Bandit,
Your words of wisdom is like a breath of fresh air.
I started trading full time a year and a half ago and I couldn't have picked a worse time to start! It's been a struggle the whole time with some glimpses of hope of what it could be which keeps me motivated to keep working at it...
There's a group of traders that meet every other month or so in Sacramento. It's the local chapter for IITM (Intl. Institute of Trading Mastery). What the members have in common is that they follow and use Van Tharp's teachings. Here is the link...
I just started reading the book myself. I picked it up because of a review in Stock, Futures & Options magazine. I was also intrigued by the Foreword by Paul Tudor Jones because he includes the book as a 'must read' for every beginning trader. The other 4 books he mentions as must read are: 1)...