Discipline. Without it, you are in a world of hurt, but unfortunately, we double talk ourselves into believing our own baloney. It will add up and crush you.
Have you ever been in something, watched it fall and then made up all form of excuses for it, meanwhile every day it's heading lower? Sure you have. Have you ever won a couple in a row, and then instantly you turn into some form of stock god, and buy bigger and heavier the next time, only to see it all go down the drain? Sure you have.
Many times what separates a good investor from a wanna be, is discipline. We've all made silly mistakes in the past, but have we learned enough from it to change our ways? In a lot of cases the answer is no. But therein lies the key folks. If you learn to be disciplined, you will be a much better investor.
Let's say you buy 100 shares of XYZ and it goes on to make you a few hundred bucks. Then the next trade is 100 shares of ABC, and it goes on to make you a couple hundred. So human nature is to get braver. The next time out of the box you buy 400 shares of ABC and "boom" , it goes sour and wipes out all your previous gains. Why did you buy so many shares?? Because your previous two wins bolstered your ego. You got proud. You thought you had it all figured out. That's gunna hurt.
Let's say you've had a couple loosing days. Do you put it all on red, and spin the wheel? If so, that's gunna leave a mark. No folks, the way to win this game is day by day, and sticking to a discipline. You don't double down on a losing trade, you'll lose more. You don't wear your desperation on your head like a big silver badge. You stick to your plan.
We've seen too many people get hurt by doing silly things. Really good traders have packed up and gone home broke by getting too much ego, or getting too much desperation. You can't have either. Each day is a new dawn. It doesn't matter if you've won ten times in a row, this morning is a new day. All those wins mean jack, when the bell rings.
Don't deviate from a well constructed plan folks. Take losses for what they are, losses. A part of the game. Don't blame yesterday's loss on today's silly actions. If you have a stop in place, try and honor it. Don't make up excuses for a bad play, just shake your head and move on.
People say to us all the time, "boy you play it close to the vest". Yes, we do, and because of it, we don't get too many "home runs" where we get doubles and triples. But then again, our average loss is a percent or two, while our gains average 4 to 6%. We can live with that and so can you. Unless you're one of the really lucky people, and yes we know they do exist, it's better to trade your own basic plan. Don't grasp, don't reach, don't let a small loss turn into a big one.
In baseball, the guy that can get a single time after time is the most sought after player. As much as we all like to see a monster home run, and we worship the guys that can crush a 500 footer, the fact is the home run guy strikes out many many more times than he hits a home run. But his only penalty is a few boos and a lonely walk to the dug out. But in our game, going for the fences carries a dear penalty. We go broke.
Be the consistency guy. Be the guy that makes a lot of singles. Along the way you'll get your double and even your home run. But don't focus on them. Focus on the basics, day after day. It works for the major league and it will work for you. Stay disciplined.
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