Limiting Beliefs

Ask yourself why the market is around?

For companies to raise capital.


When you put your capital into a company it helps raise the price so that they can have dividends eventually to take it out or use part of the stock price to purchase another smaller competitor.

Robert Tharp
 
Occasionally, when I am in low mood, I will log out and see what those I have totally blocked say about me, same ones always there saying something negative and I do get very happy about it. For when you have arrived in some fashion, there is always that flock saying naughty words and make up stories, they have so little going on in their lives I occupy their time, and I am very delighted they put me in more print, real I do. Just shows me their level of narcissism and antisocial behavior. Keep it up bois, I find it funny and laugh, makes my day that others need me in their lives to get through life.

"How positively you see others is linked to how happy, kind-hearted and emotionally stable you are, according to new research. In contrast, negative perceptions of others are linked to higher levels of narcissism and antisocial behavior. "

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100802165441.htm
 
I'd like to throw some ideas out and see if others have struggled with the same issues.

Like all of us, I have some deep set beliefs that have been ingrained in my psyche since I was just a pup.

Basically I believe that one has to 'earn' their success in life. I believe that hard work, dedication, discipline, personal responsibility will all get rewarded in one way or another over the long term. I also believe that you need to provide something of value in order to receive monetary rewards. I agree with the phrase "You can achieve everything you want, if you help enough other people get what they want".

And there's the rub -- this is where I struggle with my trading beliefs.

In the back of my mind, a little voice keeps nagging at me saying things like: "What does trading actually provide? All you're doing is transferring money from one traders account to another (hopefully in to yours!) But what have you actually accomplished? What value or service do you provide as a trader?"

Since I can't come up with any real perceived 'value' in trading, I think that the little voice keeps trying to hold me back. I've been following the markets since the '87 crash, been trading futures since 1991, but have never been able to achieve the levels that I'd like.

Yes, I know that trading provides liquidity, exchanges risk from commercial hedgers to speculators, etc., etc., but I don't believe that's enough. (hey, maybe that's my problem?)

What real value do we provide? It's a zero sum game for futures, so when you 'win' at trading, someone else 'lost' -- you've taken their money. But what have you provided in exchange? Maybe you just gave them "exactly what they wanted from the markets", to quote Ed Seykota.

I think that some of these same issues are possibly why a Don Bright will post some of his stuff on this board, and why a Linda Bradford Raschke posts charts on the web for free -- they feel that they're 'providing value' and in return they will be rewarded... oh, boy, this last line will probably provoke some replies -- sorry Don! ;-)

Has anyone else battled these same demons? If so, how have you resolved them? Or am I just nuts? (be gentle now....)

Please keep this thread positive -- I'm honestly believe that many others are out there struggling with these same issues, and we'll all benefit from the discussion.

Thanks in advance...
You're essentially asking the world to take your core beliefs as true and make you feel good about what you're doing. Several folks have done just that. A far harder but potentially much more life-changing approach is to examine your core beliefs which most people have never really done.
Very few people "earn" their success. Most of us who are successful won a number of lotteries to get there. We were born in the United States or another prosperous country. We were born in a moderately well-off portion of that country. We were born with above average intelligence. We went to at least moderately good schools for our primary education. We were born to a stable, relatively middle class family with either educated parents or parents who valued education. We were born with white skin. And you could go on and on and on. A very very few people born without those things will be successful based on "earning" their way, vanishingly few. I don't know about you, but I know if I'd been born a poor black kid in backwoods South Sudan with a below average IQ I'd be living in a hut now no matter how much hard work, dedication, discipline, personal responsibility I put forth.
So first step, consider jettisoning the idea that you've "earned" your position in life and adopting the idea that you've been blessed in life and managed to not throw away those blessings and instead honed and magnified them. Accept the idea that you're never going to need to work as hard or have as much dedication, discipline, or personal responsibility to achieve a given X as the vast majority of the people in the world would to achieve that same X. Life's not fair at all, and you got the positive end of that stick. At the point you accept that, you have the choice of being crushed by the realization that it wasn't "all you" and in fact really little of the success you've enjoyed was "earned", or you can take advantage of the fact that you were blessed to use some of those advantages to help those who weren't blessed with them. Look no further than your nearest inner city or rural school kid struggling with a poor school, poor family life, and unlucky genes. And trade away with no more guilt than you have for being of above average intelligence or being born in the U.S. or any of the other many advantages you have. You're using what you were given, no reason to feel guilty about that if you're helping those who weren't given the same.
 
It's not that I feel bad, in fact I feel quite good when I have a 4 figure day! :)

But when I've had maybe three of those in a row, I feel *very* uneasy.

Something inside says something's not right -- there's an internal conflict.
You can do what Soros does, give part of your three in a row to charity and help those less fortunate. Maybe just maybe like Soros, you will then keep having those three in a row days.

It is not whether what you do is worthwhile, many other professions also have no redeeming value when you strip down to the core of feeding and clothing mankind. What is important is what you do with the money you make.
 
Thought a lot about this.........................[1]Enjoy it but also get to help market makers[like Joshua Lukeman], specialists like TRW.........................[2]Suggest you settle it a.s.a.p.Enjoy the honorable people who were or are in trading-Jack Schwagers 3 books,Solomon,[proverbs writer.sportsman.......]....................................[3]Many more but will close with a great contrary indicator[hope i dont keep candletrader from fun]Forgive the terrorists,who attacked USA;stock market,but do not forget to drop ''daisy cutters''on them![4]Get to help other traders ,book sellers,i have to know how to trade a trend to honestly do that...............:)
Can you run that by me one more time sir?
 
Can you run that by me one more time sir?
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To keep it simple; enjoy Jack Schwager top treading books + Proverbs,[enjoyment] is one of the main reasons to post.Stocks are not a zero sum game; some markets are.As far as ''what does trading[capitalism] provide ??'' Plenty; but dont make trading[work]your whole life:cool::cool:
 
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To keep it simple; enjoy Jack Schwager top treading books + Proverbs,[enjoyment] is one of the main reasons to post.Stocks are not a zero sum game; some markets are.As far as ''what does trading[capitalism] provide ??'' Plenty; but dont make trading[work]your whole life:cool::cool:
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Thank you.

I enjoyed reading all his books but please tell me how and what I can learn from the great traders, e.g. the turtles?
 
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