My dog is the biggest wimp. Scared of everything, to the point where it makes her miss out on things.

Last night it was Chobani yogurt. She was obviously wanting some, so I tilted the cup towards her. As silly as it sounds, that freaks her out. But I have been working on that, and so at first she just backed away. "It's OK Piper." She came closer, tasted it, got tempted and ignored the perception of 'danger' for awhile. But then for no apparent reason backed away again. Then she growled at it. That was not enough, so she barked. Then she progressed to jumping and barking, then spinning in a tight circle, as if playing, but jumping and barking. The whole time I just held the cup still.

There it was, but she could not have it, because she was afraid of something. And in that moment I understood both of us a little better.

Losing BIG is a normal part of trading. When it happens, decide if you did something wrong or not. If not, what can you do other than trade smaller? Or not trade at all. And if you did something wrong, figure out why. Not "what" so much, that is a lot easier to answer. Why.

A lot of times it is not that we don't know better. It is that we are wired in a manner that it is hard to listen to what we know. And resolving that issue is the critical element in this game.

Max down day/week/month are there not just to preserve your account, but to break the spell. It never hurts to take a week off, come back and trade very small the next week. Or a month off. Or a year. Would your world end if you simply stopped trading? Of course not, but if it ever feels like it would, you are headed for trouble. Trust me.

It is one of the toughest games in the world, and it is won one day at a time... by learning the market, and learning yourself. To pursue the path of trading shows a competitive spirit, and that same energy is often what takes us down.

Relax, be flexible, have patience.

And because I have no idea where psychological things really come from, even though I may think at times that I do, and sometimes I do. I think this is journal-worthy.

My wife is nearly dead-set on getting a torso tattoo. I am not that into it, for her, because she is my wife. Not that I have not seen them on other women and thought they were sexy, but I do not require that my wife compete in order for me to love her. And so I accept her as she is, even to the point of wanting to defend it.

But, I accepted the fact that if she wants it; let it happen.

And have moved to a role of supporting and trying to discuss it deeper. Looking at images from internet searches and talking about them, what we like and don't like. And then I file them in folders marked things like "better". I bought a magazine called "Inked" in an airport recently, and then had to deal with a weird feeling related to and happening as I read it in the middle seat between two strangers for two hours.

So the timeline is; that I am accepting change. Uncomfortably maybe, but that is expected. But not just accepting, changing the response to getting excited about it.


That is what the market does.

That is what the market does.


The idea that a profit can be engineered in an environment that is not engineer-friendly... requires that we look inside. And I see that I am nowhere near as ready to change my mind as the market is. And I see that if I can bring the two thoughts closer together the more of an advantage it gives.

Jim Dalton mentions "nuances" . They are so rare to find and so priceless when you do. If you don't throw them out the first time or ten. But the ability to accept change at the same rate as the market in my opinion is one of them.

I got booted out for some reason. But before that I laughed so hard. I agree, a skull and crossbones is not pleasant to look at. Horrible marketing campaign. What will I do without a career as a writer or poster on futures.io (formerly BMT)?

But when I wear the shirt I am not looking at it. And that is what the market does.

Polite? Reasonable? Predictable? Sane? Is that what trading is?

Not that it is not identifiable, or classified. Those are different words. But the market is pure natural energy.

I read somewhere, being in the construction world, that we still do not truly understand what electricity is. We have learned to use it regardless. And the national electrical code is prooof that it is to be respected. And to me the markets are similar. With respect we can learn to use the energy for benefit, but never once think it can't knock you on your ass if you don't follow every code.

And, that reminds me of the best thing I ever heard from a planning official. "Necessity is the Mother of Interpretation."

I think about ... how fast futures prices can change compared to something more tangible. Adding firepower to something already considered a myth. But it seems that is the final step. It is in the mind. It is against what the mind is designed to do. Why, knowing that, do people push on?

But, some do.

Humbled, beaten, ridiculed, to the edge of questioning their own sanity. To the point of, having a decision to make. Do you quit, or evolve?

Becoming a trader is related to the concept of evolution. The environment to survive in changes.

Some things that do not transfer;

1) It is not what you know, but who you know

2) Success comes to those who work hardest


It is Thursday night, my wife is off tomorrow, so it is our weekend, we are drinking, I am drawn to this journal to explain myself as to why it is ok to trade for a living. Psychologically, it does not make sense, really. There are so many more reliable options I am not even going to try to count.

Personality. Passion. Life.

I read a quasi-quote from a great trader in bonds, "Live by the sword, die by the sword." That IS what it is like, in some ways.

It is dedication, self discovery, persistance, deeper than anything anyone who has not been through it could understand.

Even the LOVE of it can be wrong.

The answer, is balance. Simple, Complicated.