Stark Divide for the Mentality Between Success and Failure
Archives of “mentality” tag
rssBeliefs of Winning Traders
Winners share certain behaviors and beliefs. Check to see if you possess the traits and beliefs of winning traders
1. My trading objectives are perfectly clear, and I truly believe I will achieve these goals. If you have the belief that you will win, you increase your chances of trading to win. In order to have this level of conviction, you must have a thoroughly-tested plan. You also must have a clear vision of how you will proceed with your plan to reach your goal. The more detailed you can visualize your goals being achieved, the more you will strengthen your internal belief and confidence that you will reach your goals.
2. I have created a plan to achieve my trading goals. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “I didn’t plan to fail; I failed to plan.” Without a plan, your results will tend to be mixed and uninspiring. Commit to writing down your trading plan, and make sure you can answer the questions found in a recent TrendWatch on creating your trading plan.
3. I prepare my plan before the trading day starts. If you don’t have a plan of action once the trading bell rings, you are moving from the proactive mentality into a reactive approach. I contend that the more reactive you become, the more you will get in late to market moves and dramatically diminish your reward-to-risk ratio. I prepare after the close for the next day’s trading, seeking to stay proactive and a step ahead of the rest of the crowd.
4. I regularly monitor my trading results to measure my progress toward my goals. Trading results tend to follow a zig-zag approach similar to how a plane is guided to its destination. At periodic steps along the way, if a pilot is off course, they will set a new course towards the target. This is called course correction. Once you have defined your trading target, your periodic evaluation should lead you to assess what is taking you off course and encourage you to make the necessary corrections to get you back on target. (more…)
Risk Management For Traders
One of Sun Tzu’s most famous quotes is: “Every battle is won before it is fought.” The phrase implies that it is planning and strategy that wins wars and not the battles themselves. Similarly, successful traders commonly quote the phrase: “Plan the trade and trade the plan.” Just like in war, planning ahead can often mean the difference between success and failure.
Stop-loss (S/L) and take-profit (T/P) points represent two key ways in which traders can plan ahead when trading. Successful traders know what price they are willing to pay and at what price they are willing to sell, and they measure the resulting returns against the probability of the stock hitting their goals. If the adjusted return is high enough, then they execute the trade.
Conversely, unsuccessful traders often enter a trade without having any idea of at what points they will sell at a profit or a loss. Like gamblers on a lucky or unlucky streak, emotions begin to take over and dictate their trades. Losses often provoke people to hold on and hope to make their money back, while profits often entice traders to imprudently hold on for even more gains.
Take-Profit Points, trading greed, trading fear, trading emotions, financial behavior
A stop-loss point is the price at which a trader will sell a stock and take a loss on the trade. Often times, this happens when a trade does not pan out the way a trader hoped. The points are designed to prevent the “it will come back” mentality and limit losses before they escalate. For example, if a stock breaks below a key support level, traders often sell as soon as possible.
On the other side of the table, a take-profit point is the price at which a trader will sell a stock and take a profit on the trade. Often times, this is when there is limited additional upside given the risks. For example, if a stock is approaching a key resistance level after a large move upwards, traders may want to sell before a period of consolidation takes place. (more…)
Patience
No matter which mask you wore in May, June brings with it new opportunities and new perils. It is difficult sometimes to separate ourselves from the action, always afraid of missing the next great opportunity. But trust me when I say that learning patience is one of the greatest skills a trader can develop. Instead of coming into each trading day with an “I gotta make money” mentality, it would behoove traders to develop a more market-neutral attitude and focus on the process instead of the outcome. To that end, let me share some ideas that have helped me over the years to control the impulsivity that many traders find hard to control.
21 Ways Rich People Think Differently
1. Average people think MONEY is the root of all evil. Rich people believe POVERTY is the root of all evil.
2. Average people think selfishness is a vice. Rich people think selfishness is a virtue.
3. Average people have a lottery mentality. Rich people have an action mentality.
4. Average people think the road to riches is paved with formal education. Rich people believe in acquiring specific knowledge.
5. Average people long for the good old days. Rich people dream of the future.
6. Average people see money through the eyes of emotion. Rich people think about money logically.
7. Average people earn money doing things they don’t love. Rich people follow their passion. (more…)
Checklist for Sucess in Trading
1. My trading objectives are perfectly clear, and I truly believe I will achieve these goals. If you have the belief that you will win, you increase your chances of trading to win. In order to have this level of conviction, you must have a thoroughly-tested plan. You also must have a clear vision of how you will proceed with your plan to reach your goal. The more detailed you can visualize your goals being achieved, the more you will strengthen your internal belief and confidence that you will reach your goals.
2. I have created a plan to achieve my trading goals. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “I didn’t plan to fail; I failed to plan.” Without a plan, your results will tend to be mixed and uninspiring. Commit to writing down your trading plan, and make sure you can answer the questions found in a recent TrendWatch on creating your trading plan.
3. I prepare my plan before the trading day starts. If you don’t have a plan of action once the trading bell rings, you are moving from the proactive mentality into a reactive approach. I contend that the more reactive you become, the more you will get in late to market moves and dramatically diminish your reward-to-risk ratio. I prepare after the close for the next day’s trading, seeking to stay proactive and a step ahead of the rest of the crowd.
4. I regularly monitor my trading results to measure my progress toward my goals. Trading results tend to follow a zig-zag approach similar to how a plane is guided to its destination. At periodic steps along the way, if a pilot is off course, they will set a new course towards the target. This is called course correction. Once you have defined your trading target, your periodic evaluation should lead you to assess what is taking you off course and encourage you to make the necessary corrections to get you back on target.
5. I quickly discard negative emotions that can hurt my trading results. When you lose, you want to learn from the experience, then put it behind you. You cannot afford to dwell on a loss once the trade is complete. You have to have total focus on the new moment and forget about the past, save for the time you allocate to evaluating past trades (which should be done outside market hours).
6. I am focused on the market during the trading day, and not easily distracted by non-market activities during trading hours. This can be a tough one for many traders who have many responsibilities. If this is the case, define the time you will be focused on the market and make arrangements not to be interrupted.
Be Imperfect
As a trader – or an investor – you will not be right all of the time. If you can accept your imperfection, and work within it, you will be much more successful:
If you have a perfectionist mentality when trading, you are setting yourself up for failure, because it is a “given” that you will experience losses along the way. You must begin to think of trading as a game of probability. Your losses ( that you hope will return to breakeven) will kill you. If you cannot take a loss when it is small ( because of the need to be perfect), then you will watch that small loss grow into a larger loss and so on into a vicious cycle of more and more pain for the perfectionist. Trading on hope does not work. The markets can remain irrational for a lot longer than you can remain solvent.
The object should be excellence in trading, not perfection. Moreover, it is essential to strive for excellence over a sustained period, as opposed to judging that each trade must be excellent. This is a marathon…not a sprint.
The greatest traders know how to take cut losses and let winning positions run. Perfectionists often do exactly the opposite. They get in at the wrong time, stay in too long and then get out the wrong time. Perfectionists are always striving and never arriving. The market will find the flaw in a perfectionistic trader and exploit it day after day.
What's the difference between winning traders and losing traders?
Well, first, there are a few similarities. Both are completely consumed by the idea of trading. The winners as well as losers have committed to doing this, and have no intention of ‘going 
back’. This same black-and-white mentality was evident in their personal lives too. But what about the differences? Here’s what Williams observed:
The losing traders have unrealistic expectations about the kind of profits they can make, typically shooting too high. They also debate with themselves before taking a trade, and even dwell on a trade well after it’s closed out. But the one big thing Williams noticed about this group was that they paid little attention to money management (i.e. defense).And the winners? This group has an intense focus on money management, and will voluntarily exit a trade if it’s not moving – even if it’s not losing money at that time! There is also very little internal dialogue about trade selection and trade management; this group just takes action instead of suffering analysis paralysis. Finally, the winning traders focused their attention on a small niche in the market or a few techniques, rather than trying to be able to do everything. Hopefully the second description fits you a little better, but if the first one seems a little too familiar, you now at least know how to start getting past that barrier.
Don’t be a hero. Don’t have an ego
What does it mean to be a hero in trading?
In poker, a “hero call” is sometimes appropriate. It refers to the call of a very large river bet with medium strength — or even Ace-high — based on a strong read that your opponent whiffed on a draw and is representing a huge hand to steal the pot.
In markets and trading, there is no official definition, but we can more or less surmise being a “hero” looks like the following:
Putting your foot down and saying “markets will do X, I’m sure of it!”
Pointing to the sky like Babe Ruth — “this is where my profits on this trade are going to go!” (more…)
What's the difference between winning traders and losing traders?
Well, first, there are a few similarities. Both are completely consumed by the idea of trading. The winners as well as losers have committed to doing this, and have no intention of ‘going back’. This same black-and-white mentality was evident in their personal lives too. But what about the differences? Here’s what Williams observed:
The losing traders have unrealistic expectations about the kind of profits they can make, typically shooting too high. They also debate with themselves before taking a trade, and even dwell on a trade well after it’s closed out. But the one big thing Williams noticed about this group was that they paid little attention to money management (i.e. defense).And the winners? This group has an intense focus on money management, and will voluntarily exit a trade if it’s not moving – even if it’s not losing money at that time! There is also very little internal dialogue about trade selection and trade management; this group just takes action instead of suffering analysis paralysis. Finally, the winning traders focused their attention on a small niche in the market or a few techniques, rather than trying to be able to do everything. Hopefully the second description fits you a little better, but if the first one seems a little too familiar, you now at least know how to start getting past that barrier.