I have traded my own money for the past twelve years. And there was the Asian Financial Crisis, the Bursting of the Internet Bubble, 2002, Hybrid, Penny Spreads, the near recent collapse of our financial markets, and now the era of big government irresponsible spending causing havoc on the world’s currencies. I know most enter trading because they seek riches. Almost all will never make it for this very reason.
The trading community is reading all the wrong books. How many traders have read The Talent Code, Enhancing Trader Performance, Drive, Talent is Overrated, Malcolm Gladwell, The Black Swan, Learned Optimism, Ayn Rand? Money, money, money is too often a trader’s goal. How foolish. How limiting.
Yesterday a new trader saw I had had a very profitable day. He asked,”How was your day?”
I sighed and said, “Ahhh.”
The new trader responded, “Seems like that was one of your better days.”
I returned, “Why do you say that?”
“Because you made a lot of money. How did you do it?”
I retorted, “I am just trying to get better.” I had to go an journal some more and consider whether it really was a good day for me.
You see a good day for me is one where I get better. Did I learn something about myself and the market? My journey everyday is to learn, to improve, to do more of what I do best. I am trying to master this craft called trading. I understand that I will never get there. And I accept this. But I will keep reaching for that elusive goal of mastery.
Why do you trade? If it is not to master your trading, you will never reach your potential. And you will have a very unhealthy, short lived, unsatisfying trading career.
Your life is what you do and not how much you make. I am just trying to get better.
11 Comments on “I Am Just Trying to Get Better”
Mike, you nailed it. Great!
Cheers,
Markus
Mike, you nailed it. Great!
Cheers,
Markus
Bella, lovely post. Greatly appreciated. Bryan
Bella, lovely post. Greatly appreciated. Bryan
Great points. I want to offer my experience regarding trying to get better. I read all those books, I video record every trading day, I spend time looking at charts at night. I found over a year that its pretty much meaniningless unless you get critical feedback. I just kept doing the wrong crap over and over.
It took me a whole year to know what reading the tape is really about.
It took me a year to figure out how the HFT’s in GS and AAPL gyrate.
It should have taken me much less time.
Find a way to get critical feedback or you’re going to get smoked and wonder why your hard work isn’t paying off.
Great points. I want to offer my experience regarding trying to get better. I read all those books, I video record every trading day, I spend time looking at charts at night. I found over a year that its pretty much meaniningless unless you get critical feedback. I just kept doing the wrong crap over and over.
It took me a whole year to know what reading the tape is really about.
It took me a year to figure out how the HFT’s in GS and AAPL gyrate.
It should have taken me much less time.
Find a way to get critical feedback or you’re going to get smoked and wonder why your hard work isn’t paying off.
Bella,
Loved your post. Haven’t been here in a while…but will be checking in more frequently.
Wishing you all the very best,
Lavonne
Bella,
Loved your post. Haven’t been here in a while…but will be checking in more frequently.
Wishing you all the very best,
Lavonne
Cmon bella:
We know that you are not “just trying to get better”, you want to be the greatest day trader ever born, king of the daytrading jungle, no? =)
Tapetrader
Cmon bella:
We know that you are not “just trying to get better”, you want to be the greatest day trader ever born, king of the daytrading jungle, no? =)
Tapetrader
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