Well maybe that's overstating it a little, but it's certainly one of the most important.
It is?(drum roll please)? "the need to be right"!
Now that probably wasn't what you were expecting. You might have thought it was going to be something like not picking the trend or putting too much money on a single trade or one of a dozen other things.
But I can assure you, from bitter experience, that this one attitude causes more problems than most other things you might do as a trader. And it's worse for men! Something to do with ego or testosterone?
You see our whole society is based on the importance of being right. The need to be right.
Your parents rewarded you when you are right and told you off when you were "wrong". They probably still do this now that you are grown up!
From your earliest days at school you are taught that being right is the most important thing. Isn't that what tests teach you? And this is reinforced through the rest of your life. Your boss probably reminds you of this just about every day!
But some of the best things occur when we aren't right. Like the time you take a wrong turn. Either in your travels or in your life. And you end up at this amazing place or with this amazing person that you never would have, had you done the "right" thing.
Plus there's not a lot of point beating yourself up when you aren't "right". Because, as we all know, it's going to happen pretty regularly!
Coming from Australia, I don't know a lot about baseball. But I do understand that batters get paid a lot of money to miss hit the ball an awful lot! Think about that. Top baseballers step up to the plate every day knowing that they are more than likely not going to get it "right". Yet they are confident and successful because they know that over a season they are going to get it right often enough.
Don't Beat Yourself Up or the Market Will join In!
I went to a speed-reading course many years ago. I didn't learn how to read faster (!) but I did learn an attitude that has stuck with me ever since. It is ? "Focus. No attachment to the outcome."
This guy was telling us about how he taught elite sportsmen to achieve their best (hope he was better at that than teaching people how to read fast!). He explained that the trick was to get them to keep taking the shot (or making the jump or whatever) without getting upset with themselves if they got it wrong.
The key was for them to focus on what they had to do in that moment, not on the outcome.
Maybe I have lost you? But the point I'm trying to make is that you need to go into each of your trades with your focus - not on being right - but on following your trading system.
And then the key is to not beat yourself up if you "get it wrong". Because if you have followed your system and you know the system works over time, you have done the "right" thing.
Once you have confidence in your trading method your only focus is on following the signals.
"Focus. No attachment to the outcome."
By the way, try this approach in other areas of your life. It really works! My golf was much better once I stopped getting angry at myself for every lousy shot.
Deadly Attitude in the Market
In the stock market you can't afford to hold onto the need to be "right"!
When trading, you cannot be right 100% of the time. In fact, you can be right only 50% of the time and still make lots of money. But this means you have to be wrong an awful lot!
The market will do what the market will do - no matter what your opinion might be. If you are holding a stock and you expect it to go up in price but it starts to go down, what happens?
If you are like me, a little voice inside says something like "?but this wasn't meant to happen!?it can't do this to me!? I know I'm right ? it's just a temporary set back; it will come right, I'll just wait it out?
This "voice of reason" is your ego. You can't bear to be wrong, so you justify your decision to yourself. You must be right! You tell yourself that you know what's going to happen?the market's just confused?it's just got it wrong! (totally illogical reasoning ? the market can never be "wrong" - but it makes sense at the time!).
This deep-seated, primordial need that we have to be right can destroy you in the stock market. It will make you put too much money on one trade. And it will make you hold onto stocks that you should have sold days or even weeks ago.
It will mean you will miss opportunities you should have taken because your view was the opposite of what actually happens. And you can miss getting extra profits from a trade because you were convinced that "?it couldn't possibly go any higher?"
By being aware of this "need" you can overcome it ? over time! You need to get to the point where you "want what the market wants". Not what you want.
Just remember.
"Focus. No attachment to the outcome."
David Chandler
Ordinary People Making Extraordinary Profits!
For a free mini-course on stock and options trading click the following link:
http://www.stockmarketgenie.com
Or visit our blog at:
http://www.stockmarketgenie.com
The above comments are offered for educational purposes only. We are not providing you with financial advice. We are simply sharing with you what has and hasn't worked for us personally. If you wish to trade or invest in the stock market you should obtain advice from a registered licensed advisor.
efficient cleaning crew Northbrook ..The Dow Theorycharles h. dowcharles h.... Read More
The recent criminal fiasco in the mutual fund industry is... Read More
You remember (they show it on TV every year) the... Read More
I have been trading for several decades and was an... Read More
That sounds like good advice doesn't it? Don't lose all... Read More
Much like the middle child, mid-cap stocks have long struggled... Read More
Day trading is all about making buy and sell decisions.... Read More
How many people went to a cash position this week?... Read More
The Shadow knows. There used to be a radio program... Read More
Before we get into all the good news out there,... Read More
You have heard about a particular mutual fund from a... Read More
What! Me worry?Many of you remember the cover of MAD... Read More
I would like to share with the reader an article... Read More
Every day on CNBC-TV they show a 200-day moving average... Read More
I feel that an investment strategy in the stock market... Read More
The bear market that showed up at the end of... Read More
I don't know what kind it is, but I saw... Read More
During the month of January the Dow Jones Industrial Average,... Read More
Let's assume that you want to make some serious money... Read More
A few years back ? it seems like an eternity... Read More
What is the Series 7 Exam? If you... Read More
∙ Make every investment in the stock market a long-term... Read More
Quick, look out the window. It's raining. No, the sun's... Read More
Every day I hear from the "experts" on CNBC-TV and... Read More
The Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE) is not operating successfully. True,... Read More
cleaning lady near Wilmette ..Let's assume that you want to make some serious money... Read More
Day trading is all about making buy and sell decisions.... Read More
Someday you may want to retire and continue to live... Read More
Ever wondered what is a mutual fund? A mutual fund... Read More
Just 30 years ago the stock market was a shadow... Read More
The big bad bear is stirring again. So far he... Read More
A recent cartoon in my daily newspaper showed two guys... Read More
On November 17 I bought 7 different mutual funds and... Read More
When it comes to 401k's there is an overabundance of... Read More
It looks like we have now entered a new bull... Read More
So you're started trading, you bought some positions with your... Read More
Because you don't feel too sure about which stock or... Read More
Investing in long-term financial vehicles give you the most gains... Read More
If you're like many investors who squander those small dividend... Read More
If you have not back tested your trading system, you... Read More
If you have talked to a stock broker or financial... Read More
We all know the expression, "My country, right or wrong",... Read More
Trading is a fascinating activity.There are so many layers to... Read More
We need a rabbit!This was a pretty horrible week for... Read More
Three little pigs went to the market to stock up... Read More
In his wonderful book, 'Multiple Streams of Income', best selling... Read More
Carefully thinking through your goal as a trader is of... Read More
Where is the beef? Or maybe it should be where... Read More
Most stock traders know that momentum trading can be a... Read More
Quick, look out the window. It's raining. No, the sun's... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |