It is interesting how everyone seems to equate having discipline with losing less money, i.e. following stops and not overtrading. I think those problems are the easy ones and if you're struggling with either one you're still very much an amatuer who will eventually blow-up. Following stops and not overtrading are the MANDITORY requirments for profitable trading. Everyday and for every trade those two habits need be adhered to. The hardest and most important discipline issue, by far, is the ability to ride a winner to its full potential. How does one enforce staying in a good trade? Well... what works for me will not work for you and vice versa. This is were the art in trading comes into play and its unique to everyone.
Until you can master this element of your psychology, you will find yourself looking for more money to refund your account over and over again. The reality is that you will either adapt or become extinct.
Agreed. I am trying to find some type of permanent end to this destructive pattern, besides the option of quiting altogether. When I follow my rules I am profitable. I believe that it is possible to follow rules and that is why I continue.
Are you trading a mechanical system? If so, you may find it helpful to reference charts only when you need to enter or exit. For control freaks (I am in that group) who feel the need to manage every trade, even though it does not need managing, it is often very difficult to watch price action without feeling the need to be involved. I know how hard that can be. I fight it everyday. So remove the temptation if possible, and when possible. Set your stops, then leave the computer, leave the room, or minimize the charts.
The Mark Douglas book is definitely worth having in your library, but I'm going to recommend another. It's been around a long time and it is still as relevant today as it was when first published. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz. You do the research, but this book will provide you with the tools to change your core psychology.