What good is a brain?

[neutrino]

Quote from lindq:

My theory is that there are two main reasons why we let our brain get in the way more often that not.

1. It will happen if we don't have complete confidence in the system we are trading, which so often happens if you are trying to trade a system you didn't develop.
2. It will happen because we all feel we need to "work" for a living, and we think that profits should not come without constant effort. That work ethic is drilled into us for decades of education, and years more of professional advancement. But it is often not supportive of good trading, especially after one has learned the ropes and developed a system that can run somewhat on automatic, if even for a short amount of time.

As with MANY aspects of trading, what we have learned in the past...and how we've even learned to think at all... can often get in our way.

I think you are right. It's all about confidence. The more confident you are the more money you will make in the market. The tricky part is that the confidence is created forwards not backwards


Eventhough you underperformed your own system I think this is quite normal. You didn't have enough confidence to trade it. Confidence needs time to build. With the time you will get more and more confident in yourself and you will get better and better results. Just keep the risk under control and you could be as rich as you want

 

[lindq]

Quote from gamalruach:

Change my mind about what?

Currency trading is the future, man. Besides, trading is trading.

But, whatever. I don't think you have ten dollars let alone a million.

I think you're just a blowhard.

Sam

Here is an experienced trader and manager asking you to simply demonstrate your expertise before he invests money in you...a very reasonable request...and you call him a blowhard?

Is this how you handle all your job interviews? Like an ass?

As a new trader with all of 30 days under your belt, you should be thankful for any advice or guidance, not insulting to those who provide it.

 

[Thunderdog]

Quote from lindq:

Well, what's the diff? If your system generates a trade and you "think" about it, isn't that "second guessing"?

And if you "think" about what your system has told you, are you defeating the purpose of your earlier work in creating the system?

That's the point. Why put thousands of hours in developing a solid system, only to "think" about a trade when it develops? As an earlier poster so well pointed out, in "thinking" aren't you just putting yourself into the emotional turmoil of the masses, and isn't the purpose of a system to avoid that?

For me, "thinking" about a trade has been counterproductive. Sad, but true.

To answer your question of me, I believe that "second-guessing" is doubt disguised as "thinking."