A colleague of mine just returned from a scuba diving trip in Cozumel, which just happens to be one of my favorite places to dive. Anyway, she was telling me about an unexpected difficulty she encountered while swimming around the corral reef down about 85 feet. It wasn't anything serious but her story reminded me of something my scuba instructor used to say over and over again. "Plan your dive, and dive your plan".
When you're down about 90 or 100 feet the nitrogen acts on your body in a way that's not too dissimilar to having one dry martini on an empty stomach. It's called Nitrogen Narcosis, Rapture of the Depths, or Martini's Law. So the thing to do is get your planning done while you have a clear head, (i.e. on the surface). And then when you're deep into it, and you're feeling a bit euphoric, or nervous, you don't have to make any decisions about 'what' to do. You just follow your plan.
This holds true for trading as well. When you're feeling the euphoria or nervousness set in, remember to follow your plan. And, uhm yeah,, also have a plan to follow. Clear heads will prevail.
Years ago I had the good fortune of talking with a trading guru for several hours. This individual is world renowned for his trading saavy and skill. What he elaborated in that conversation had a tremendous impact on me. HE said that when he learned how to trade that his family enforced only one rule that he had to follow. KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO GET OUT BEFORE YOU GET IN. He felt that the problem that most traders had was that they felt that this simplicity did not apply to them. I remember sitting and speaking with him and thinking about my own mistakes, primarily letting hope take over in my decision making.
Many traders think that crying "UNCLE" on a trade and taking a loss is unacceptable. Since that conversation I have taken numerous losses on trades but it's funny how they don't have the STING that they used to because I PLAN MY DIVE and DIVED MY PLAN.
This is really simple and incredibly workable. Apply it to your own trading and investing.
-Downjonesfully,
Harald Anderson
http://www.eoptionstrader.com
Harald Anderson is the founder and Chief Analyst of eOptionsTrader.com a leading online resource of http://www.eoptionstrader.com. He writes regularly for financial publications on Risk Management and Trading Strategies. His goal in life is to become the kind of person that his dog already thinks he is. http://www.eoptionstrader.com.
Airbnb cleaning service Glenview ..∙ Make every investment in the stock market a long-term... Read More
Today we are inundated with tons of information about the... Read More
Today's society gives special recognition to alcoholics, sexaholics, binge-aholics, shopaholics,... Read More
If you are going to be a winner in the... Read More
Even if you don't own any of their stock or... Read More
The big bad bear is stirring again. So far he... Read More
Quick, look out the window. It's raining. No, the sun's... Read More
I am hearing predictions by brokers, financial planners, talk show... Read More
Most stock traders know that momentum trading can be a... Read More
Every stock market investor faces one primal enemy. An enemy... Read More
When an individual investor wants to roll up his sleeves... Read More
Stock investment advice is easy to find. Do you get... Read More
Every Wall Street analyst, financial planner and broker will tell... Read More
Everything you invest in has risk so you want to... Read More
The stock market is very unstable at this time going... Read More
Wall Street's watchword has always been diversification, but what does... Read More
As I said in Part I everyone in the insane... Read More
In November of 2000 when the NASDAQ was trading at... Read More
You probably have been told that options are risky. Even... Read More
Success in small cap & micro cap stock trading like... Read More
The greatest stock market myth is the idea that investing... Read More
If you have talked to a stock broker or financial... Read More
Caught in a whirlpool and being sucked under. No life... Read More
How can you dispel an illusion unless you look directly... Read More
When is a dividend not a dividend?The latest thing "conservative"... Read More
efficient cleaning crew Highland Park ..Most stock market traders have a favorite technical indicator.The one... Read More
First let's see what protectionism is. According to Mr. Webster... Read More
Unfortunately, most of you who are reading my column are... Read More
Every day in any financial publication you will find the... Read More
Do you have a financial planner? Does one of your... Read More
How many people went to a cash position this week?... Read More
Just about everything you have been told about Social Security... Read More
With the internet such a huge part of our daily... Read More
When you become interested in a stock or mutual fund... Read More
I feel that an investment strategy in the stock market... Read More
Well maybe that's overstating it a little, but it's certainly... Read More
Every broker and financial planner will tell you that you... Read More
It's about time someone spoke the truth concerning outsourcing. The... Read More
What does it take to be a stock trader? It... Read More
Mutual funds were moderately successful in creating a presence in... Read More
Every day I hear someone on CNBC proclaim that "this... Read More
Well, not really. What I mean is I don't mind... Read More
At some time in your life you have been on... Read More
Analyzing growth stocks is an important focus for any investor.... Read More
Let's assume that you want to make some serious money... Read More
Have you bought any mutual funds this year or late... Read More
In my opinion, due to the volatility of stock market... Read More
We keep hearing about this bear market and that the... Read More
You probably know the story of Sherlock Holmes and the... Read More
I use the P/E ratio as a secondary indicator for... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |