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The “secret” ingredients

To be successful in the markets you need to know:

– what to buy (equity selection);

– When to buy it and when to pass on it (risk management);

– When to exit (time management).

The most essential part of equity selection is finding/creating a trading system with positive expectancy. Look for the catalyst/catalysts than has/have the potential to start a big move in the desired direction. There are two catalysts I focus on – earnings related and sector related. I pay attention to price, because it measures the only factor than really moves markets – confidence. It always says more than any other source of information. Reaction to news is more important to news itself.

Risk management has two basic elements: defining risk/reward ratio for every position I consider to get involved in and position sizing (how much to buy, what % of capital to put on risk).

Time management involves taking into account the opportunity cost. How long to stay in a position?

The Secret To Success

Never forget: This very moment, we can change our lives. There never was a moment, and never will be, when we are without the power to alter our destiny. – Steven Pressfield

One of the greatest powers of Resistance and procrastination is that they compound themselves over years and decades. They can build to the point where they make you feel as if you have no control over your own destiny. They make it easier to just give up and be normal.

Pressfield reminds us that we are always in possession of the power to change the course of our lives. At any single moment of our lives, we are capable of completely altering the way things are going. 

After years of allowing the Resistance to hold us back in our trading, the chances of ever achieving trading success might seem bleak. It is important to keep in mind that we always possess the power to change that. We can beat the Resistance and procrastination through diligent and consistent work.

That is the one and only secret to trading success. It is also the one and only secret to success in just about any other field you might want to pursue.

The Success Indicator

2012 – I barely knew you.  Another year has passed and another one is ahead.  This is the single best of time year when you can begin to think about all the things you want to improve or achieve in the upcoming year.  Time management and goal achievement is all about planning.  If you’re not thinking ahead you’re falling behind.

Anyhow, I really liked this image I saw on Facebook about the difference between the way successful people view the world and the way unsuccessful people view the world. Obviously, there is no single indicator that is going lead to success and there’s certainly no holy grail to success, but I think this provides some pretty good general guidelines.  A lot of these are things I need to do some serious work on.  I hope you find it helpful and thought provoking as you plan the new year:

Successful people:
Compliment others
Forgive others
Accept responsibility for their failures
Keep a journal
Want others to succeed
Keep a “to be” list
Set goals and develop life plans
Continuously learn
Operate from a transformational perspective
Have a sense of gratitude
Give other people credit for their victories
Read every day
Talk about ideas
Share info and data
Exude joy
Embrace change
Keep a “to do” list. (more…)

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