Trading is just one step different from being crazy. There is also an adage about genius being close to insanity Appears all roads in fact..., do lead to Rome RN
No question about it, edges can be found in option structures. However, edges in the YM and ES are non existent to retail, no matter how much the "price actioners" , Hershey disciples, and TA chart starers claim. surf
Driven by hunger, a fox tried to reach some grapes hanging high on the vine but was unable to, although he leaped with all his strength. As he went away, the fox remarked 'Oh, you aren't even ripe yet! I don't need any sour grapes.' People who speak disparagingly of things that they cannot attain would do well to apply this story to themselves.
Any winning strategy can seem crazy, winning as often as losing, yet the expectancy makes the difference. Risk management is the Holy Grail
Slightly related to your observation My sister is a special ed teacher. When I was talking about this thread to her, she said the first thought that came to her was that many of her students seem crazy to the average person. People in general don't want to be around them, or are at the least uncomfortable. But many of these students have at least one trait or potential at which they can succeed -- to some degree. The one's who achieve a level of success can be in out society and people soon tend to overlook all the other things that would make them unacceptable. Working towards that goal is part of her job as a special ed teacher. So she said that even if the winning strategy seemed crazy, in that you just keep doing the same thing even if it often loses... if it succeeds overall, people will come to overlook that -- if they see the success. Perhaps this apparent craziness (repeatedly doing something you can expect to often fail) is part of why some people on ET wonder about the claims of success, demanding proof and not believing any that are offered (even histories of live calls). And the part that seems crazy might be why it took so many of us so long to begin trading correctly and profitably... finally in spite of it. Wide Tailz, I think you are exactly right. Expectancy is a key to much of what Mark Douglas talks about. When that psychological piece falls in place, even tho it seems crazy and counter intuitive, then trade management has a chance to develop and begin to work. There is a reason most people cannot find the Holy Grail, and deny that it even exists. It is sitting... if not right in front of us... within each of us. ............. the above is serious IMO, the below not so much... ............ ...ah, you just have to realize you may be a damaged trader, and as such belong in the special ed class. Finding the humility for that was hard for me. But you may be scaring your spouse after losing for years! They may think you are crazy... Your friends don't want to be around you any more, they know you are crazy. Wait. What friends? People are uncomfortable around you. You are frustrated, talk incoherently, ramble about theories non stop, declare you've finally got it but then the next day are under a dark cloud, and throw computers against the walls... If you find yourself in special ed class, listen to the teacher (like Mark Douglas). That is what they are there for.
There are major league baseball players that fail to get a hit 7 out of 10 times. Those .300 batters are considered wildly successful and do quite well.