good question... I do have the answers... I did catch 1 super cycle by luck.. dropped $20k somewhere about 20 years ago today it's worth $1m. but the US equities... maybe 10% luck, 90% skill... catch 1 super cycle yes, but the amount of input/output is far greater than 1... on daily/weekly basis you need to think - - what narratives are my boys pushing? and why? - previous earning cycles they always pushed negatives before the release, this time why positives? do I need to do anything about it? - what is the overall economical/monetary background? - why are they not advertising the obvious (hence the thread - 'are we gonna run out of shares') - what is the ownership picture? how much participation is there from the dumb money? this affects if my boys are gonna keep pushing up, or they will need to shake the tree - and what do you do accordingly? 'Be the ocean' is not something that you can force yourself to believe... it has to be deep rooted from doing years of mental acrobat like above, and you gradually get the confirmation - yes, you are on the same page with the pro guys, you have now become one of them, and they are now working the price for you. and by the way - mental flexibility is the key, not only in trading, but in life in general, or in the pursuit of wealth.... keep digging in a dry well - 'I am gonna trading only this and that, in this time frame'... that is low-intelligence thinking. step back - what is the big background right now? companies are desperate for talent... for the amount of time wasted by ETers here, many could have gotten training and be making good income... SP is still undervalued by a double.. you should know what to do.
Trading is like surfing. You assess the conditions and choose whether you're in or out. You assess the waves and choose. Some turn into nothing. Others crush you. Others are a good ride, some not long and others seem to go on forever. You're not fighting the other surfers unless you choose that situation. The difference between you and them, good or bad, is natural ability, training, practice and focus. Learn what you can from them, don't waste time blaming them ... focus on you.
Trading is like going to a battlefield. Those carry a rifle or pistol would not come out alive. Only the ones with machine guns and grenades can survive. Have enough arsenal in your trading strategy, and spread the risk with a machine gun. Don't try to hit the bullseye with a rifle. The market is moving fast. In other words, stop being analytical. Act like a warrior.
Trading is like an hourglass, you are either at the top with high hopes losing sand or thankfully on the well rounded ground receiving the sand to be stock piled elsewhere. Stay sharp, focused, and passionate, there are some days you have to add to the sand on the top, but confident it will be added to the stockpile. You learn the skills required of risk management, which trades to not take, keep working at lowering drawdowns and risk percentages based on volatility and times of the day, and there is some luck as I believe to milk huge a trend and not take counter trend signals.
Trading is like a love relationship. You either have soul ties, or you and your partner are simply broken together. If you do not match you can't force it, and if you do you'll soon break up. If your bond is weak, you'll find a snatcher. In trading, if you don't have a strong relationship with your forex account in order to manage your risks well, you'll remain broke.
Trading is just trading. I can't find anything to compare it with anything. It is either you know it or you dont. The unfortunate reality is that more people fail and very few win. This is because more people try to compare forex to other thingslike casinos, luck and whatever gambling that comes to their minds. This is a wrong mentality