From Flailing to Focused
A Journey in Trading
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Three Pillars in Tradiing
There are, I believe, three pillars to trading
1 – A profitable edge
2 – Solid discipline
3 – Excellent risk management
Without all three the fire doesn’t burn…
Eyes on the Prize
The job of an experienced trader is usually to keep the edge pillar firm.
Look for new edge and press what you have until it doesn’t work anymore.
For a developing trader, it’s often a different story… Discipline might not be on point, risk management not as tight as it could be, and edge? Well, you’re not sure if the strategy to trade is even profitable.
Confusing and sometimes disheartening.
Without question the number one thing I see developing traders do wrong is try and fix everything. I’m serious. Sometimes members come and join Traders Mastermind they smile and nod when I say “focus on one thing” but they don’t, and they often disappear.
Another one bites the dust as they say.
But when a trader takes that advice on board and really works on one thing at a time, week after week, month after month, all of a sudden they’ll jump on the Zoom calls saying:
“First 10k month here, or second funded account withdrawal”
I smile and ask them how they did it.
“Working on one thing at a time, I figured out my biggest weakness and worked on that first”
YES YES YES – this man gets it! No special setups, no tricks or hacks, just focused work on ONE thing.
If it’s discipline – fix that.
Strategy – fix that.
Go deep, go granular, and be relentless. Today think to yourself:
“Whilst everyone else is flailing around like a headless chicken chasing a short-term win, my eyes are locked on the prize. I’ve identified where my focus is going and I’m not moving for anyone or anything”
Life is often a game of sacrificing short-term pleasures for long-term gains. Trading is no different.
The trader who makes a thousand bucks today with poor discipline and luck, might feel good now. But that’s doing nothing to develop his trading skills that will be with him for life.