It's been a while since I posted but due to a number of changes in the last few months and with the holidays I figured I would wait until the new year.
That being said I wanted to start publishing my journal in case it helps anyone or someone has some feedback/suggestions/questions that will help me and other other readers get better... After many different iterations I found a simple excel sheet describing what I am seeing in each time period works best for my own thoughts. Not sure if they will be clear to others but I have put up pictures in the second tab every half hour (I am missing the first few today as this is the first time i did pictures and it was a work in progress) but all in all should provide some idea of what I am doing.
About me: I have been involved in finance for a number of years. Mainly in sales and then in other areas. All in FX. Never was a trader but always wanted to be one. The market kept pulling me in and my passion for it and interest have shifted my whole life around in such a way that now I am working with the goal to become an independent trader at some point.
My style: After many years (6+ as of now) of learning from scratch and trying everything but the kitchen sink including most indicators out there, systems, etc etc I finally came to the conclusion that what makes me most comfortable is price action. I started looking into this and started deviating from indicators around 1 year ago. As I do have a full time job the transition wasn't quick. I was also going through some personal issues which I had to resolve that are now under control and have provided for the necessary platform to trade with a clear mind. (Never mock psychology - it works..). Anyways I do take on a lot of what Al Brooks has to say as he has really brought it home for me in terms of making all the ideas I had more concrete. I do however make up my own words and of course have a lot to learn still.
My Instruments: I used to trade EURUSD and GBPUSD but found that staying on top of 5 min charts for both made me loose concentration so for now I only focus on one. Maybe someday when it all becomes more automatic I can do 2, 3, or even more :).. Starting tomorrow I will choose the one that looks best to me when I get on and trade that. Today I traded EUR as I historically have defaulted to that.
My setup: Being a computer geek I opted for more than I needed haha.. regardless even though i have more desktop space than i know what to do with I focus mainly on two screens. One that has my 5 min charts which you will see screenshots off and one with my trading station and other things i keep handy including the log I will attach.
My objective: To get consistently profitable while being accountable of every step/trade/decision I take to get there. In other words I am not here to gamble. I am also not here for the money. Don't get me wrong I like money but my objective with money is to get to the point where I can take out enough out of the market on a monthly (or averaged monthly) basis that I can leave the corporate world behind and focus on this alone. Once I can do that I'll focus on growing the piggy bank..
Disclaimer: I don't spell check my log. I don't have time to. It may also not make sense.. Please ask if interested and cannot figure out what I mean. It is still a work in progress so my "logging" skills may be quite rusty. I used to do more visual word docs with pictures (as I am a visual person) but find this to be more effective. The logs will get better..
Finally please if you do read and think I am doing something moronic or missing the obvious, do tell me.. As with everyone else I think I am here to help others while seeking help for myself.
Thanks to all and to Mike for this great community.