Two truths in markets:
1. Your intelligence, your strength, your effort count for nothing in the face of an unmovable market.
2. Nobody cares. Winning, losing, break even. Heard earned or easy, nobody cares about you.
Despite this, much of the retail or independent trading world is run by ego, bravado and other covers for insecurity that express the reality that they do not understand these two truths.
Don’t be fooled.
There are two warnings here. One is a warning against this false bravado.
If you find yourself scrolling and you see declarations of bravery, beware. This is a lie. No one worth their salt would ever tell you how great they are. Yet, in our modern world of false presentation, this is the main ploy for attention.
Call it what it is. Bravado masking insecurity.
In Markets
You are not a hero.
You are not a champ. You are nothing. You win only because the market allowed it and you lose when you attempt to take it on, mano-a-mano. A great trader needs to be OK with this. Instead of fighting the bus head on, you need to get on the bus and enjoy the ride.
Sure, it’s humbling, but that is the job.
Defend the castle not the street.
99% of what you see publicly is people defending the street. They are out, they are loud, they have a cause. All the while, they leave the castle unguarded. So it it also in markets. If you go out and fight in the street, you leave the castle un-guarded.
You’re primary job is to first guard the castle. Defend it’s walls.
This means you sit tight. You keep your eyes pealed. You play good defense. There is not need to expose yourself to the street when victory remains guarded by heavy walls. In the same way, you can learn to play on your own terms. Learn to play home games.
New traders go out and throw themselves at every chance they can. What do they get? Run over. Time and time again they find the front of the bus at full speed. A seasoned trader however, knows that they only want to enter fights they can win. Fights with an advantage. This is the birth of patience. It’s not a matter of massive self discipline. It’s a matter of self defense., a matter of survival.
Look around.
Take a moment to look around. What do you see?
You’ll see you guns throwing themselves up for glory. Massive swings in PnL followed by bolt statements, shot calling, petty fight picking and lap after lap of the same nonsense.
What do you see in the guy’s who’ve done this a while? Do you see that same bravado?
You do not. You see them defend the walls they need to defend in order to keep their operation going. This applies to all business and even life decisions. Most people find themselves spread far too thin chasing things they can’t catch and can’t control. Instead, build a strong “NO” and a love for focus on your own walls. Build a strong defense. One that can handle exposure to extremes. It’s this exposure over time that builds great kingdoms, not the chasing after every flippant move, feeling or spotlight.
Build resolve.
Resolve to stay where you are. Resolve to stand your ground. Resolve to be who you intend to be.
Do this in silence. Do this without anyone watching. Because they aren’t. It’s just you. There is no one else. Another traders plan? Who cares. A macro call you don’t totally understand? Forget about it. A trade everyone seems to have banked on? What does it mean to you?
Focus on your own Castle.
This is all that matters. Everything else is a distraction. The degree you can cut distractions will be the measure of you success in the goals you aim to achieve. Go offline. Go outside. Study your own methods. Study your future life. Make this you primary focus for 12 months and you will come out the other side a different person. You will also come out amazed at the chaos people accept as normal.