Why is trading so difficult?

[padutrader]

Might this be the problem?

discretionary may give license to gamble!!! and over trade.

 

[padutrader]

Some traders make the mistake in simulator trading via not documenting & journaling the simulator trades. Resulting you not having anything to remember as in no feedback to help you when you traverse to real money trading.

Then when they move into real money trading...they really have no info/stats/context to help themself if/when they struggle in real money trading.

Another possibility...the simulator trading is not realistic nor compatible to the real money trading. For example, lets pretend you're only trading 1 contract/1 lot in real money trading via a very small trading account. In contrast, you were trading via a 100k demo account in simulator trading.

Thus, you're freaking out mentally when you see that small account get losses in real money trading while totally relax in simulator trading. The other possibility is that you're trading real money that you can not afford to lose. Thus, you change your trading style/habits in real money trading.

Stop trading with real money and start simulator trading via documenting/journaling your trading so that you can have that valuable info to get on the right track when you return back to real money trading. In addition, use a professional trade journal software for your quantitative statistic analysis during the simulator and real money trading.

One more thing...all your backtesting of the trade method occurs prior to simulator trading prior to real money trading. The backtest results is useful info for the simulator trading because you can quickly see why you're deviating in with paper money to give you clues about the possibility of you deviating when traversing from simulator to real money.

P.S. Don't wait until real money trading to start your documenting/journaling. Do it first in simulator trading to accumulate that data you need to help yourself while doing the same in real money trading. Always backtest before anything so that you will know the hypothetical potential of your trade method.

Backtest Trade Method ---> Simulator Trading w/ Documenting & Journaling ---> Real Money w/ Documenting & Journaling

wrbtrader

thanks you have a heart so much effort into this post i have to save it and go through it

 

[Pekelo]

You couldn't pass the psychological barrier, simple as it is. Lots of people can't.

The good news is that with professional help/using a mentoree you might be able to do. Another way around the problem is full automatization, if your strategy can be programmed.

The bad news is that some people never be able to get over the stress and required patience and you can waste another 10-20 years before finally you gave up. Chances are you are in this group, because you are approaching the 25 years mark....

 

[padutrader]

thanks guys for the fantastic help

this forum is a great place to be and meet like minded traders

 

[padutrader]

You couldn't pass the psychological barrier, simple as it is. Lots of people can't.

The good news is that with professional help/using a mentoree you might be able to do. Another way around the problem is full automatization, if your strategy can be programmed.

The bad news is that some people never be able to get over the stress and required patience and you can waste another 10-20 years before finally you gave up. Chances are you are in this group, because you are approaching the 25 years mark....

yeah what you say maybe right....i am way too greedy i take too big positions

 

[Muffhands]

demo/sim is much different then live trading. When you "profit" in a demo account you are not actually taking money from somebody else account. When you are trading live, and you profit, you are actually taking money from someone else account and putting it into yours. Its very difficult to do. Think of trading as a battle between you and the others. The winner takes the money. When yo think of it like this, you realize that you are up against the smartest, sneakiest, strongest, ruthless people in the world that will not let you take their money and will always end up winning in the end .

 

[fordewind]

For me it was finding a ratio between how much i make vs leverage i use, when i pull the trigger.In other words, you should make enough and, at the same time, risk less, in order to sustain(mentally). More like psychological issue, than technical or fundamental/sim or real.

 

[themickey]

I think traderGOD mispelt his username, try traderDOG next time.

 

[padutrader]

I think traderGOD mispelt his username, try traderDOG next time.

you may be right and i will try that but i am not sure you can change your username

but this forum is a place for discussion NOT a place to state facts

but seriously this is not the place to make personal remarks and certainly not the place to make insulting personal remarks.

i think it would do your stature as a trader and a human being, a world of good if you refrain from making such inhuman remarks.I am assuming that you are a Human being and not some lesser creature worse than a dog who is man's best friend

 

[tomorton]

you may be right and i will try that but i am not sure you can change your username

but this forum is a place for discussion NOT a place to state facts

but seriously this is not the place to make personal remarks and certainly not the place to make insulting personal remarks.

i think it would do your stature as a trader and a human being, a world of good if you refrain from making such inhuman remarks.I am assuming that you are a Human being and not some lesser creature worse than a dog who is man's best friend

Take it easy traderGOD. "Dog" (and dogs generally) doesn't have the negative meaning it does in some societies and cultures, perhaps including yours. In my part of the world it can be a term of admiration, though slightly critical, for men who have lots of female partners. Either way, I don't believe anything really serious was intended, just some word-play.

Maybe more relevant to this forum, "dog" can mean any stock which performs very badly against its peer group. Look up "dogs of the Dow" for more on this.

Back to trading - are you surely thinking you need a defined and standardised strategy with which to try to improve your trading? If you can't define and measure what you are doing, how would you know what to change? And by how much? And how would you know whether it was the right thing to change anyway?