Decided to start off the day by answering DMs in the morning instead of in the afternoon/evening as usual (b/c i most likely wont have time to do it once I enter this Turkey induced food coma that's coming up), and this message really hit home. So I'll devote a small thread to it
First off, yes, there is such a thing as "a personality for trading". But it is very tricky because as I pointed out before, the personality traits that attracts most of us to trading are the exact opposite of what you need to survive ONCE you're in. What do I mean by that?
For example. Most of us came to trading because:
1) we are ultra competitive
2) we wanted to get rich quick
3) we were rebels who hated following rules (ie: having to listen to a boss, or getting a 'normal' career like the rest of society etc.)
Those traits got you IN the door, but now that u're in, they must go. why?
1) ultra competitive:
This will make u treat every trade as a "fight" against the market or against the stock. or a PNL battle with other traders. This leads to revenge trading & constant rule breaking.
2) wanting to get rich quick:
Profitability comes from hundreds of trades. Wanting to get rich quick will make u overcommit to individual trades hoping to nail "that one big trade". U'll oversize & get emotionally attached, instead of treating every trade as "just another trade"
3) Being a rebel:
Yes, that character trait is great for breaking barriers, plowing thru obstacles, & saying fuck u to society and those who say "u cant do it", but it is HORRIBLE for trading. B/c trading is 99% risk management, and managing risk is about OBEYING ur damn rules!!
So in conclusion, this is why trading is such a tough psychological challenge for many. The psychology u need to be ATTRACTED to trading, is the same psychology that will fuck u sideways once u START trading. THAT's why most traders break their rules constantly & cant explain why
So no, u're not retarded. no, trading is not inherently "hard". u're just too competitive, too impatient, & too rebellious. THAT'S what makes trading "hard". YOUR personality. UR obession with wanting to be "right". UR desire to compare urself to others. YOUR emotinal instability
Anyway hope that helps. As i always say, know thyself, identify your demons, and purge them. How do u expect to win a war if you dont even know who the enemy is? (yourself).
I also dont wanna hear stupid ass questions like "when is it gonna top out".
I dont know and I dont care.
My goal as always is to keep buying calls on weakness (when shorts are stuck) & puts when longs are fucked.
As long as someone is in pain, there is ALWAYS a trade.
As far as today goes, we already gapped up huge so ill be much more cautious on the long side until we get a pull and some profit taking. Way too risky to chase weeklies this high (premiums will get wrecked at the slightest pull)
I wasn't always disciplined. I was a hardcore video game addict. Dropped out of college 3 times to stay home and play call of duty for 12+ hours a day. Things didnt change until I got sick of it and created a daily routine. Sounds simple but I owe EVERYTHING to my daily routine.
By nature i'm a VERY impulsive person. I do what i want, when I want. So without a daily routine to keep me in check, I'm all over the place, at the mercy of my mood or emotions. You cant get anywhere in life if you let your mood or emotions dictate what you're gonna do each day.
So I told myself "if I can just do SMALL things each day, EVERY day, those will add up over time".
So every day (even to this day) I wake up and just follow my daily routine checklist. Things that optimize my body, mind, finances, relationships etc. I just go down the list bro.
First off, most of the time what we call "inner demons" is really just our amygdala & natural fear response (fight or flight), which activates each time money is on the line. It is nearly impossible to be fully rational when this happens.
So here are 5 tips to help counter this:
1-Never fund ur account with money u're not ready to lose. And almost all new traders do this.
"oh my god I only have this $X,000 left over. I HAVE to grow this amount or im fucked."
Well u're fucked then, b/c it's impossible to trade with a clear head if u're afraid to lose
2-Similar to #1, Use a 1R (max loss or drawdown per trade) that u are COMFORTABLE losing if the trade goes south. if that amount is too big, ur amygdala WILL activate the moment u hit that unrealized loss, and u will freeze, cancel ur stops, and rationalize staying in the trade
I'll tell u the 3 main reasons why u should never renegotiate ur stop.
1) if u cancel/move it, and the stock continues to go against u, it'll be even harder to take the loss b/c at this point the stock will be so overextended that u'll be scared to stop out at the top/bottom
The result? u'll freeze like a deer in headlights as ur brain is stuck between "should i stop out & take this fat loss now" and "but what if i stop out and it reverses?". As ur brain is going back & forth between those 2 options, ur unrealized loss is getting bigger & bigger
Until finally, the unrealized loss is so big that u simply cant take the pain anymore, and throw in the towel as the stock starts to speed up against u. And guess what, 90% of the time, THAT'S the top/bottom.
Great. now u feel like a dickhead. with a FAT loss staring at u.
90% of traders dont fail because they're stupid. No, 90% of traders fail because they size up so fast relative to their knowledge and dispensable income, that they blow up before they have a chance to make all the mistakes necessary to become a profitable consistent trader.
It's like going to a 4 year college and spending all your tuition money on year 1.
Like Michael Jordan said "i never lost a game, i just ran out of time".
In the same way most traders who fail didnt really "fail". they just ran out of money.
It takes time to master this game
It takes time to develop an edge.
it takes time to master entries.
it takes time to master exits.
it takes time to find the strategy that matches your personality.
It takes time to undo your bad habits.
And most importantly, it takes time to master your cunty emotions.
Imagine an athlete who practices basketball on monday, football on tuesday, soccer on wednesday, golf on thursday, and tennis on friday.
Then imagine a trader who practices basketball monday through friday.
All else equal, who will have the better jumpshot after 6 months?
In the trading world, that's the equivalent of new or struggling traders who try to do everything all at once. One day they're trading breakouts, the next day, reversals, then gaps, then scalps, then dip buys, then breakdowns etc.
Pick ONE strategy and fucking MASTER it first
when ppl DM me & say "im struggling w/ consistency", i ask them "what's ur bread and butter setup?". 4 out of 5 times, they dont even fucking have one. You cannot survive in this game unless u wake up each day knowing EXACTLY what setup you're planning to trade. #BearTipOfTheDay