It didn’t take long though until Jerry started getting reckless, jumping into trades that he had no business entering. He felt helpless as his account balance went down to break even, then down by 10% from where he started, then down by 20%, then down by 30. He couldn’t stop himself, even though he was well aware of what was happening.
Jerry put more funds into his account because he just knew that he could make this work, that he could repeat his nice run.
Unfortunately, Jerry was able to repeat the run, but not without repeating the rest of the cycle as well.
It finally got to the point where he just had to close his account and take a break. He just couldn’t take it any more. The most frustrating part of it is that intellectually he knew he could beat this, he just couldn’t seem to control himself once he started winning.
So Jerry called me up and asked for my help.
He wanted to understand why this happened and what he could do to fix it.
What Jerry didn’t understand is that what he’d been doing really was gambling. He wasn’t trading, because he hadn’t taken the steps necessary to trade in a calculated and business-like manner. What he had been doing was playing the game of anticipation and seeking the thrill of the unexpected.
Once a winner gets hit when you’re in this mindset, your brain chemistry is essentially the same as a drug addict and a gambling addict. It kicks in and shuts down your rational mind while activating your pleasure centers in a big way.
The added danger of this and the reason that many people won’t make it in trading is because they’ve been caught in this experience, and they won’t be able to shake it until they quit gambling and truly treat their trading as a business - again in a very calculated and business-like manner.
If this story here sounds at all familiar to you, then I strongly urge you to check out the training in the Trading P.I.T. Club. In it you’ll become that business-like trader that you need to be to stop gambling and start real trading.
Of course if you have questions, just let me know.
Cheers
Brian
“The Trading Turnaround Coach”
P.S. Those that don’t attend to the problem described above are bound to only repeat the vicious cycle and unfortunately it can go on for years. Don’t let it happen to you - stop gambling and get on with business-like trading that will help you keep your head clear and let you trade well rather than give it all back whenever you do make money.
Psychology of Trading Forex - 2 Crucial Questions That Impact Your Success
Brian here and today I have a couple quick and very important questions for you to ponder, important because they have such an incredible impact on your trading.
Now it is very important that you consider both questions at the same time, as the answers are very much related.
After the second question, I have a sage piece of wisdom from another industry that will serve you well in your trading and again relates to the questions.
The first question is simple and one you’ve hopefully actually thought about seriously, so here it is:
Question 1: “Why are you trading?”
The reasons for doing what you do are tremendously important and need to be emotional, not just logical reasons, and they also really need to be much bigger than you. If not, when tough spells are hit, you can lose your motivation and possibly have your confidence destroyed, so you need something really strong to survive this and keep you going.
Question 2: “What are you doing with that motivational energy?”
This is NOT a trick question. Many people get all fired up when they think about why they’re trading and what they want to do with the money they’ll make, but they don’t apply that energy in the right direction.
The mistake commonly made is to get even busier trying to make money.
The right thing to do is to focus on how to get better at trading, even if that means slowing down or even taking a break to regroup if things aren’t going well.
Main thing is to not just keep dreaming and trading away. You are a trader and you want to get very good at making money via trading, not just busy trading away.
The sage wisdom that serves you too:
In the real estate industry, there is a phrase that goes,
What the essentially means is to focus on the PROCESS of making money through trading.
Don’t just sit around daydreaming about all the money that you’ll make and how you’re going to spend it.
You have to get on with getting your trading business properly organized, getting yourself trained and in general focus on the process and your operation more than the money.
Too many traders just think (often without really thinking about it) that if they can just get to making money, that everything else will somehow magically fall into place and the consistent profits will simply flow in month after month.
If you want a reliable source of wealth generation and income, and you want it within a reasonable period of time, then you have to make it happen with intention and on purpose.
It ain’t gonna happen by chance and there’s no magic fairy going to come along and put it under your pillow.
If you’re not sure how to make it happen efficiently and you’d like guidance and assistance, then I can help you.
Of course if you have questions, just let me know.
Cheers
Brian
“The Trading Turnaround Coach”
P.S. Information is good, but sometimes a little good ol’ thinking and reflecting are extremely valuable too. 
Psychology of Trading Forex - Getting a Handle on the “Trading Psycho” In You
Today I have an article from a colleague of mine which I felt important to share with you.
Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Cheers
Brian
P.S At the end of the article, you’ll find a link to a FREE video about 5 damaging myths about trading. Enjoy!
Get Hold Of The ‘Trading Psycho’ In You And Take Your Trading To A New Level.
Of course we aren’t Psychos! Nonetheless I want to direct your attention to the most powerful technology for producing positive changes in your trading. What’s that? NO, this is not a Whiz Bang indicator or new method. Each of us has this but few invest the time or manage this properly. What is it?
It is OUR MINDS!
That 6 inch space that rests between our 2 ears that leads and directs our every action. EVERYTHING you do in your trading EVERY DAY starts as a thought! And I’m here to tell you after working with traders for over 14 years, it is simply a GAME CHANGER when managed properly. Let’s look first at how we can optimize our minds through Trading State Management.
What is Trading State Management?
State Management is ESSENTIAL to successful trading. What do I mean by “State Management?” Quite simply, State Management is the recent trading events that can affect your Trading State. State Management focuses on the notion that how you FEEL affects how you perform. Losses can make it harder to execute entries, because you break exit rules and stop placement rules. Winners can take you on a euphoric ride of “I am super trader hear me roar!”…and lead you right into an impulse trade, death trap. This death trap can spiral faster than a politician retracting a provocative statement.
Your “State” refers to the psychological – emotional frame of mind and even your physiological condition. After a losing trade, do you find that you are slumped down in your chair? Is your breathing shallow? What about your internal dialogue? IS the dialogue defeating and negative, instead of positive and supporting?
Think RIGHT NOW for a second about your internal dialogue! That dialogue is the little voice that reprimands you after losses and tells you “AFTER THE TRADE” what you should have done differently! We can question our actions on EVERY trade when it’s over; however, these questions are not very constructive.
When was the last time you followed the rules of your trading system EVERY SINGLE DAY for a solid week? What’s that? You don’t have a system? NO trading plan? YOU NEED a structured series of ‘IF this THEN that’ statements which help bring quantifiable organization to what you do in the markets BEFORE risking your hard-earned capital.
When I bought my first system I was thrilled after seeing the back tested performance. I calmly ran test numbers in my spreadsheet showing that I had easily increased contracts. By the end of the year I was visualizing paying cash for that Benz I’d been slobbering over. Yet, I was crushed when after just 1 week my REAL numbers didn’t look anything like my tested numbers!
OF COURSE it was the system, the markets, the FED, my broker, oh…and also my dog that caused all of this and NOT ME! I quickly found those were all wrong answers and I didn’t follow the SIMPLE rules. I started asking WHY I jump out early, trail stops too tight and SKIP trades completely which keep changing the course of my research. Here is what I found:
The combination of the ‘Internal Dialogue’ and your ‘Outward Physiology’ all ABSOLUTELY affect your decisions regarding the next trade setup and thus your ability to execute your trading plan. Knowing this information places you FAR ahead of the game. When you are aware of something in your internal dialogue and physiology, you are able to address it, making the appropriate and necessary changes to affect positive outcomes.
Why is Trading State Management Important?
In the most obvious terms, managing your trading state will dictate the consistency in your trading. Whether it is consistency of execution, pattern recognition, equity growth, or positive mental health; TSM will put you in control over your emotions. These emotions have the largest impact on trading consistency. REMEMBER! The most powerful trading system out there is useless in the hands of a trader who CHOSES not to follow the rules!
The Most Important Element is YOU.
Your ability to recognize this as fact and then ACTIVELY work to MANAGE your TRADING STATE will be directly correlated to your long-term success in ANY market and in much of day-to-day life. Working with traders for the last 14 years - from the newbie to the 3-5 year veteran, proprietary trading firm and Hedge Fund traders - I have seen convincing and unmistakable evidence that those who accept these concepts have a SIGNIFICANTLY higher probability of long-term trading success when compared to those who continue the search for Whizz-bang Trading System #18.
Facts to Ponder
Jack Schwager, after writing two books (Market Wizards and New Market Wizards) in which he interviewed some of the world’s top traders, (36 of the interviews made up the 2 books) made the following statement at the end of Book 2; “Time and Time again, those whom I interviewed for this book and its predecessor stressed the absolutely critical role of psychological elements in trading success!”
When asked to explain what was important to success, Jack says, “The Market Wizards NEVER talked about indicators or techniques, but rather about such things as discipline, emotional control, patience and mental attitude toward losing.”
The message is CLEAR: The Key to winning in the market is internal, NOT external.”
Need more Proof?
Ed Seykota, an industry recognized trader and lecturer, once taught a college course in trading that lasted ten weeks. He spent the first week of the class teaching basic information about trading. He spent another week teaching the class Donchian’s 10-20 moving average crossover system.
However, he needed the remaining eight weeks of the class to convince the students to use the system that he had taught – to get them to work on themselves enough to accept the losses that it (or any other good trading system) would generate. So, we have concrete evidence from over 40 traders who cumulatively have earned BILLIONS of dollars in this business that we pursue every day telling us CLEARLY that long-term success in the markets is INTERNAL.
Yet, we as traders continue to invest our time and energy staring at charts and buying new EAs, going from live trading room to live trading room searching continuously. What if we just STOPPED the insanity and LISTENED to the obvious message from those who have done what we seek to do? They didn’t have a little success but rather HUGE and SUSTAINED successes!
That speaks volumes and puts me on a different path which changed the way I view the markets and trading.
By Todd Brown
The Trading Authority
Did you know that there are 5 myths many traders believe that severely hurts their results?
Find out if your trading is being affected,
Click here to access a FREE video about them
Psychology of Trading - “Winners Always Want the Ball…”
Sometimes inspiration can come from unexpected places.
The other day, my son was watching the movie “The Replacements”, which stars Keanu Reeves and Gene Hackman. In the movie, Gene Hackman is the interim coach of a replacement football team during a player strike, and Keanu Reeves is the quarterback of the team.
During their first game, the defensive players are talking a lot of trash and manage to get inside Keanu’s head. On the last play they put on like they’re going to blitz and Keanu gets nervous. He has a chance to win the game, but at the last second Keanu changes the play - and they lose.
While they’re walking off the field, Gene Hackman is furious, knowing that Keanu got scared when he thought the defense was going to blitz. To put things in perspective for Keanu, he says,
“Winners always want the ball when the game is on the line.”
So how does this relatet to trading?
One major factor that separates the winners from the losers is confidence versus doubt. They’re both faced with the same situation, but the winners can overcome their fears and doubts. They have a certain state of mind that they’ve developed that helps them stay focused on the victory, not the possible loss.
Winners want the ball because they know that when the pressure is on, and only bold and confident action is what will result in a win. Shaking with fear means certain loss.
Football, golf, soccer, sports in general, business, trading, etc all have one thing in common - they are 90% mental. Skills, experience, knowledge, strategy, etc are all secondary to your state of mind - because your performance and your results all depend on your decision making and timing.
So while it is tempting to let your focus be drawn to the latest fad in the technical areas, remember that nothing will do you any good unless you can keep your cool and trade well when the pressure is on - and it’s always on.
Cheers
Brian
P.S. Yes the focus here at the Trader Intensive is shifting more back to the psychology of trading - because of its importance. Keep your eyes peeled for a very special introduction to the new publication designed specifically to keep you at the top of your game!
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