This is just some of my personal thoughts along my journey in trading.  I love the pattern recognition, in learning charts.  The research into companies and sectors.  It's a constantly learning, evolving and adapting process.  To me it can be like gaming.  For those whom are not into it, they may not understand this relation. 

 

Do you like RPG’s, survivals, 1v1, 5v5, MMO’s, sports, racing?  Do you play mobile, console or pc?  You a pc or a mac?  Android or io’s?  Are you a loot hoarder?  A try hard?  A noob?  Do you watch game play on social media?  Ever taken time off of work for a new game drop?  Ever put a costume on for something other than Halloween?  A con, a festival,  LARP, or D&D?  You run solo, like parties, or team up?

 

I like RPG and survival.  I do not like pvp.  I prefer to play with peeps I know IRL, but I have made new friends playing socially at times.  Just before the pandemic social distancing, I was introduced to the world of D&D, which was tons of fun.

I do not like to be a tank, I do like to farm & scavenge.  I like to be a warrior or mage.  I like puzzles and stories.   At times I like to just button smash.  It takes me a bit to get use to button set ups.  Customizing buttons and sequences were at first overwhelming to me.  I had not played much since SNES days….yeah not many buttons back then.  And if you played anything with someone they had to be in the same physical room with you.  Not like now in which you can play with anyone from anywhere, join a server, make a server, host a server.   Console chat with friends even if they are not playing the same game.  In game party with randoms or friends.  Maybe use discord for multiplatform gaming adventures.  

 

I use to be a loot hoarder.  Forever with a full backpack/storage locker.  Hesitant to sell or breakdown new gear.  Afraid I would not get better drops.  Overwhelmed with what is best perk, thinking need the right tool for the right job.  So then need to have gear/weapon for scenario a, b, c, d, etc.  Afraid to specialize, believing need to be jack of all trades master of none.  

 

So what does this have  to do with trading?

 

Like anything IRL you need to know terminology.  Perhaps you are not a gamer and do not know some of the acronyms I have written.  Then once you learn terminology you have to have some wisdom with that knowledge.   Wisdom meaning how to apply knowledge.  It’s one thing to know something, its something else to know how to apply it.  Which button or buttons to press at the appropriate moments.

 

Letting go of lack mentality.  Fear of losing what I have or have gained.   Fear of letting go of the thought that will not gain any more.  And the fear of have to trade this ticker cause there won’t be another opportunity.  Letting go of old to make room for new.  Issac Newton got caught up in the mania of the South Sea company in the 1700’s..  .There will be another hot sector, another hot stock…

 

Finding what you like to play is like finding your trading pattern/setup.  

I like momentum movers.  It is kind of strange as I can be very patient and rather impatient at the same time.  I have been working on setting better stop losses as I keep getting stopped out.  So I have sized down and have been adapting.  3:1 risk reward easy right?  buy at x price risk 1.5% for goal of 5 %, or risk $20 reward $60,

Buy @ y price risk LOD, reward 3(y-LOD)+y=sell price.  What the f?  lol

Or buy off double bottom cofirmation, risking low of the bottom.  

Or 3 bar bull play, a momentum play that tends to be faster, risk 50% of 1^st large green bar, breaking 52 week highs, or using this as confirmation from a bounce, or cross back over vwap.  Like most peeps my pattern stopped working for me during summer so I have been adapting.  Trying various set up’s strategies. Sub pennies, small cap, mid cap, low float.  Studying, sized down.  

 

Finding what works for you is a journey.  A journey may have a similar path from point a to point z, but it is not the same experience for each on the journey.  Also taking time away from the screen.  Get out from time to time, get some sun, enjoy some nature.  Take a hike, go for a swim.