Trading is not EASY for anybody... and it takes considerable time before you "get your mind around" the proper concepts while eliminating the garbage which interferes. But to succeed you need simple concepts you can understand, recognize and have enough confidence to play. There are lots of issues regarding... 1. Trying to make "big money fast" with over leverage 2. Unlucky(?) bad streak or getting hit with a big loss on surprise news when you're loaded... (I also use the handle "HoseB"... I have a trader friend and we once compared longest string of losing trades.... his was 13, so he became HoseA... mine was 9, so I became HoseB) 3. Just plain mistakes 4. Trying to trade conservatively enough to survive the occasional bullets yet making a satisfactory return.... all the while wanting to "make big money fast"... but that requires the big risk of high leverage. What's a trader to do? Even when you're settled upon a "simple system", there's still plenty to occupy the mind.
Most traders here on Et are concerned about commissions and software they are using, , posting their dayly P/L gains 50 dollars here and there, after reading numerous books they think they're traders. Daytading is losing proposition, you need to ride your positions to make it worthwhile.
Learning the craft of trading is like learning how to drive a car. BTW this thread illustrates how ET have changed since this thread started. Most of the participants are gone from posting, although I wold bet my right hand, not from trading.
I'm not a noob trader but i believe part of the difficulty for noobs is they 'believe' in stocks, believe in direction etc. After many trading hurts, one becomes a bit more cynical, disbelieving, cunning and distrustful of market moves and psychologically one can find it much easier to cut losses short.
You described well some aspects. Another possible one is the awareness that anyone need to mature his own awareness in this thing. If one showed the way (or "his" way) to people that are not "ready" to "see it", simply they wouldn't see it. Actually they would probably mock and ridiculize him from the heights of their presumptuous wisdom. When a limited mind grabs many things and technical notions, it is often fooled in believing it knows a lot. Simply because unaware of its unlimitedness. It's an individual journey that anyone must do "his way", clearly interacting and comparing to others, but must grow inside and not be over imposed. ____________________ Tom My <a href="http://www.datatime.eu/public/gbot/2009_11_03_Tue_Wed_Overnight/default.htm" target="_blank">futures autotrading</a> journal
"The market takes on whatever structure we give it." It doesn't get any better than this. You create your own reality. No exceptions period.