Trading Less and Achieving More
Many of you know that I have a back ground in Stock Car racing. The more I think about it, the more I see similarities that racing and trading the markets have in common. Particularly that they both require intense focus.
I was thinking back on my racing days and I remembered a statement that my crew chief made to me. That statement not only gave me the edge in racing but virtually in every other venture that I was a part of. Are you ready for that magic set of words? Well, I think it would be prudent for me to explain a few things first.
You see, in racing, you are rewarded for being fast, having cautious aggressiveness and being the most consistent; in addition, everything is measured in fractions of seconds.... In some cases the decisions you make, or don't make for that matter, could injure you or even worse, could be fatal. When you hear these words that I am going to share with you, it may not make sense at first but experienced individuals know how important this is. OKAY, are you ready?
My crew chief said to me, "Jeff, if you want to go fast you have to slow way down." Now you can just imagine the confusion on my face when I was told this. I think my exact response was, "Huh?" He went on to explain to me that to be fast, you need to slow down in the corners so that you can set up the car for the exit. Most people drive off in a corner and man handle the car and as a result, they have a poor exit. By simply rolling into the corner rather than driving 100% into the corner, you will have more momentum in the majority of the track, which is in the straight away. I finally began to understand this concept and since then, I have applied it to many things in my life.
So, here is the big question... How does this apply to trading the markets? Many people that are embarking on a new career want the experience of success," YESTERDAY"! They "rev up" their trading account and go full-speed into the corner not giving any consideration to consistency. They don't even know what their car has under the hood. They start buying and selling stocks as if they were selling tickets to a Broadway show. No strategy, no plan, just pure adrenalin and emotion.
Most new traders feel that if you are in the trading business, you should be trading; not sitting and waiting. Unfortunately, a very high percentage of new traders never make a proper exit off the corner. Man handling their trading eventually causes them to end up in the wall, and I don't mean Wall Street. If they would just learn how to roll into the corner (paper trade) and set their car up for the exit (proper education FIRST) they would learn how to pass the majority of people down the straight away.
I had a conversation once with racing legend Bill Elliot who has gone down in history as one of the most winning drivers on the NASCAR circuit. This is basically what he told me: "Jeff, if you were to paint a line around the track where your front tires are tracking, the goal would be to only focus on hitting your marks." He went on to say "Sloppiness or inconsistency of your line around the track is one of the most damaging things a racer can do."
That made so much sense to me the more I thought about it. So many people spend so much time looking for the better way around or a better system that they lose the peril and momentum of consistency. By the time they find their "line" (the Holy Grail that does not exist) they have already used up their equipment. You do not need to trade 20 or even 100 trades per day to be a trader. The professionals ARE NOT TRADING the majority of the time, they are just following their line (only taking their setups and not looking for the newest and "better way" to make a lot of money in the markets.)
The sooner you learn and understand that taking less trades with more consistent setups is really the only way to achieve financial rewards in day-trading, the sooner you will be on your way to consistent profits.
Traders' Tip:
The Pristine Method has been proven time and time again as a technical approach that has been developed and time-tested over the past 14 years by Pristine Capital Holdings, Inc. This dynamic trading methodology is now used by professional and semi-professional traders all over the world. Pristine education is the single most pro-active ingredient one could learn prior to risking capital in trading.
I will be doing a FREE ONLINE workshop on Wednesday, May 20th at 8:30 pm ET discussing the "Traders Mindset and setting realistic expectations". You can register for this event at: http://www.pristineworkshops.com/info/moreinfo.aspx?EventID=2397
Make sure to register for any of our other FREE programs that interest you the most at the following link: www.pristineworkshops.com
I would be happy to see you join us and to answer any questions you may have.
Jeff Yates
Contributing Editor
Interactive Trading Room Moderator
Gap, Intra-Day and Swing Trading Specialist
Instructor and Traders Coach
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