worst state of mind for trading?

For me the worst state of mind for trading is anger. You cannot trade effectively if you are mad. My worst days have come from starting the morning off with a stupid move and then compounding it by trading while still mad. If you know you are angry you absolutely must stop trading until you are certain you are over it.

 

Caring about what exactly?

 

Happiness - wild, soaring happiness high. A big winning trade that brings so much joy into my heart that the mind scatters in euphoria and I lose control of the trading vehicle.

 

turn on your PM so I can send you the link.

 

About my P/L. I had basically given up and started something else to earn a living, but from time to time I just took a few obvious signals and made a few bucks, and after a month or so I realized I was averaging about a point per share a day.

 

Point per share a day? Do you mean a point per contract?

Ah heck. I don't care. Who cares anyway. Apathy is the way to
go. Who started this thread anyway? Ah, I don't care...

 

I had the worst state of mind for trading this AM. Didn't get any sleep the previous nite, so my decisions were made with a mix of adrenaline and caffeine.

What's amazing is the fact that I was too groggy to really focus on what in the hell I was doing, immediately plopping down a 6% loss at the open, never to look back again.. Ended the day down 9%, where the one rule (the ~8% stop rule) I had kept me from losing more.


Off to rest, eat a ton, sleep a ton and learn from a bad mistake


-cj

 

Yeah, I’m with cwjcntr and lobster on this one.

Worst state – not being well rested, hungry, under the influence of anything from caffeine to heroine, or just having anything going on that keeps you from naturally being 100%.

Best state – Apathetic – just follow your strategy / trading style and don’t let the $$$$ get to you. When emotional starts to get to you is when things start falling apart.

To adapt Julia Robert’s “When I'm with a guy, I'm like a robot, I just do it." line from Pretty Woman, a trader’s should be “When I’m in the market…”

 

love that Julia Roberts quote. good one


(I'm gonna steal it)
lol

seriously

 

for me, it's any time i get taken out of flow..sometimes it's because i become very conscious of myself, my p&l, my emotions etc...

the worst is when i can't even get into flow, which usually happens when i don't get enough rest, exercise or when personal problems start intruding on my trading.