Today I got a letter in my forum's mail box. Here it is: "Hello, I´ve just read all your posts since you´ve joined this site. I´m 28 years old, been trying to trade for 7 years now and, as one would expect, as practically everybody in this website, I´m not profitable. However, in the middle of this ocean of messages from people who clearly do not have a clue of what they´re talking about, I found your posts and I can just tell that you´re a profitable trader. Everything you say is exactly what I´ve always thought and I could really relate to what you said, especially the parts of people always trying to blame others for their misery. I´m brazilian and we had a famous singer called Raul Seixas(he died a while back) and one of his many songs which talks of this subject says this: "It´s always easier to think that the blame is the other´s... Convinces the walls in the bedroom and sleeps peacefully, knowing deep in his heart that it wasn´t nothing like that..." In this seven years, I´ve never posted a single post in one forum of any site until today when I asked one member about one post that she wrote... Never did before because I never thought it would do me any good, but despair kicked in today for some reason and I gave in. Luckily, in the same day I found your posts and got back to my "normal". I know that this doesn´t affect you in any way, you couldn´t care less, but I just wanted to tell you that I really understand what you´re saying and the way you think, even though you´re profitable and I´m not. " While writing back I figured that my reply may be of interest to many others on this forum, those who still trying.... so I decide to make it an open letter. Actually most of the content of my reply was written by me while back (but nothing changed really, "since human nature does not change") on some Russian forum, so I translated it from Russian to English as best as I could: Regardless how many times do I have conversations with people who try to make it this business, I always see how as a red thread going through their questions, in their words, (not felt, probably hidden from themselves), is not so much a desire to get some information, but somehow get a proof that success is possible, that they can make it happen, that because someone did it (as it seems to them) they will be able too..., they looking for some external push, confirmation that will allow them to continue ... It seems that without feeling the soil under their feet (and all of us are in the middle of the ocean), people want to push themselves up, forward from some else's experience of life, and if not to live it namely again, but in some figurative sense, trying to convince and inspire themselves from examples of others, that confirm that it is possible to survive and prosper in the open ocean, that there are ways, may be incognizant but there are there ... that they have a chance ... that they can do it! This principle is a natural and understandable thing. People from an early age follow in the footsteps of others, drawing on the knowledge, achievements, experience of parents, teachers, other generations, building on what has been done before them. In trading situation is slightly different. Despite the fact that you going somewhere where many people went before you, but nobody passes the experience (and so few came back), the knowledge is not disclosed, and although there are some ideas, formulas, principles and developments, still so many things have to be solved, understood, and realized only by wannabe trader himself. In many ways, you have to be a pioneer here. The pioneers have a different soul ... They usually are not extroverts, they are not looking for inspiration in the surrounding them world (and truly it is nowhere to be found ) , not looking for inspiration in deeds and words of others. Instead they are introverts - their inspiration is from within, from their inner conviction, from the faith in themselves, their abilities (real or imagined), from their overwhelming desire, vision, the fire, the spirit, from the feelings and faith unknown to the majority of people. Trailblazers, their aspirations often are a challenge to all humanity, as if to say to all: "I will do and archive what others have failed!" And they manifest themselves as such...., often publicly ! Therefore for the pioneer-introvert, regardless of who he is: climber, scientist, astronaut, trader, basically irrelevant if others reached the place where he is going, how they did it, what it took, why, when..... and what is written on stone at the fork of the road, that bequeathed to him ... they do not care! Trailblazers - they are usually loners (and trading is a loner's enterprise) and if they go in a group, they are without a doubt group's leaders. It is their inner fire and belief in themselves that push not only themselves but others around them forward in difficult situations, whether it is Columbus, Shackleton, Scott, Magellan, Cook ... Pioneers usually are individualists, people admire them but rarely love them, because all their life, all their aspirations, their whole indomitable spirit - is not just a challenge to masses, but a reproach to dullness, reproach to bleak existence. On the other hand among the pioneers usually succeed those who are having a heart falcon also have a nature of the snake. ( http://people.brandeis.edu/~jannakap/writings_falcon.html ) But...It is not enough to be Icarus and fly once... It is important not to burn the wings ! It is important to survive and live up to the dawn! Smartness, practicality, prudence and experience of the snake come only with age and experience (if they are not natural), so young Icaruses often burn their wings and soul .... very often they fall never to rise again. Nature of the snake makes you to go through the experience of others if and where it is available, to critically evaluate it, pick from it what is useful, to take from it what you can, ...but do not dwell on it for too long,... hence the spirit of falcon will push you to soar upwards. But do not aspire to the top, to the sun, instead fly in circles, gently spiral up without burning wings and trying himself again and again, almost like the Livingston's seagull, and down again to sit on the rocks, and up again for the new attempts, inspired by the spirit of falcon and critically evaluating yourself with a wisdom of the snake. This is certainly a very rare combination that requires not only a conjunction of congenital opposite qualities, but also the opportunities in life. But as they say in America: " If there is a will - there is a way !"