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I have traded live and made $3,000.00 a day for 11 days straight. Gave it back.
I have traded live with a $200.00 a day goal and made or exceeded it for 33 trading days in row. Gave it back.
My problem is not with trading methodology, it is with personal psychology. For me, losing so much money from my real estate career created a void that I felt I needed to fill. Based on my previous successes, my subconscious expectations are now different than when I started in real estate.
I have switched to sim until I know that is not a concern. If I can get that issue out of the way, the money will come. The opportunity is not going anywhere.
AZ, we are on a similar path, again. This time I have more baggage.
Can you help answer these questions from other members on NexusFi?
I like baggage....its means you are going on a trip......but I know what you mean. Trading is a place for traveling light. To many mental hang ups mean the journey is not only long but also hard. As mine has been.
Getting closer every day though. As Mike Bellfore says, get better every day.
This video is 90 minutes long but I think worth the watch.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, Leonardo da Vinci
Most people chose unhappiness over uncertainty, Tim Ferris
Last week I had a health scare. I spent several hours in the hospital....symptoms were severe enough to demand rapid response from the ER docs. Suffice to say, all my tests came back normal. However, I am due to see a specialist soon just to make sure.
One of the things the Doc suggested was that stress could be a major factor in my symptoms. We talked about what I do for a living, the number of hours I spend at the charts or thinking about charts or writing about charts. That prompted him to suggest I limit the amount of time I spend in trading related activities to just a couple hours a week outside the actual trading hours. While trading, I experience very little of the old stress factors I used to have. Once in a while the rapid heartbeat comes back but that lasts for only a few seconds and its over.
So based on the advice of my doc, I will be limiting my post trading activities to my private journal, my private spreadsheet and I think I will post once a week in this thread.
Instead I will resume what once was my favorite pastime...reading great books. Already this week I've read one fiction novel and one historical novel. This has been really relaxing for me.
I've also begun the process of changing my diet. My body has been telling me for weeks now that it is undernourished even if its not underfed! Tomorrow I pick up a shipment of organic fruits and veggies to add to the diet.
I used to walk every morning but getting up another half hour to go walking is probably not gonna happen. Maybe I will walk in the evening instead. Regardless, I need to exercise more.
All these things will contribute to a healthier body and a healthier mind.
I look forward to a more healthful future.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, Leonardo da Vinci
Most people chose unhappiness over uncertainty, Tim Ferris
AZ, I read everyone of your posts and greatly appreciate you sharing your journey with all of us here on futures.io (formerly BMT). Sorry to hear of your recent health issue and hope its not to serious.
Last year I also had a bit of an unnerving event scare me into getting serious about getting healthy again. So far this year I've lost 32 lbs, I was hoping to reach 50 lbs by my birthday in September but I think that is unfortunately not going to happen, but I'll keep at it.
Like you said, life is short, do what you enjoy and stop doing what you hate.
Brian hope u are fine. Take care. Take it easy and I agree we need to spend more and more time with familty and kids. What is trading good for if we can't enjoy the supposed freedom and flexibility it gives us vs other working alternatives. Being able to make your day in couple of hours (with gain or loss limit) is not something u can have in many endevours....so we should capitalize that also.
Good luck and hope to keep reading your journal here....
Hey AZ, so let me get this straight...your doctor is implying you're putting more stress on yourself through POST trading activities than when you are trading the live market?
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." --- "Therefore, I Believe it and I will see it. And every day and in every way, I am healthier, wealthier, and wiser."
No, he is suggesting that when I am done working, to just walk away and quit spending near 100% of my waking hours thinking about trading. To balance the higher stress of trading with relaxation and other fulfilling activities.
Sitting in the hospital hooked up to EKG's, CAT scans of my brain, heart x-rays, etc, I decided my life had to change. At first I was only thinking in terms of physical health. Diet and exercise. Important of course, but after the lecture from the doctor, I realized that while I love trading, being consumed with it is unhealthy.
I started trading with the idea it would earn me a decent living in a much shorter time commitment per day than other professions. While this is true I believe for the experienced trader, as a newbie, thats not possible. I have given near 100% of my time, effort and strength to this endeavor for the last couple years to learn how to do this.
As it turns out, I already knew how to trade, but my heart and emotions had not caught up to the mechanical knowledge I had.
I've been a bit better than break even the last couple of months. Thats a start. Last week I made a nice profit and I did it without my normal compliment of indicators and workspaces. I also just walked away from when done for the day. I think that in and of itself helped my trading. I felt like it allowed my subconscious to work on being a good trader instead of trying to force it along every day.
So a new chapter of my life has opened up. One of trying to bring into balance the last two years with the reason for the last two years. That of buying myself freedom from the daily grind to engage with my family and other pursuits I love.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, Leonardo da Vinci
Most people chose unhappiness over uncertainty, Tim Ferris
Platform: Sierra Charts, Investor RT, Ninja Trader
Broker: VanKar
Trading: NQ
Posts: 520 since Sep 2009
Thanks Given: 583
Thanks Received: 1,248
Brian
I know exactly how you feel. At times I have found myself almost addicted to trading, to the point I really didn't know what to do over the weekends. Priorities were not right. With some of the grandkids here for the last month, and at least a couple of more weeks, I don't have the time to trade as I did. This past week, I was able to get in a few trades. I focused on doing the most conservative of my setups, taking a small but reasonable profit on each trade with a small, but reasonable weekly goal in mind. I made that goal in 3 days of trading, and then focused on the grandkids, and some long delayed honey-do items......overall one of the best weeks in a long, long time.
You and I both learned important lessons, though the path was different.
Papa15
My focus is on:
1. Avoid the opening chop.
2. Honor stops
3. Ensure reward > risk on all trades
I agree 100%. Until last week, I would fight to get my Saturday's free to look at charts. Same with Sundays until about 3 months ago at which time I at least quit looking at charts on Sunday. Last Saturday, I just stayed away from the charts completely. It felt odd but good. Yesterday, 30 mins of chart time. I was in the shower....I know, TMI....but its where I think best and had a good idea. I came down to validate and sure enough, I think I can incorporate it into my trading set up. Then I just walked away.
By the end of this week, my goal is to accomplish a goal of 2 hours of trading per day or 50 ticks, whichever comes first. I'll track my time and ticks and then report next Friday.
After that, gotta find something to do but with a kid in the house, that shouldn't be a problem!
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, Leonardo da Vinci
Most people chose unhappiness over uncertainty, Tim Ferris