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Divorce Ego from the trade

Divorce
The most important change will only occur when you will learn to DIVORCE  EGO FROM THE TRADE. Trading is a psychological game. Most people think that they’re playing against the market, but the market doesn’t care. You’re really playing against yourself. You have to stop trying to will things to happen in order to prove that you’re right. Listen only to what the market is telling you now. Forget what you thought it was telling you five minutes ago. The sole objective of trading is not to prove you’re right, but to hear the cash register ring.

Great quote by Marty Schwartz which sums up where so many people go wrong in trading.

“Most people think that they’re playing against the market, but the market doesn’t care. You’re really playing against yourself”. – Marty Schwartz.
 
The full quote is was from the following paragraph from Schwartz’z book – ‘The Pit Bull’s Guide To Successful Trading’. Schwartz himself was one of the original interviewees in the original ‘Market Wizards’ book.
 
– I’ve said it before, and I’m going to say it again, because it cannot be overemphasized: the most important change in my trading career occurred when I learned to divorce my ego from the trade. Trading is a psychological game. Most people think that they’re playing against the market, but the market doesn’t care. You’re really playing against yourself. You have to stop trying to will things to happen in order to prove that you’re right. Listen only to what the market is telling you now. Forget what you thought it was telling you five minutes ago. The sole objective of trading is not to prove you’re right, but to hear the cash register ring. (more…)

Lessons from Martin Schwartz

To succeed in trading one must learn from the best, so it is wise to consider the advice of Martin Schwartz.
I highly recommend you read his book Pit Bull – Lessons from Wall Street’s Champion Trader.
“I took $40,000 and ran it up to about $20 million with never more than a 3 percent drawdown.” (Month-end data)

“By living the philosophy that my winners are always in front of me, it is not so painful to take a loss. If I make a mistake, so what!”
My trading style was to take a lot of small profits rather than go for one big one.
“After a devastating loss, I always play very small and try to get black ink, black ink. It’s not how much money I make, but just getting my rhythm and confidence back.”
“The market does not know if you are long or short and could not care less. You are the only one emotionally involved with your position. The market is just reacting to supply and demand and if you are cheering it one way, there is always somebody else cheering it just as hard that it will go the other way.” (more…)

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