Here's another humble attempt at developing a trader within.
A little history:
I have started "dabbling" in trading futures in 2010. Have not lost much money, only because I halted my trading after losing a few hundred bucks, but have not made any either. Probably, like many beginners, spent way too many thousands of dollars on courses, trading rooms, and indicators, all to amount to nothing. Kept searching for a holy grail of a system or an indicator. Came to a sobering conclusion, finally, that it does not exist.
Now I am in a realization that simple is the best, that is - technical analysis and price action.
I am not new to technical analysis, but have not traded much off of that. This is changing though :)
So, the purpose of this journal is to clarify my trading patterns and to overcome my trading fear. I can see trades on the screen but I am reluctant to take them because I do not know what I will do once in a trade. So, this will be a process of development - technical and psychological. Another thing for me to overcome - is fear of pulling the trigger. I hate losing, who does not, but fear of losing has kept me out of many great trades.
I trade 1 ES contract for now. The intermediate goal is to master my trading to be able to trade 5 contracts.
I only trade live, I do not SIM. I discovered that SIM-ming leads to reckless trading and does not build character.
I do however go on a market replay at night to try different patterns. But during the day my DOM is live only.