When inventing your own trading system or strategy as I prefere to call it, you are constantly asking questions. In a sense, you enter into a passive relationship to the market where it is telling you about itself – thats the big change in mindset from being a newbie. When you are a newbie you want the market to do what you want (i.e. “my system says it should go up, so GO UP!”). At the same time as demanding, you are hoping – your WILL is involved.

When you enter this frame of mind I’m talking about, you have no more demands of this nature, but rather are trying to get ‘in step’ with what the market is and how it behaves – you subordinate your will to the will of the market; it speaks to you if you shut up and listen. For instance, the market suddenly turns on a dime and you give back all your profits. The market has spoken to you and said “sometimes I have unexpected price shocks and it looks like this”.
Instead of cursing this event a question suddenly arises in your mind such as “Hmmm….. I need to think of a way to deal with price shocks.” You ponder this like a puzzle – you try some things, and think about it. This is the process of invention.

Believe me, when at the end of this you have a way to deal with, for instance, sudden turns in price action you will NOT struggle to force yourself to stick to the “rule” – this rule is not imposed on you from outside, you created it. The process was also interesting, challenging and enjoyable; you are a creative trader who is genuinely interested in the subject.