Trading and Truth

One of the clear, clean things about trading is that truth is immediately and finally manifested. The price goes up or down or nowhere. Your trade or position is profitable or not. You can't spin it any other way. You're right when you make money. You're wrong when you lose money. That's just the way it is.

There are also other truths involved. You just got lucky. You have a robust and proven method for trading that you can rely upon over time. Your methods are flimsy at best, unpredictable at worst. You have no method or you have a million methods which amounts to the same thing. Your impulses frequently and easily override your methods, or you rigidly apply your rules even when you clearly should not.

You keep clear records so you can assess what works best, or you don't and at the end of the day (or the week or the month), you have no idea. Your record of action is either clear or murky. To correct it, it needs to be clear.

You need to tell yourself the truth as you go along. No excuses. No complaints. No trumped-up stories. If you can truthfully analyze your trading mistakes as well as your trading strengths, you can make adjustments, and develop a personal style that will lead to trading success.

Telling the truth about each day's (week's, month's) trading doesn't mean you have to be brutally cruel to yourself or gloomy about your trading. What it does mean is that you don't have to do that again, and you can optimistically look forward to the next day's trading. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

You want to keep your trading in true alignment with any known or possible clues as to the on the ground truths in relevant areas. There are fundamental truths, technical truths, methodological truths, inter-relational truths, and personal truths. The closer you can get in any or all of these areas, the better your prospects. You will seek to know the truth, and those truths will power your trading.

Sign up for our FREE weekly Chart Scan newsletter.

Master Trader Joe Ross wants you to learn trading and he created products to do just that, teach you how to trade. Go to our website to find which ones best fit your trading style. Check out "Our Philosophy".