You just dont turn it off <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/71vqGyWTs3c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It does..., if you find something you love..., and focus on it..., when not trading It canât help but to turn off (we can only think of one thing at a time) ==================================================================================== I canât stress this enoughâ¦. It is a choice â what we focus onâ and what we allow to control us Stated another way It is not what happens to usâ¦, that matters⦠It is how we respond to it Regards Sir RN eta - if you can blow off a losing trade..., and simply move on to the next one.... Then why can't you leave trading behind, when you not trading, and move on to the next whatever.. It is the same skill - No??? food for thought
Trading is very brutal.. many traders have taken their own lives. <embed allowfullscreen="false" allowscriptaccess="never" wmode="transparent" src="http://www.babelgum.com/embed/5003510" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="415" width="480" flashvars=""></embed> <div style="font-size:0.9em;"> <a href="http://vodpod.com/watch/3754742-floored-the-movie-episode-4">FLOORED: The Movie. Episode 4 </a> - Watch more <a href="http://vodpod.com">Videos</a> at Vodpod.</div>
I got back into playing tennis in my 40s. I was playing a regional tournament in naples florida. 5.0 level on clay. (i was a hard court player when I was younger.) Most of the guys playing had been former college players by that stage or very fit guys who don't work. I watched them fall all over themselves choking away to me. Now, RM is right... as you get older it means much less. but I think there was another factor at work. Trading turned me into a terminator. I am not sure pressure ever even restricted my backswing or follow through. I can tell you, that when I was a younger tennis player I choked. And it really bothered me as I had car pool friends who made it to the top of the game. Trading changed me.... for the better.
Let's have this discussion again in 10 years, assuming you are still around and profitable. I'll be very curious to see if your perspective has changed. Frankly you sound like someone who hasn't hit the wall yet and are full of bluster and bullshit. Someone who has been "there" doesn't walk around like some sort of macho asshole on this topic unless they are afraid of looking weak by discussing such things in an open forum. Being insecure about what other people think of you is a weakness and it will make you easily manipulated and less likely to collaborate for the better with other people in your same situation. There is of course the distinct possibility you are a sociopath, which in that case I don't really have anything to say as our interaction is truly pointless.
Wow I can definitely relate to you OP. Like you I am in my late twenties. I got into trading and wanted it SO BAD. When the drawdowns came, I knew it was due to my rational thinking being distorted by emotional sweeps. I would get sucked into the noise. I was intensely focused on my P&L. I ripped my mind apart harnessing these emotions. A lot of people come into trading with alternative pursuits. Not me, I knew from the moment I discovered it that this was for me. I immediately felt the 'game.' The crowd psychology. I am an anthro major, it was completely fascinating. My market analysis was great, but my emotions owned my decision making. I would be right the majority of the time, but I was unable to manage trades well as my emotions took over upon entering. Now when I trade, I am beyond all that, I tend to laugh a lot now while I trade. The stress is definitely down, things are much more calm. However, I completely identity with you. My social life has dipped substantially. I feel very little. I can socialize, but I have no desire to. I don't get sad or happy. My sense of humor got hit pretty hard. I feel like this analytical machine. When I'm away from the markets, I never really disconnect. The analysis keeps grinding away, the self control continues. I suppose I believe that if I slip, I will go backwards. I still feel myself in there, but I am constantly harnessing my emotions. My emotional control continues after trading hours. haha Though, whatever, my emotions never did anything for me, they held me back my whole life. I am still relatively young in my trading career, I have more money to make. That sense of success and freedom will bring my emotions back to me. Until I have that freedom, I am willing to sacrifice the human in me. Unlike you, I have not been trading for 10 years. I have this belief that once my account is big enough, and I get that 'all-clear' sensation, my soul will rejuvenate, and I can re-emerge into the world. I can take vacations, take time to myself, go out, spend some money, hang out with friends, whatever. Right now, I feel that is all second to my priority: achieving my goal. Though, after reading your story, perhaps it won't be so easy to get back to normal. Shoot me an e-mail if you want, I'd like to hear more about what you've done to yourself ksmetana@alumni.uci.edu
That'll put me 20+ years trading - Looking forward to it.. I agree, I am insecure, and I've hit walls - it is why I use stops - without fail In the mean time enjoy being a victim - I simply choose not to be.... Some like to wallow, and seek solace it their plight Didn't expect you'd get it anyway - so don't sweat it eta; I'll ask you the same question; If you can blow off a loss and move on... Then why can't you put trading in its proper place..., and enjoy the rest of your life - when not trading Letting go..., is letting go - No?? RN