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I wanted to commend and thank you on your journal. Like you and I am guessing so many others, I am having a challenge with trade discipline. Your approach is a refreshing and I am trying to incorporate some of your methods into my trading plan.
I wish you success in our progress and I will keep reading your journal as long as you are posting.
"Is it hard? Not if you have the right attitude. It's having the right attitude that's hard." - Robert Pirsig
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Kevlar, bullets & batteries checked and ready...
08:25 T-Minus 5...weapons live...head on swivel...eyes peeled...prepared to engage.
Trade #125
08:35 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
08:37 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #126
08:45 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
08:56 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #127
09:05 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
09:18 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Stop exceeded by only 1 tick before price returned to hit target.
Trade #128
09:42 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
09:47 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #129
10:16 Mistake Short on invalid setup. Didn't realize it until it was over. You're not paying attention! Your only job is to focus on this mission! Get your head in the game!
10:21 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
My mistake caused me to miss the setup that I should have been in.
Trade #130
10:48 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
11:15 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #131
11:49:54 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
12:11 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Objective: Follow mission plan with extreme prejudice.
Outcome: I allowed myself to work on another project while I was trading today which caused me to 1) take an invalid setup that cost me a losing trade, and 2) miss the actual valid trade that would have been a winner. So in effect that mistake cost me 22 ticks. I must focus on my trading during the trading session, or not trade at all.
Observations: It would appear that I have become somewhat complacent about my trading now that I'm in a routine. I need to be diligent about staying focused.
I have a lot of other work to do this afternoon, so I'm shutting my charts down and getting on my other work.
"Is it hard? Not if you have the right attitude. It's having the right attitude that's hard." - Robert Pirsig
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Kevlar, bullets & batteries checked and ready...
08:25 T-Minus 5...weapons live...head on swivel...eyes peeled...prepared to engage.
Trade #132
08:39 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
08:42 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Stopped out to the tick before price returned to target.
Take cover for enemy barrage
08:50 High impact report in 10 minutes.
Trade #133
09:03 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
09:05 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #134
09:17 on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
09:20 Objectives achieved. +14 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #135
09:39 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
09:41 Objective 1 achieved. +6 ticks.
10:14 No Joy on second volley. -5 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #136
10:39 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
10:53 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Price only exceeded my stop by 1 tick before turning back around to hit my target.
Trade #137
11:52 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
11:57 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Daily loss limit hit
Finished for the day.
AAR
Objective: Follow mission plan with extreme prejudice.
Outcome: Followed the plan today with no mistakes. Another day of hitting my loss limit though.
Observations: First trade of the day was stopped out to the tick, and the stop on the fifth trade was only exceeded by 1 tick, before price moved back down to their respective targets. What will be interesting to see is whether this continues or if rotations after entry will come back within my stop distance. Also had my first trade where the first car hit target and the second car turned around to hit my stop.
"Is it hard? Not if you have the right attitude. It's having the right attitude that's hard." - Robert Pirsig
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I took Friday off to work on a project and with the holiday on Monday, it made for a short week of trading. This was my first unprofitable week so far in this exercise and I haven't looked at Friday's market action yet, so I don't know if it would have been good for me or not. Regardless, this exercise is as much about the day-in, day-out grind of what trading for a living is like, and this is just the way things go sometimes.
I'll be back to my focus on trading next week.
A look at the stats
Expectancy is again moving lower. This is, of course, due to using 2 lots now and having a bad week. Hopefully I'll begin to see some improvement here.
The main thing I see in this week's stats is the large drawdown. Again, this is due to the compounded effect of using multiple lots. I'll have to get used to these numbers being larger than they were in the first few weeks.
"Is it hard? Not if you have the right attitude. It's having the right attitude that's hard." - Robert Pirsig
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Kevlar, bullets & batteries checked and ready...
08:25 T-Minus 5...weapons live...head on swivel...eyes peeled...prepared to engage.
Trade #138
08:30 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
08:36 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #139
08:43 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
08:47 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #140
09:09 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
09:15 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #141
09:31 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
09:33 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Stopped out to the tick before price moved back to my target.
Trade #142
09:42 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
09:44 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Price exceeded my stop by 1 tick before moving back to target.
Daily loss limit reached...again
Finished for the day.
AAR
Objective: Follow mission plan with extreme prejudice.
Outcome: I followed the plan today with no mistakes, but it was another short and losing day.
Observations: My method was against the flow of the market on the first 3 trades. On the last 2, it was with the flow, but one trade was stopped out to the tick and one stop was only exceeded by one tick, with both moving right back down to their respective targets.
Although it is a bit frustrating to be having such poor results lately, I have to keep in mind that this is an exercise in consistency. I've learned an enormous amount about myself during this process so far. I've begun developing a strong habit of consistency and trust in myself to follow my own rules.
I also think this could quite possibly be the most valuable period during this exercise. This is the point when I would normally be looking for a "better way." My method is obviously struggling, but if I stick with it until at least trade #150, I think I may see the value in being consistent over the long term.
"Is it hard? Not if you have the right attitude. It's having the right attitude that's hard." - Robert Pirsig
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Kevlar, bullets & batteries checked and ready...
08:25 T-Minus 5...weapons live...head on swivel...eyes peeled...prepared to engage.
Trade #143
08:38 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
08:41 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #144 Mistake 08:52 Short prior to report at 09:00.
08:59 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #145
09:16 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
09:18 Objective 1 achieved. +6 ticks.
09:20 Objective 2 achieved. +8 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #146
09:24 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
09:28 Objective 1 achieved. +6 ticks.
09:29 Objective 2 achieved. +8 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #147
09:41 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
09:44 I'm pretty confident that this trade will not make it to T2, because I'm seeing something that leads me to believe that price should be turning around in this area. I don't have enough experience with it yet, so I have to just watch and learn. I also have to take the trades according to my plan for now.
09:46 Objective 1 achieved. +6 ticks.
09:50 No Joy on lot 2. -5 ticks.
Wow! I was right.
Trade #148
09:58 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
10:02 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #149
10:11 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
10:13 Objective 1 achieved. +6 ticks.
10:24 Objective 2 achieved. +11 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #150
10:26 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
10:29 Objective 1 achieved. +6 ticks.
No Joy on lot 2. -5 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Price exceeded my stop by only 1 tick on the second lot before moving back down to target.
Trade #151
10:37 Short on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
10:38 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #152
11:30 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
11:32 Objective 1 achieved. +6 ticks.
11:33 Objective 2 achieved. +6 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #153
11:49 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
11:57 Objective 1 achieved. +6 ticks.
12:00 Objective 2 achieved. +9 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #154
12:08 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
12:12 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #155
12:57 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
13:06 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #156
13:16 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 should have been the same, but I wasn't focused completely on my trading and didn't adjust my second target as I should have. As result I gained 2 extra ticks on the trade.
13:21 Objective 1 achieved. +6 ticks.
13:21 Objective 2 achieved. +8 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #157
14:05 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
14:12 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Stand down, RTB
14:30 New order cut-off time. Finished for the day.
AAR
Objective: Follow mission plan with extreme prejudice.
Outcome: I made a mistake on the second trade of the day by entering too close to high impact reports/happenings, and it cost me.
However, today was decidedly different than the past few days. Today's market action was conducive to my method, so it was a good day.
Observations: Although today's success doesn't necessarily have implications as far as the long-term effectiveness of my current method is concerned, there is one thing that stands out above all else: Staying consistent with a method will put one in a position to take advantage when conditions are conducive.
"Is it hard? Not if you have the right attitude. It's having the right attitude that's hard." - Robert Pirsig
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Kevlar, bullets & batteries checked and ready...
08:25 T-Minus 5...weapons live...head on swivel...eyes peeled...prepared to engage.
Mistake at the very start
08:32 Allowed a different time frame chart to deter me from taking a valid setup and missed a winning opportunity.
Trade #158
08:55 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
09:00 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #159
09:07 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
I finessed the entry on this one. If I had entered normally I would have been stopped out to the tick.
T1 and T2 are the same.
09:11 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #160
09:18 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
09:19 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #161
09:36 Short on INVALID setup. Tried to pick a top based on other time frame charts. What the **** are you doing grunt?! Do you think you're so smart that you can predict where the market is going to turn?! Break protocol one more time and you're done for the day!
09:39 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #162
10:18 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
10:20 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #163
10:43 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
10:51 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #164
11:01 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
11:07 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #165
11:14 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
11:21 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #166
11:59 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
12:04 No Joy. -10 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Stopped out to the tick on this one.
Trade #167
12:47 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn... Mistake T1 and T2 should have been the same but I was distracted and left T2 beyond the T1 level.
13:10 Objective 1 achieved. +6 ticks.
13:12 Objective 1 achieved. +8 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Trade #168
13:55 Long on valid setup. Win or lose, it's irrelevant. Record the trade, watch it, and learn...
T1 and T2 are the same.
13:59 Objective achieved. +12 ticks.
Record results, stabilize/regroup, and prepare for the next assault. Focus only on the task at hand.
Stand down, RTB
14:30 New order cut-off time. Finished for the day.
AAR
Objective: Follow mission plan with extreme prejudice.
Outcome: I missed the first winning trade because I was looking at what was happening on another chart.
Because I'm beyond trade #150 and had the mentality that I could be looser with my rules, I finessed the entry on trade #159 and avoided a stop-out. However, that attitude came back to bite me. I broke my rules on trade #161 and tried to fade the high (at that time), which resulted in a losing trade.
Observations: Trade #161 was a losing trade, but what I found far more important is that as soon as I took it I suddenly felt lost. In fact I immediately started to look for another trade in the same direction AGAINST MY RULES. It would have been a loser too. And I know that I would have been fuming had I taken another loser while breaking my rules.
Today has shown me again how important it is to have a plan, and how important it is to honor that plan.
The other powerful lesson for me today is that having an idea about what the market should do at x or y level has no bearing whatsoever on what the market is going to do.
In other words, until about 12:00CT I kept expecting the market to turn around and head back down because I had identified a couple important levels on a longer term chart (the reason I took that trade against my rules). But the market beat the **** out of those levels and did whatever it wanted to do. If I had kept trying to fade the highs instead of following my rules, I would have been beaten to bloody pulp.
It is so much better to go with what the market is doing, than it is to try to figure out what the market is going to do.
"Is it hard? Not if you have the right attitude. It's having the right attitude that's hard." - Robert Pirsig
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There is so much truth and utility in this statement, it's almost mind-boggling. It really is one of the concepts that has taken me the longest to understand accept - and I'm not even getting into actually applying it.
As always, excellent work @AttitudeTrader and kudos for sharing your journey.
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. ~ Seneca
"Is it hard? Not if you have the right attitude. It's having the right attitude that's hard." - Robert Pirsig
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