my first attempts at discipline were one failure after the other, and then I would feel so bad about myself. But I got a break and some time off all to myself and then everyday the discipline became more and more natural. not really sure if I am longing for the happy days when I was disciplined, or just longing for my youth. I am very disciplined about the tv shows I watch.
I tend to see it more as taking advantage of change and the opportunity that naturally arises. I see lots of people disciplined about the wrong things. I see people obsessed with money who have forgotten how to think clearly--People who cannot enjoy the simple things in life that are right in front of them.
I hear ya, or mistakenly thinking discipline will produce the results they want in their life only to become obsessed with discipline
Right. It's like trying to build a house and loving your hammer only. It's your mind that is the most important tool. And through it inspiration and other good things.
It's been a while. I live totally free. No need for any discipline unless I impose it on myself. So far so good. I just have some soft rules. No smoking or drinking by my aqaurium or now out in my garden. My trading room is a den of iniquity, but a little discipline keeps it contained. I am not interested in introducing discipline into my trading, I'm interested in introducing the severe discipline I impose on my trading into more mundane day to day habits. I keep hearing in my head, "If you traded like you live your undisciplined life you would be broke and deep in debt."
I liked reading KDASFTG'S response. Doing the q and R might really help. After reading your posts, I'm wondering......" What are you truly seeking"? I wouldnt advise you to "live how you trade". If the professional traders did that they would no longer be human. Your friends/wife/kids/partners would be incredibly confused. Might as well introduce AI to our world. Good stuff. Good luck on this journey.
The difference is Mr Market demands respect. Not so with your sheets and pillow cases. You can push them as long as you want, they'll never make you broke, just a little bit dirty. I'm sort of in the same camp. My life can be falling apart, I still generally see the markets clearly. Sometimes I'm amazed at it. Probably if you went to see a psychologist, they would ask you how you feel about it. Haha.
Greetings Again ETCH, You Said: I'm interested in introducing the severe discipline I impose on my trading into more mundane day to day habits. Response: Oh it would indeed be very interesting if this could really be done. For sure, it would definitely not be a very pretty picture, but it would be very interesting indeed to witness…and not to personally experience again. My friend, it’s one thing to impose a “strict discipline” in a tiny little micro environment like trading wherein you are largely in the direct control of most of the variables in play, at least to a high degree. In other words, you control how you identify your trading patterns, how you define your edge, how you define your risk, and how you execute your trade. It’s pretty straight forward and a tough but highly doable thing. It’s quite another thing to attempt to impose a severe discipline in fast changing living kind of world and environment, one where you are oftimes “just an unwitting passenger on the ride of life”. It so often seems that unexpected and unplanned "shit and stuff" seems to just happen all the time. For a little mundane example: Wifey wants to cuddle, and your kids want to play with Daddy right now on Sunday night. This is because she hasn’t had a “mundane hug” all this week, and the kiddies miss seeing you while you were sequestered all week in your trading room intensely staring at the screen. But you, being the strictly disciplined and highly successful trader that you are, you have firmly decided that you need to study right now in order to maintain your razor sharp edge and success in the market. And since you're doing all this for "them", you thereby continue to impose a strict businesslike discipline on yourself to study, and you easily coerce yourself back into your office for the rest of Sunday night. Adda Boy! You have thereby successfully demonstrated that you are indeed a strictly disciplined trader who will always act in the best interest of his business, and his family. You have also demonstrated that you are also an insensitive, overbearing, jackass of a husband and Father, who may soon be spending a considerable amount of time living and sleeping alone. All this because you haven't as yet learned that life just ain’t like trading,…is it? You may need to conduct a Q&R Session with yourself to ask yourself; "Why do I need a strict discipline in my more mundane day to day habits?" Are the bills not getting paid on time? Am I missing important dates and tasking? Or am I simply afraid that my mundane day to day attitude may once again migrate into my trading, and turn me away from my trading once again? Whatever they may be, you need to confront your fears with your truth and with your honesty, and muster up the courage to then do what needs to be done. “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set ye free.” My friend, you need to realize that your life ain’t your trading, and your trading damn sure ain’t your life. You need to keep these two arenas in their proper places and in their proper perspectives in your life. It cost me relationships with two extremely good women and many, many, many, lonely years of ongoing frustration in both these arenas, just to learn this simple golden lesson. What is it going to cost you.....again? You came here for some advise, and now you’ve got some….“what ya gonna do wit it?” Hope this helps. KDASFTG