Perhaps you should just let it all go. Give it a break. It sounds like financially you are fine. I believe we create our own reality with our thoughts, if this is true than to change our reality we have to change our thoughts. The easy part is figuring out what to do the hard part is doing it, it takes constant monitoring of thoughts and adjustments' when neccesary to achieve our desired goal. How to create the desire for change? Thats the question. One way to get a feel for what is important to you is to release whatever you are struggling with. In other words give yourself permission, freedom whatever you want to call it, to basically forget about whatever it is you are trying to change. For example, say you want to start eating better, assuming this is something that you have wanted to change for awhile play devil's advocate. Question why is it important to eat better, will you die next week, will the world stop functioning? Just give it some space and take notice of your thoughts. Speaking of which my thoughts are telling me I am tired and need to go to bed. next time, Bruce
Cutten, Maybe change over to only trading fx. Perhaps your missing a challenge that pushes you to the limit (as fx does), and your creative adjustment to such a challenge is missing. Probably you know too much in the field your in now (=boredom), and you need to rediscover those early days when you first started trading (although now you are doing it from a loftier perspective). If you get it right and you find top form (and you compound) - you will be on the Forbes list a year or two from now. Surely enough to motivate you, right? Otherwise, don the saffron robes and go and meditate under a tree for a while.
I am working on my trading issue, in three ways. I have someone who I chat with during the day and they have me post check lists regularly and what I'm looking to trade and gives me feedback if it seems I am getting off my game. Then, I am back to meditating and doing a simple exercise routine. Mostly, I need to stay focused on finding really nice stocks to trade and wait for decent market conditions. At some point I find if I focus too much on my mentality and performance, it's really counterproductive.
A trading demon is a part of our subconscious mind that tells us it's not totally convinced our trading set ups are as strong as we want to believe they are. I think it's our minds way of warning us it knows that at least part of the key is missing. Peace comes when we discover how to sharpen our skills until our trading demon is convinced. If those skills are not sharp enough then we have to find ways to shut the demon up - I don't think that's the best idea.
2001 - 2002 = -12k daytrading, -3k gross...scalping 2002 - 2003 = -70k daily time frame, averaged down size into a big loser. what an idiot...no method...the worse I have ever felt about myself. But I did take something away from this year. haven't added to a loser since...not once single time. 2004 - 2005 = -5k buying options, attempted daytrading futs, actually made money in common stocks that year. But only 250.00. Was all over the board, day trading, swing trading...no method 2005 - 2006 = +500.00 swing trading daily charts, only traded about 30 times all year 2006 - 2007 = down 1k so far swing trading, triple volume from last year. 930.00 are commissions. I have stopped for the year. Just have open position that are profitable so I may squeak this one out green. After 04-05 I realized I needed to stop the bleeding if I were to make it over the long term. My previous mindest was get rich quick..we know how that one ends. Trading is starting to click for me. But I had no idea it would take this long. Maybe i`m hard headed. Is 5 years a long time to lose money? Maybe, maybe not. One thing I know for sure. Short time frames and me do not mesh. I have a plan for 2007 and it involves less trading, bigger swings.
Tony Robbins, the dude with the extremely large chin. I never met the man, but I did have some one on ones with his east coast partner. Bob used to coach many athletes as well. I must admit, I did pick up a few things that helped. Of course along the path to overcoming our demons, we use whatever helps if it helps. Shit, I'd howl at the moon butt naked if it improves my trading. One concept Bob spoke about was NLP - Neuro Linguistic Programming I think. The phrase is a too pschyo-babble for me, but I liked the concept and it has helped. It boils down to re-programming ourselves. "F-disk" for you mr. softee geeks. Reformat and start over. That's a good transition to the next concept. "Whatever it takes." I'm not sure if this is a Robbins phrase or some other but anyway, it means the subject must be willing to whatever it takes in order to overcome their demons. No matter how hard, silly, illogical and so on. Bottom line is the trader must see that the rewards of overcoming their demons is well worth the initial uncomfort of behavior modification. It's like a strung out junkie going through withdrawl. It hurts like hell at first, but it gets easier as the body and mind start to reap the benefits of taming your demons. Translation: You'll be happier because your trading will improve. In the end, we pick up info along the paths we have chosen. I'm always open to new ideas and especially old ones.
i'll adress the elephant in the room here for many people, they will either lose by a thousand cuts with stops, or by one fell swoop of a wrong unstopped trade and THAT'S the demon they cant face that they will lose either way, whether they use stops or not and that's why they cant stick with them the denial of this fact, is the demon many here cant face much of the 'wisdom' on this site is just a circle jerk of denial