An important part of your “mental game of trading” is the art of not caring. For a lot of traders, the harder they try the worse their results. The reason is because trading goes against what comes natural for most people. As children, we’re taught to run away from things that cause fear. In trading, however, traders have to act boldly in the face of the unknown.
When you get in a trade, consider saying something like, “I entered this trade based on the rules of my strategy, and I know losing is a part of trading so I won’t worry about the outcome”. The more someone tries to trade, the harder it becomes.
Trading should get to the point where it’s boring. The absolute worst thing someone can do is cheer on their trade or “hope” for it to hit their target. When that happens, the trader is no longer thinking objectivly and can miss important information being given to them by the market. You have to be able to change your opinion in a fraction of a second and not let it have any affect on your ego.
So the next time you’re in a trade and you feel your blood pressure rise and your hands start to shake, just sit back and relax. Take comfort in the fact that you’re following a strategy that you’ve tested and practiced trading.
Posted in Thoughts, Trading | 
2 Comments »
Chris,
good posting. Exactly the kind of attitude required to be a successful trader. Something to keep in mind is that this journey is a marathon. Goes to show there are several good reasons to strive to be emotionally detached when it comes to trading.
All the best from Germany,
Olivier
I agree… trading is so counter-intuitive to basic human behavior (for most people). If only we could switch off our emotions completely and become robots during our trading sessions! LOL
Take care Olivier,
Chris Dunn