My journey journal...from demo to live...and beyond

Hey Journal.

[B]MY TRADING STRUCTURE [/B]

[B][I]Time Frame :[/I][/B]
I’m a swing trader. I only have so much time in a day to devote to my trading business. This is part time.
This is the best way for me to be able to take advantage of the market. It’s operating on longer time frames.
Plus I believe it’s true that in the longer time frames the market structure is more apparent and accurate.
So, I will use these 3 time frames. Monthly. Weekly. Daily.

[B]Monthly:[/B]
—Tells me the prevailing (secured) trend state.
—It’s the first look at the state.
—It’s not a complete picture.
—It’s the first (most important) half of the state.
[B]Weekly:[/B]
—This is the second half of the secured state.
—Completes the picture.
—The weekly perspective, I believe, is most important.
—The close of the week is very important. I feel this aspect, of seeing price movement ending up in a weeks time, is a major clue. For direction.
[B]Daily:[/B]
—The smallest time frame I need.
—Used for entries.
—I understand that within a weeks time price will most probably- have a direction, coupled with a correction. In some form of fashion.
—I can only use a close for an entry.

So, in my mind, from where I came from, I need to learn to slow down and be more patient.
My time perspective, in regards to trading, needs to take place from further out. Because I do believe in the market structure being more accurate in higher time frames.
Plus it’s the only way I can trade anyway, in a days/weeks time.
I definitely will need to adopt the correct risk control in regards to this time perspective.
That is another element of [I]my trading structure[/I].

Mike

1 Like

Hi Journal.

[B]MY TRADING STRUCTURE[/B]

[B][I]Trading Scenarios:[/I][/B]

I will be looking at the market with this in mind. The market has structure. The only possible states it can possibly take are:
—Flowing uptrend
—Flowing downtrend
—Topping market
—Bottoming market
—Ranging – (either as an aimless state or a consolidating state)

My function will be to exploit one of those states for a trade.
With tools and clues, I can pick one of those states to trade. To be objective about it I will attach probabilities for and against the reason of taking the trade.
My objective will be to either ride out the state or cut my losses (in the event of a misread).
Here are my possible scenarios.
[B]An uptrend :[/B]
–Join in the existing order flow.
–Buy order with a stop loss.
–Exit at a top. Or a reversal. (Of course when it is revealed after the fact)
[B]A downtrend :[/B]
–Join in the existing order flow.
–Sell order with a stop loss.
–Exit at a bottom. Or a long ranging condition. (Of course when it is revealed after the fact)
[B]A top :[/B]
–Fading the uptrend.
–Sell order with a stop loss.
–Predominantly at all time highs.
–Exit when it is not considered a downtrend anymore. Lengthy ranging condition.
[B]A bottom :[/B]
–Fading the downtrend.
–Buy order with a stop loss.
–Exit when not considered an uptrend anymore. Lengthy ranging condition.
[B]Ranging :[/B]
–Consolidating ranging condition only.
–Either buy a breakout, with a stop loss.
–Or sell a breakout, with a stop loss.
–On a long trade, exit when not considered an uptrend anymore.
–On a short trade, exit when not considered a downtrend anymore.

This is putting my trading in some sort of perspective. How I will trade. What possible trades I will take.
And surely there will be more specifics to the trades, but this is more of an outline, to begin with.

Mike

1 Like

Hi Journal.

Well, some interesting stuff happening to me.
It’s because I’ve been reading. And learning more about myself. About how I choose to approach the market.
Therefore these books that I’ve been reading have been leading me down a [I]slightly[/I] different path. I believe it’s where I belong.
When I look back, I have noticed the changes. It started with me learning that the one very huge tool that I have adopted that started the changes. It’s what’s been missing in my trading. [B]VOLUME.[/B]
If there’s anything that makes sense to me, it’s that. So…I’ve been learning.
But, what I’ve realized, because of that, is I belong in a different market. One where the volume is regulated and transparent, better than the fx market. Don’t get me wrong Journal, my first love will always be the forex market. But now, I’m embarking on a journey in the [B][I]futures market.[/I][/B]
That’s where everything is regulated, tallied, supervised, including the volume.
Let me throw out the 2 books that I’m now in the middle of. 'Mind over Markets…by James F. Dalton, Eric T. Jones, Robert B. Dalton ([I]power trading with market generated information)[/I]. And ‘Markets Profile’…same authors ([I]profiting from the Auction Process)[/I].
This is gonna take some time for me to digest. This method of trading revolves around examining the order flow, and monitoring that volume. Now, this all seems like I don’t care [I]what[/I] it is in particular that I trade. Because I don’t want the subject (item traded) to be my focus (getting back to the emotional attachment I want to avoid). But, I realize that I am a trader. And now is the time break out my close-minded mind. I knew one of these days I would eventually be a trader that can trade anything. Currencies. Commodities. Stocks. Gov’t debt. CFD’s. But honestly…I’m afraid. I was afraid. Probably because I don’t understand how all these other things work.
Now is the time. And this is the reason why…cause…I CAN STILL TRADE CURRENCIES!! Yay!!!
You know, this was my original plan, way back when I researched and overviewed them all. From the top down. Currencies is definitely first. That only makes sense.

So Journal, I just wanted to pop in here and let you know what I’ve been up to.
I also am aware of how much work is ahead of me. Look…the only thing that has changed is the particular market. I have many issues still on the table. My operating trading strategy. Money management. Risk management. My capital building plan. Basically the road I need to take to trade my way, all the way up, to my full time trading business.

Mike

Hi Journal.
Yep, it’s me. I’m still alive. I just wanted to note what’s been going on with me.
To keep it short, after spinning my wheels trying to figure out what’s my next course of action, I am coming home. It was 2 days ago that I was on the phone with someone. And you should of seen my excitement when I got off the phone. I don’t ever remember being this happy! I am going to learn this business, once and for all. I have hope now.
I absolutely never would have thought that I would be one of those who gets mentored. You know, pay out money for the knowledge that is somewhere out there on the net. Well, now when I think about it, this only makes sense. I mean, when someone who is very old and has been around for a long time, and has developed a team of experienced traders for the purpose of developing the trader from within, I have raised my hand. I want to be taught! I am going to be the pupil. And will be taught. How to become a successful business owner of my own trading business. That is my goal. Always has been, and now I will be learning the best way for that end.
Yep, it’s gonna cost. But, I know that it will all depend upon me and my drive, desire, effort, and passion for this. Therefore, I will not fail. I just need guidance in all of the different areas.
So Journal, get ready for some real honest to goodness learning.
I’ll give you a little clue from who.

My life is finally about to officially begin.
This is the beginning of happiness.

Stay tuned.

Mike

3 Likes

Hi Journal!
Well, it’s Monday morning. Just got to my work now, and as I always do, I have some time before things start flying around here. But I just wanted to tell you what’s going on.
This is the day. The BIG day. Tonight at exactly 7pm I will have my first meeting with…hope. I am going to get help. From experience. I have no idea what is going to happen. All you have to do is visit the site, exceptionaltrader.com. They are in the business of helping traders.
But what I have been doing lately is preparing (on paper) what my goals are, where I have been, my journey, and just getting ready for questions about myself, my trading, and where I want to go. So, this morning, I thought it would be a good idea to go back to the beginning of this thread (journal) and see where I have come from. So, I woke up at 2:30am, and sitting there and thinking what else can I do to get prepared for this one on one meeting. Yep, go back and read this journal. So, for the next 3 hours, that’s what I did. Man!!! What a long journal! I only got to the 5th page. Then I had to get going to work. But, boy o boy, what a journey. I guess I am a talker. I can’t believe it. And one thing I do realize, is how much I just do not know. I have so much learning to do. I guess your gonna have that with inexperience.
And that leads me to the present. Because what has really been going on with me lately is this…
A whole lot of walls have been coming down. Pretty much everything that I have been dedicated to is gone. Except one thing. THIS JOURNAL. I will never let go of this very important tool. See, I no longer run the numbers. I don’t even know what’s going on in the market! I mean, that always have been so very important to me. Because I enjoy it so much! And I don’t have any goals anymore. But I am realizing that it is my business that is of the utmost importance to me, more than trading. It’s like splitting hairs, but a big difference. And I have finally smartened up and started reading very much. What I am reading is teaching me to do things the smart way, as opposed to my way.
But tonight…I hope…I will begin on a path to success. Doesn’t it only make sense to learn from experienced people in the business? I mean really. I guess I thought of myself as someone who could figure it all out. Well, I can’t. See…the walls are finally coming down. Even my ego. ‘Who do I think I am’?
Sure I might be able to figure it out, in maybe 10 years from now, in the part- time time frame. But, I am not that young anymore. I got one more year to go and then it’s all over. I will be 50 next year at this time.
Anyway, Mike, it’s time to learn. I have all the dedication necessary. I am a man of purpose. I will do what it takes to achieve my ultimate goal, which is to do the thing that I love the most, even if I don’t make any money at it, which is: to have my own business, be successful to the point that I am not dependant upon anyone else (an employer), and enjoy every single second of my days operating in it.

I am so nervous. Tonight. It starts. I hope I can talk in a manner to be understood. It’s much easier to type, than to talk, for me.

Wish me luck Journal.
I will report what went down.

Mike

Good morning Journal. :44:

Well, I got the call. And we talked. It was more like he wanted me to talk to him. Mind you, this is the owner of the team, and he was getting a feel for me. This was like a screening. I guess they just don’t take anyone.
His job was to hear me out and to determine if I was any kind of candidate. So, that’s what I did. I tried to put my entire life long dream into perspective, in a short amount of time. And I think he understood me. I am serious about developing myself into the entrepreneurial trader that I know I can become. I don’t know, maybe there are people out there that have their priorities mixed up, meaning they just want to become rich, and to find the quickest way to that end, without doing the hard work of building ones self. I guess there’s a difference between people who just want to be told what to do, with maybe a magic set of directives for them to obey that will get them to success, than to those who are willing to make the core value changes, who want to be molded and constructed into becoming a successful trading business owner. One that is able to build the business and continually make it grow. Needless to say, I am not like those people who are short sighted, not see the big picture as it should. I am serious about this. Of course, I know no other way to be.
But anyway, he accepts me. He likes what he hears. So he wants me to be connected to another person of the team, who deals with the processes involved. The signing up, the courses of action, etc…I have viewed this guys personal testimony (it’s a video on the site). I think we are gonna get along real good. He’s my age. He actually went through the program, and succeeded, and was liked so much that he became a part of their team. His background experience propels him in becoming a major asset to the team.
Needless to say, I am looking forward to this journey. He will get my info, from the boss, later on this week. And when he does, he’s gonna get in touch with me.
Then, my friend, it’s on.
All of the potential, all of the possibilities, all excellence, will come out of me.
I just cannot wait.

Mike

2 Likes

Hi Journal.
Well, I just wanted to check in with you, and let you know what has happened lately.
Let’s see…the latest. Well, last night, I had the talk. With the man responsible for heading up of the prospects for their program. And it went very well! (I think I mentioned it already, but, they are not just accepting anyone. They want serious people. And they want those who are willing to put in the work. Who are committed to building themselves up to become an honest-to-goodness entrepreneurial trader).
We talked for an hour and a half. And I gave him all I got (my past, present, and future aspirations). He agrees that it’s not a question of whether trading is for me or not. I think he understands that this trading business is my life.
Bottom line, from the conversation, is that we are gonna be very good friends, for a long time to come. Bottom line…I’m gonna get the help that I need, want. I will be the pupil. And I plan on taking all of this stuff in like it’s the air that I breathe. I need taught! Oh, and I even got out of him a sort of a promise. He said that at the end of the program, I will have received everything that I need in order to become a successful entrepreneurial trader.
This small team of people are traders. That’s how they make their money. They are not in it for the supplemental income. It’s not even that much! But this guy I talked to…he’s excited. Oh, that’s right, I remember what he said. He said he does this because it helps him out also. (Remember when I said that we will never be done with the learning aspect?) Yeah, he is very excited to see how I will develop. He said that I seem to be very pliable, moldable. Cause it took him 7 yrs to get to this point, and he brought a lot of garbage to the table when he first started in the program. So therefore he had to strip himself of the bad habits he incurred along the way. And I was telling him that that’s where I have been at lately. I have gotten to the point now where I am broken. The walls have come down. Everything that I thought might have worked didn’t work. I did swear that I would not go back into the market until I felt I was really ready. I have realized that I cannot teach myself, I must be taught. And not only that, but must be taught from the right person (or people), with much experience and success. That only makes sense to me.
But, you know, there’s one thing that will absolutely never leave me (cause I cannot deny myself) and that would be my dream. To build my business. My successful, ever growing trading business. Cause (within my business) there’s nothing that I enjoy more than; understanding the markets, being a part of the transactions that take place there, seeing the relationships of all of the instruments, watching the money flows, understanding where investors are putting their hard earned money throughout the world. There is nothing more fascinating to me!! I love macroeconomics!!
Ok Mike, settle down.
Anyway.
This program is gonna go down for me. I’m all in. I’m going to learn. This is going down sometime at the end of October, beginning of November. There’s a 3 week process starting then. And then after that a 6 week process. I surely will be involved in both of those 2 programs. And my friend said that in the meantime he will talk to the boss in order to give me some things to keep me occupied until then. (Cause he knows I’m just itching to sink my teeth into something!)
Hang with me Journal. This is gonna take some time. And don’t worry…you are going to witness greatness coming from this guy.

Mike

1 Like

Hey Journal.
Well I figured I’d come on in here and say a few things. I know it’s been a couple of weeks since.
What have I been up to lately?
Man…well, it’s been killing me waiting for the program to begin. I’ve been so used to putting my hand to something. Regarding my trading business. Whether running some daily numbers, figuring out a strategy, etc.
Now, really nothing. Well, I guess I have been doing some stuff.
I hopped on the SBA site. (Small Business Administration) And I was following all of the steps of writing out a business plan. I figured it would be good to approach the trading plan from the business aspect. And maybe, since you have to be very detailed on how your business operates, I could come up with some details of a strategy and the whole operation of it all. That was my original idea. Yeah, well, I got through some of the steps, and just recently jumped on out of it. For whatever reasons, I got uninterested. Sure, I did learn some things about the industry. That’s because it forced me to do some heavy research. I was on the SEC website much. Whenever you embark on such a feat as a writing out the business plan, you need to know the industry pretty good. And for me that would be the financial services industry. Then more specifically retail trading. But then you have to explain the whole day trading part of it. But see, I’m not at that stage yet. I have to work my way up to that. I guess the whole capital building stage would need to be explained, and then up to the goal of becoming the sole proprietary of your trading business. Needless to say, that whole thing is gonna take a lot of time to do.
I’m not done with it. But will revisit it at a later time.
Well, I did get an email today with some homework to do for this program that will start on Nov. 1st.
I will come back and clue you in on what I will be doing for the next two weeks leading up to that.

Some good stuff coming my way.

Mike

1 Like

Hey Journal.
You know…I’ve been thinking about this. I think I just might attempt to do something that probably has never been done before. Here.
See, this is my Journal. And I make it personal. I mean, I don’t think anyone (other than BP’s of course) can prevent me from journaling whatever I want. And where I am at right now, I think I just might do this. Look, I am aware that there are onlookers to my sight here. And to be honest, the reason why I journalize my journey is for me. Cause it helps me in many ways. So…should I have a consideration to who looks at what I write, and what my content could or shouldn’t be? My answer is definitely a ‘no’. All this is for me.
Given all that giberish…this is my idea. (And I really want to do this)
As you know, I am about to start a program. It costs some money. I am going to pay to get learned…on how to become a trader. I fully believe that this material will undoubtedly get me to where I want to be, and become. (Of course it all depends on how much effort I put into it). So, what I am going to study and learn…I want to document it all here. I want to see how far it will take me. I mean, if it was my original plan to document my entire journey from novice to expert (which always has been the case in here), then why not go all the way with it. And that being, putting it out here, in my site, all that I learn. Even if it’s material that I pay for. Look, I (in a million years) never ever thought that I would do this. So this is uncharted territory for me. And I don’t really care who see’s this stuff or not. I just hope that the source of the material won’t mind. That’s all. To be honest about it, I have, on a couple occasions, mentioned to them that if they really want to get to know me, they should go on BabyPips and read my journal. I told them that it would take about 5 hrs in total to go through everything I journalized. (I know, because that’s how long it took me from beginning to the end so far). And I really don’t think anyone there has done that, for whatever reason. I guess I’m glad, because now, I’m going to basically spill the beans. And I don’t even care if other people will possibly learn what I learn. All I am concerned with is this. I want documented proof of my journey, from a newbie all the way up to expert. A business that started in infancy to a thriving one. I want to look back at these times that I had a full time job, and made the transition to a full time independently operating trading business. Cause I know without a shadow of doubt, where I am going. And I want it all documented. Oh, also, for other newbies out
there to see that it is possible to achieve.
Anyway, that’s nice.
On the next posts comes some learning. I’m gonna throw out what stuff I have to go through now.
https://dl-mail.ymail.com/ws/download/mailboxes/@.id==VjJ-PrxDukRz-YmkKLpTuPS2Hk8zHt0bSuz3GwqlkobzQi2T8aEx0cdKAiPTtl5RzsZuGl2LEeEb8L4Fd0GBJs5fOA/messages/@.id==AGx2w0MAEFiEWARTsgJ40HjV0Ik/content/all?archive=Attachments_20161018.zip&appid=YahooMailNeo&token=YFUaQi2EnW6a9EPZcNBp7gE3itI8xGtlxTC9U6O9EKgbim-vDQGL2TJjZ0SNVED2BLGyhIOkferk3ebR2iBq4zCjSaiGaG-8k02GwV-kf1rhBLnz2bZQufgc5_eQwIX-&ymreqid=135703ed-8096-38cc-01fc-0e0014010000

Mike

P.S. There’s 4 attachments there. Hope it all can be seen. I will be expounding on some of that stuff in the posts to come.

2 Likes

Hi Journal.
Well, I have a couple of prerequisites that I need to do before my first meeting. For Nov. 1st.
First, I should be learning my way around ‘Mind Mapping’. This is one of their biggest tools. So I have been practicing this technique. Let’s see if I can explain what this is. It’s a tool. A method. On paper. Also as a computer program. It’s a visual way of organizing, structuring, figuring out stuff. It’s like this. Say I have a piece of paper. In the middle of it will go the central theme. Then there will be tangents drawn away from that theme. And within those subtitles will be more subtitles. The idea is to get down on paper (or on the computer screen) a visually helpful way to either remember stuff, or even to figure out stuff. Also it can be a good way to have things organized in a way to be very helpful to yourself. So, I do have some stuff started already. The first title I did was ‘My business plan’. Cause that’s what I left off doing lately. So I just got it down, only what I accomplished so far. Then I started ‘My trading strategy’. Of course it’s not complete. And one more topic I started. ‘My journey to starting my trading business’. All of this is not completed, but it gave me some good practice with the computer program.
So…ok…that’s nice. I’ll be using that tool in the days to come.
The other prerequisite is a book. I ordered it. It came. And I was like…ok, this is nice. Well, I better get to reading it. It’s called ‘One small step can change your life’ ‘the Kaizen way’, by Robert Maurer, Ph. D.
Absolutely no expectations for this. But once I got to reading it…Oh man…this is so true. This is gonna change my life. I wrote down many notes on it already. And I’m only on the first chapter. Here are some of my notes.
Kaizen = Japanese word for ‘small steps for continual improvement’.
Low-key change helps the human mind circumnavigate the fear that blocks success and creativity.
Matering small steps of change in a safe, nonthreatening environment.
The Kaizen approach is a highly effective method of building new neural connections in the brain.
Change is frightening. This human fact is unavoidable. This fear of change is rooted in the brain’s physiology, and when fear takes hold, it can prevent creativity, change, and success.
The brain is designed so that any new challenge of opportunity or desire triggers some degree of fear.
The amygdala alerts part of the body to prepare for action-and our access to the cortex is restricted, and sometimes shut down.
Large Goal —fear—access to cortex restricted—failure.
Small Goal —fear bypassed—cortex engaged—success.
Your brain is programmed to resist change. But, by taking small steps, you effectively rewire your nervous system so that is does the following: ‘unsticks’ you from a creative block///bypasses the fight-or-flight response////creates new connections between neurons so that the brain enthusiastically takes over the process of change and you progress rapidly toward your goal.

This is speaking to me big time. See, I know that I am a ‘all or nothing’ kind of person. When I do something, it’s all the way. Big. But I realize now how important it is to go slow. I mean, I even see this when I read stuff. I have a tendency to forget what I read. It’s because I don’t read slowly. My brain doesn’t take the time to digest, ponder, and really get whatever I read. The whole go slow, with small steps means very much to me personally. In fact, I know that I can do pretty much anything I want to. And this feat of becoming a very successful business owner, trading securities, is not an easy task. Therefore, now I know, that I am, without fail, going to achieve this. And now I know how…
ONE STEP AT A TIME.
That’s what this book is all about. One small step at a time. I’ve always known that I need to slow down. I even see it in my children. This trait.

Anyway, I got to run.
More to come on this subject.

Mike

2 Likes

Hi Journal.
Well, I have a couple of prerequisites that I need to do before my first meeting. For Nov. 1st.
First, I should be learning my way around ‘Mind Mapping’. This is one of their biggest tools. So I have been practicing this technique. Let’s see if I can explain what this is. It’s a tool. A method. On paper. Also as a computer program. It’s a visual way of organizing, structuring, figuring out stuff. It’s like this. Say I have a piece of paper. In the middle of it will go the central theme. Then there will be tangents drawn away from that theme. And within those subtitles will be more subtitles. The idea is to get down on paper (or on the computer screen) a visually helpful way to either remember stuff, or even to figure out stuff. Also it can be a good way to have things organized in a way to be very helpful to yourself. So, I do have some stuff started already. The first title I did was ‘My business plan’. Cause that’s what I left off doing lately. So I just got it down, only what I accomplished so far. Then I started ‘My trading strategy’. Of course it’s not complete. And one more topic I started. ‘My journey to starting my trading business’. All of this is not completed, but it gave me some good practice with the computer program.
So…ok…that’s nice. I’ll be using that tool in the days to come.
The other prerequisite is a book. I ordered it. It came. And I was like…ok, this is nice. Well, I better get to reading it. It’s called ‘One small step can change your life’ ‘the Kaizen way’, by Robert Maurer, Ph. D.
Absolutely no expectations for this. But once I got to reading it…Oh man…this is so true. This is gonna change my life. I wrote down many notes on it already. And I’m only on the first chapter. Here are some of my notes.
Kaizen = Japanese word for ‘small steps for continual improvement’.
Low-key change helps the human mind circumnavigate the fear that blocks success and creativity.
Mastering small steps of change in a safe, nonthreatening environment.
The Kaizen approach is a highly effective method of building new neural connections in the brain.
Change is frightening. This human fact is unavoidable. This fear of change is rooted in the brain’s physiology, and when fear takes hold, it can prevent creativity, change, and success.
The brain is designed so that any new challenge of opportunity or desire triggers some degree of fear.
The amygdala alerts part of the body to prepare for action-and our access to the cortex is restricted, and sometimes shut down.
Large Goal —fear—access to cortex restricted—failure.
Small Goal —fear bypassed—cortex engaged—success.
Your brain is programmed to resist change. But, by taking small steps, you effectively rewire your nervous system so that is does the following: ‘unsticks’ you from a creative block///bypasses the fight-or-flight response////creates new connections between neurons so that the brain enthusiastically takes over the process of change and you progress rapidly toward your goal.

This is speaking to me big time. See, I know that I am a ‘all or nothing’ kind of person. When I do something, it’s all the way. Big. But I realize now how important it is to go slow. I mean, I even see this when I read stuff. I have a tendency to forget what I read. It’s because I don’t read slowly. My brain doesn’t take the time to digest, ponder, and really get whatever I read. The whole go slow, with small steps means very much to me personally. In fact, I know that I can do pretty much anything I want to. And this feat of becoming a very successful business owner, trading securities, is not an easy task. Therefore, now I know, that I am, without fail, going to achieve this. And now I know how…
ONE STEP AT A TIME.
That’s what this book is all about. One small step at a time. I’ve always known that I need to slow down. I even see it in my children. This trait.

Anyway, I got to run.
More to come on this subject.

Mike

Hey Journal.
Recapping what I’ve been reading.
The entire point of this book is ‘SMALL’. And it all makes sense. For any kind of real change in a person, going about it slowly is the way. It’s how our brains can really accomplish something.
–Ask yourself small questions. By asking small questions of yourself, you lay the groundwork for a personalized program for change. Your brain loves questions. You need to program your brain for creativity.
–Think small thoughts. ‘Mind Sculpture’ takes advantage of cutting edge neuroscience, which suggests that the brain learns best, not in large dramatic doses, but in very small increments, smaller than ever believed possible.
–Take small actions. Small actions are at the heart of Kaizen. By taking steps so tiny that they seem trivial or even laughable, you’ll sail calmly past obstacles that have defeated you before. Slowly-but painlessly- you’ll cultivate an appetite for continued success and lay down a permanent new route to change.

So, as I have been pondering all of this stuff throughout my days, something just bothers me. I guess I always pose this question to myself, on a daily basis, no lie. How am I building my business today? I am a man of purpose. I want to be productive. Always. And believe it or not I still wake up at 2:30am every morning. Out of the shower and sitting down by 3. If I am not being productive on my journey to building my business, I get upset with myself. (Like when the times I tend to fall asleep around 5 for a few minutes before work) So, lately, all I’ve been doing is reading. Reading general stuff like this. How does this stuff relate to my business development? Am I constructively building my trading business? I mean, sure, who shouldn’t be trying to better themselves as a person, companion, person of society?
That’s what this stuff seems to be. Being able to change something about yourself that’s not good. An obstacle and so forth…(Losing weight, how you treat people etc…)
So, lately, I’ve been wondering if I am really bettering myself as a: trader, business owner, economist.
Initially it doesn’t seem so.
But, what I’m going to do is this. Since all this stuff I’m learning now is headed under ‘CORE TRADER SKILLS’, then I must be patient. And when the specific trading stuff comes, I need to [B]apply[/B] all of this mental stuff to it.
That’s where I’m at now. I guess I need to take it slow and be patient.

Mike

Hi Journal!
Well, you never hear from me at about this time of day. I’m at work. (Kinda slow at the moment)
But anyway, I will be leaving early today (only one hour earlier than normal), in like one hour from now. Because I have the first meeting with this program.
I am nervous. And I am prepared. Read that one book. And got some practice with Mind Mapping.
So, it’s on. This meeting is a webinar. I never did one of those. (I’m old school, what can I say.) But, it’s supposed to be for an hour and a half. I will make sure I’m sitting down and ready to do this come time. I have no idea what to expect.
In any case, your definitely gonna get the low down on what I’m getting into.

So…Journal…see ya on the other side.

Mike

(Man I hope I’m not blowing this all out of proportion…expectations running)
(Let’s just see what happens)

Hi Journal.
Well, it’s the morning after. I got through it. My reaction?
It went almost 2 hrs. And when I was done…my head was spinning! This is deep stuff. And I’m trying to get it. I definitely have to digest the content. I took so many notes. I guess my place here is where I will try to sort it all out.
So…man…do I mention names? I don’t know if I could get into trouble. But…I love these guys. Ok.
T.L. is the primary guy here. He’s a very, very old guy. He is the moderator. He has had so much experience teaching traders. He’s like a grandfather. And the nicest guy you would ever meet. And you can tell…he knows what a trader should be like. I mean, to me, it’s like, he embodies all the characteristics of a smart, experienced, down to earth human being. See, I’ve always highly revered old people. They just know stuff!!!
I couldn’t have picked a more knowledged person to learn from. And we have PP. The guy I talked to before.
He’s a great guy. In his prime. Soft spoken. Their both humble people.
So PP starts the whole thing, throws out all the small stuff, introductions about the class, and administration stuff. Then hands it off to T.L. He talks a lot. We are all looking at some good screen shots of material. We can always chime in with a question (by typing it in) if we wanted to. But basically I’m taking notes of the stuff and listening very intently as he talks.
The material. Well, this is what it is. This is a workshop. Core Trader Skills.
We talked about what a Pro is. One who functions according to his set of ‘Pro’ habits.
How do I become a professional? By discarding your ‘amateur’ habits and developing Pro habits.
(I have some incomplete notes, but this is the best I can do for now) (I’m trying to get a transcript of it)
A real life Pro has a toolset.
‘Many start…Few finish…fewer win’. Good quote. So, that means it’s just not enough to begin something. It’s following all the way through. Not only to the finish line, but winning. And it’s a never ending journey.
Ask why 5 times! Don’t accept the first answer.
What is my learning style? How do I capitalize on it to achieve my goals?
There’s a reactive trader. And a responsive trader.
Responsive trader = Has an insatiable desire to achieve. Know’s why he trades. Has defined goals, objectives, and plans. Thinks in probabilities and approximates. Continually refines his performance.
Trades strategically and defensively. Continually raises all of the bars.
Pro Mindset. It’s a way of thinking.
There’s a ‘fixed mindset’. One who thinks they learned it all.
There’s a ‘growth mindset’. One who can always improve. And that comes from hard work. Am I still learning?
It all starts with BELIEF. Belief produces thoughts. Thoughts produces Actions. Actions produces Results.
Mindset + Skillset + Performance = Success.
This is T.L. favorite saying. “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something”.

Man…I’m out of time now. I’m gonna come back in a little bit to throw out there what my homework is.

Mike

1 Like

Hey Journal.
I don’t have much time, but this is what I got.
To be honest about it, I kind of was left with a little bit of confusion. See, this is what I know.
I’m supposed to be doing some mind mapping. This is the tool that we will be using a lot of. And our homework is this. To pick one of three subjects to mind map. Either ‘learning’, ‘practicing’, or ‘improving’.
We did spend much time together going through the subject of learning. There’s questions we must try to answer. Like ‘How do I learn?’. We need to map out – what are the skills, in detail, of learning. --Answer why it’s a core skill. —What is my current rating, of how I learn. and what’s my projected rating of learning. —What will I do to gap of where I’m at now to where I want to be —What are the key step and committed actions I will take —What is the defined payoff.
Well, I think I will make a call and get some more defined direction on this subject (or with at least one of the three subjects).

Sorry I can’t be any more specific. But that’s the extent of what I know to do.
I will get to the bottom of it.

Mike

Journal.
Ok. So, things are becoming more clearer for me. I talked to TL last night, (he reached out to me).
I guess from the top down, it’s this. As I mentioned already, Mind Maps is the tool we are going to use.
I’ve been practicing. Done quite a few already. And what I got to do is start putting them in here. This would be the best place to track them all. (I just need to figure out the way to do it)
In any case, Mind Mapping is such a crucial tool. The benefits are pretty incredible. For one, it’s good for memories. I can always look back on a subject, get the snap shot, and treat it as an album. Another benefit, like the one we’re using now, is for the purpose of building a framework. It’s like a visual aid in building a plan, or a mapping out a course of action. And we are being told to try it out on even the most trivial of subjects. For instance, this past weekend we took a 2 night, 3 day trip to a zoo, kind of far away. What an opportunity to MM this! And I sure did. I’m gonna try to get it here now.


Let’s see if this comes up.

Ok. Well, it is there. Can’t see much of it, but I think I got it.
Anyway…right now, we are all working on one particular MM. The subject is LEARNING. And now I understand it. See, we (I) need to know what’s the best way that I learn. There are different ways that are possible to learn. Some are more visual, hands on, audible, etc…And so, TL asked me last night…‘Mike…what is the best way that you learn?’ And it hit me! I best learn by writing/typing. It’s the physical act of me jotting down what I want learn, seeing it through my eyes as it hits the paper/screen, thinking of it, and being able to go back to it. I even told him that I love journaling. I write stuff down that is important. See, this is important for me to understand, about myself. Cause if I’m going to have to learn how to…become a trader, become a business owner, develop effective routines…I need to understand myself first.
Ok, that’s nice. Here’s my second rough draft of my ‘learning MM’. It’s not done. And it will continually be developing it.


Be back.

So…as I look at it. Learning is the subject. The top right ‘writing/typing’ answers the question of HOW I learn.
To the right is answering the question of ‘why do I learn’. To achieve my goals. ‘what goals?’ The subtopics there are ‘my trading business’, ‘professional trader’, ‘completely self-supported’. Bottom right addresses ‘where am I at presently, and where do I want to end’. (1,10) Bottom left is the gap between where I am at now to where I want to end up. What’s the plan of action to bridge the gap. And presently the course of action is learning about my learning. (Seems kind of weird and cheesy, but oh well).
Left is the ‘who’ am I learning from. And top left is what my final outcome will be. What’s the result that I want to get from learning.
So, this is progression in progress. I’m sure it will be redone. But this is what I got so far. For instance, at the top left is what the outcome will be. Someday I can enter a date of when I have completed…my business plan, trading plan, and routines. So, from clockwise around the clock, I should have known ways of [B]how[/B] am I going to learn. [B]What[/B] am I going to learn. [B]Where[/B] am I at now, on the road.
[B]What[/B] is the course of action. [B]Who[/B] am I learning from. [B]When[/B] have I arrived.

That’s the idea anyway.

I’m gonna have to come up with some clearer maps.

Mike

Hey Journal.
Well, I really don’t have much time, at the moment. I’ve gone through module 02, the transcript from last Tuesday’s webinar meeting. There’s so much stuff he throws out there I just cannot get it down on paper until I go through it again. That’s what I did this morning. Soooooo much information!
But for now I just want to through out his mind map on ‘learning and practicing’. It’s a gem.


I got so much more stuff to get down in here.
It will be a good weekend for this.

Mike

Journal…got a little bit more time now.
I want to note what I’ve been thinking, as I went through the webinar this morning.
There is absolutely so much information given to us, that it kind of gets overwhelming to me sometimes. He goes through slides and the topics that he covers. There are so many good quotes he shows also. And it’s like, there’s no way I can take it all in during the time that we have then. So, thank God I can go back and continually stop, rewind the tape, write, think about the material. And I got to thinking about it. You know…this has to be the best thing I have ever spent money on. Including books that I buy. It’s the specific material, the amount of it, and from whom it comes from, that I like about this. Cause I can always to back to it and learn something more by reviewing it in the future. Plainly put, I am so very thankful for this course.
Ok…yeah…that’s nice.
This is some overview of what we are learning. So, we have pretty much moved on from the topic of learning/practicing. We got a picture of what a good mind map for that looks like.
For me, I’m finally getting more comfortable with what’s the purpose of a mind map. And also how to do it. See, this is the bottom line, on this. (He showed us this quote so many times, and now I know why)
“I had six honest serving men who taught me all I knew, they’re names were WHERE and WHAT and WHEN and WHY and HOW and WHO”. Rudyard Kipling
This is the basis of how to do a mind map. By answering these questions about the subject. And keep asking these questions about the subtopics therein after.
So now, we have moved on to the topics of: Thinking. And TEaM.
Thinking. – Mind Mapping. Learning how to use whole brain thinking (left side = logically : right side = creatively)
TEaM. – Time, Energy, Money. Learning how to manage these resources.

So, I have so many notes on this stuff. And sooooo many awesome quotes.
This weekend I’m gonna lay all it out here.
But this is our learning goal.
[B]Trading Acumen[/B]
Trading Acumen is the understanding of the context, content, and conditions of what it takes for someone who trades to become a successful trader.

Mike