What was the last thing you traded? Look at its 1 year, 6 month, 1 month, and 3-5 day charts. Can you see all the opportunities where you could have made a profit? Should have gone long there, shorted here . . .. You're assessing "opportunity" based on price activity subsequent to the point at which you believe the opportunity existed, which means that you're working backward to identify that point of opportunity.
While trading, these are the very opportunities a trader is aiming to spot. This and the desire to make trades will often drive the inexperienced trader to "see" opportunity where there is none, simply because the trader can easily envision the price pattern moving in any given direction. If his predisposition or any of his analysis makes him inclined to forecast a certain direction, he can quickly envision the movement of price in the direction that will yield profits. By envisioning such price pattern formations, it's often the case that the trader will mentally emulate what he has previously viewed on historical charts, and perhaps even had a desire to experience. And this psychology is made even more complex when the trader begins to find "evidence" in current price activity that supports his forecast/vision and ignores any information that contradicts it, thereby providing a false justification to make the trade.
This type of thinking will cause a trader to make trades when no real opportunity exists. The fundamental problem is that the reason for action is based on a forecast/vision, and not on what has happened and what is happening right now. Given the fact that forecasts and visions are not realities and that historical and current activities are, decisions that are based on the proper interpretation of what has happened and is happening will be correct far more often. It's critical to avoid mentally creating opportunities and to know when to stay out of a trade.
Looking at the charts again, try to identify forward-looking opportunities, where you consider only each price point and the price patterns before it. You'll find that it's now far more difficult to spot the winners, but those are the opportunities that you need to identify and then appropriately act on in order to be a successful trader.
Any experienced and successful trader will agree that it's very important not to trade until there's a true opportunity.
-- Innerworth