Amateur & Professional

The true mark of an amateur trader who is never going to make it in this business is one who continually blames everything but his or herself for the outcome of a bad trade. This includes, but is not limited to, saying things like:
1. The analysts are crooks.
2. The market makers were fishing for stops.
3. I was on the phone and it collapsed on me.
4. My neighbor gave me a bad tip.
5. The message boards caused this one to pump and dump.
6. The specialists are playing games.
The mark of a professional, however, sounds like this: 

•It is my fault. I traded this position too large for my account size.
•It is my fault. I didn’t stick to my own risk parameters.
•It is my fault. I allowed my emotions to dictate my trades.
•It is my fault. I was not disciplined in my trades.
•It is my fault. I knew there was a risk in holding this trade into earnings, and I didn’t fully comprehend them when I took this trade.
The obvious difference here is accountability. For amateurs, everything having to do with the market is “outside their control.” That is not reasonable thinking, and really just points to an individual who has, probably for the first time, had to confront their “real self” as opposed to the perfect self or idealized self they have constructed in their mind. This is also known as “living in a fog.” A person can drift around through life in their own private world, where they are pretty special and can do no wrong. Unfortunately, trading rips off this mask, because you cannot dispute what has happened to your account. This is also known as “confronting reality.” For many people, when they start trading they are suddenly confronting reality for the first time in their lives. Just to see the world as it really is requires a lifetime of training, and for many people trading the stock market is their first real step in this journey. Some people say that traders are born, not made. Not so. If you choose to see the world as it is, then you can start trading successfully tomorrow.