Why can't I pull the trigger?

The best thing for me, I've only been trading about two yrs, is having someone help me along. Amazing how many out there are willing to do that. They shared their trading plans with me and I developed one that actually works. As I've developed confidence in that - helps with the emotions. Learning to simply follow the plan.

To the contrary, I've been amazed over the past 4 years by how few people want to help/freely exchange advice on trading once there's no money involved.
 
I always remind myself that trading is not about making money rather about controlling your losses.

Think about it. When you are making profits, whether you take them to quickly or not, this is a good problem to have. On the other side the losses are really what harms your account so basically you only need to control them, thus loosing is part of the game.

Trading=Risk Management (Including Losses)
 
I always remind myself that trading is not about making money rather about controlling your losses.

Think about it. When you are making profits, whether you take them to quickly or not, this is a good problem to have. On the other side the losses are really what harms your account so basically you only need to control them, thus loosing is part of the game.

Trading=Risk Management (Including Losses)
Exactly right
 
I always remind myself that trading is not about making money rather about controlling your losses.

Think about it. When you are making profits, whether you take them to quickly or not, this is a good problem to have. On the other side the losses are really what harms your account so basically you only need to control them, thus loosing is part of the game.

Trading=Risk Management (Including Losses)

True.
In fact, there are still some traders who couldn't even handle their losses (lack of risk management). Still never considering that losses is part of their trading career and this is the most dangerous mindset ever..
 
To the contrary, I've been amazed over the past 4 years by how few people want to help/freely exchange advice on trading once there's no money involved.
I haven't found that to be so. BUT my experience is limited - I suppose I'm very fortunate in that case.
 
Unless you meant to equivocate trading plan with trading strategy, to me, they are two different things.
For instance, you could have a good trading plan (trade 1000 share lots, stick with stocks with avg daily volume of 2M or more, trade high flyers, etc).

But if your TRADING STRATEGY sucks, you'll still lose with a good trading plan.
This is probably why so many traders fail....they don't have both that are good.
See what you mean there. My plan incorporates my strategy.
 
See what you mean there. My plan incorporates my strategy.
Doesn't matter, they are still independent of each other for the most part.
Your plan tells you what and when you are going to trade, max loss for the day, which strategies you are going to employe, how much capital to risk on each trade, etc.

Your strategy tells you exactly what the conditions are for buy or sell and what stop loss you'll incorporate, if any.
 
You seem to want to talk or argue but not follow any of the advice some master traders have been giving you. You have not implemented any advice and come back to tell us if it has helped. I will give you some free advice to try that is easy to implement and will not continue on this thread if you have not posted examples of you following the advice.

1) As NoDoji stated using most modern charting software, trade management can be mostly automated. So for example you see the price where you want to get in. Let's say it is a short trade. You either place a sell stop at the price if the market is coming down, or a sell limit if the market is coming. The software can then do the rest based on your trading plan of managing the trade till you are profitable or stopped out. Then you can leave the room and for example take a walk and come back later to see if your trade worked out. Later on when you gain more confidence in your system, you should try to stay in the room for the entire trade so you can watch for more trades unless for example these patterns occur say only once daily.

2) As noted by some others you create a trade journal for example in an spreadsheet for every trade. In the trade, you can have columns like day, reason for trade, win/loss, summary. This will help you determine what you are doing right or wrong going forward. Also, you need a trading plan in for example some type of word document that explains to you what are the characteristics of each trade setup that you are looking for, and for example, are you setting a total amount that you are willing to lose for day before stopping. This could also be the issue, since if you are able to become disciplined enough to not go over your stop loss amount for the day, then you will know that you will not blow your trade account up by taking losing trades during the day which will give you confidence to pull the trigger.

3) Before you take any trade, you need to tell yourself that you accept that the trade may turn into a loss and that your are aright with that. You need to have faith that your system works and belief that you can execute your strategy. After a loss occurs, you need to determine that your emotional state has not changed to for example one of anger where you will then start to over trade or revenge trade to make back money from the loss without waiting patiently for a real trading setup. The same is true for a winning trade. If for example, you don't just trade 1 losing trade and 1 winning trade per day, after a winning trade you can't be afraid to place a 2nd trade based on your trade setup in fear that the profit you made today will be taken by the next trade if it turns into a losing trade. This can actually be harder to accept since you were 1st up for the day then just going to BE makes you angry and you revenge trade into multiple losing trades.

4) Also most modern charting packages can generate reports for you which includes your win % to see if you really have an edge and if you are able to execute your trading plan on the bleeding right corner of the screen. This can also be correlated to hopefully what you expected to see and if it is good can give you more confidence in your trading abilities. I have included mine for this week.
 

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Mr Miyagi sends you old school book reading for a timeless problem of discretionary trading for a cerebral person:

1) The Disciplined Trader
2) Trading in the Zone

Also keep a journal of each trade. Those executed and those not. Record how you feel, think and act before during and after the trade (or lack thereof).

Things to be consciously aware of step by step include your perceived risk / reward before the trade (bear with me while i ramble) - - you must have a hard stop loss and a profit target - - monitor how and why you FEEL you made (or want to make) the trade for things like: been too long since you had a trade and need to feel the action or feel like you are in control, you feel left out of a good trade and chased the market, aggressively making up for losses; charity trade (laziness and overconfidence) after a good streak, just bored, you like the technicals but you don't know if you can trust them etc etc) - - and finally how you acted (or did not) act on the trade and what you would do differently if anything. Did you change the trade parameters in the middle and why? Did you pull out at the last second, or even 1 second into the trade? Did you not take profits where you said you would? Why why why...always ask why. You need to keep this journal for a few years.

Now you know why playing for keeps has absolutely nothing to do with paper trading. In fact, usually all paper trading does is generate false confidence and sets you up for failure emotionally.

The biggest enemy is almost always yourself. You can change your trading strategies and tactics (use paper trading for that) but you can't get outside of your own head. You need to mentally know yourself (I did not at your age) before you can truly trade for a living. And you cannot do that without taking risk. Risk reveals everything within you, and you will realize that you can't run from the inevitable.

You need to bring forward to your conscious the baggage that exists subconsciously,,, which can take some serious focus and honesty about who you really are as a person. Brutally honest things like fears of loss, fear of profit (oh yes, it exists) and all the baggage you inherited from your parents. It can go DEEP. Keep asking why for each feeling and action until you get to the bottom. The answer can sometimes be 30 "why's" until you arrive at a stupid ingrained piece of bullshit thrust upon you in your childhood. Or a defeatist attitude or insecurity or mental block your father used to repeat. yada yada. And it just fucked up your trade.

If you don't fight the enemy within you won't have a clear fact based mind and you wont 't be a trader. Wax on and wax off before getting into battle. Timeless themes never change.

Ideally you should feel no happier if your trade is a loser or a winner. Discipline means before every trade you enter with no regret of the outcome because you took your honest best shot for the 100% *right* reasons, and the chips fall where they may, and you can live with that.

Trading attracts a lot of lazy people and as you can probably see, long term success at this crazy game is anything but that. Discipline, mental honesty, and intellectual integrity vs "the easy way out". Its why the success rate is so goddamned low.

Quoting this for newbies.
 
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