My Crazy Trading Story and How I Fixed ItHey everyone! I want to tell you about this one time when trading made me feel like I was on a wild rollercoaster. I made some money with a trade, and I got so excited that I thought I could do it again, but even bigger. But guess what? I lost a lot of that money back because I was too greedy.
I know you guys have felt this too:
- Fear: When your trade starts going down, and you get scared, selling it too early. Then, you see it going up the next day, and you're like, "Oh no, why did I do that?"
- Greed: When you win big, you want more, right? But sometimes, that makes you keep a trade too long or do another one without thinking, and then you lose.
-Worry: Those nights where you can't stop thinking about your trades. You're either scared to lose more or afraid you'll miss out if you don't trade. It's so hard to decide what to do.
It's super frustrating when you mess up because you're letting your feelings control your trades. But I found a cool trick that helped me a lot:
My Trick: The Chill-Out Break
When I start feeling all those big emotions - like greed or worry - I set a timer for 15 minutes. I go outside, take a walk, or play with my dog. Anything to get my mind off trading for a bit. When I come back, I'm calmer, and I can think better about what to do next. It's like taking a timeout in a game, but for your brain.
This little break has stopped me from making bad choices just because I was feeling too much. It's not just about making more money; it's about being happy while trading.
Have you ever felt like this when you're trading? What do you do to calm down? Let's talk about it! Ever felt this way? Send me a DM, I'm more than happy to help or even join my webinar this Sunday.
Kris/Mindbloome Exchange
Trade What You See
Beginnersforex
Trading in My PJs: How Comfort Turned My Trading AroundI used to think you had to look the part to be a serious trader - suit up, stare at screens in some office-like setting, and wear that intense Wall Street frown. But one chilly morning, I decided to ditch the suit for my pajamas, and guess what? It was one of the best moves for my trading career.
The Day Comfort Clicked Waking up to the cold, I chose to trade from my cozy bed, PJ's on, with a warm cup of tea instead of my usual coffee. Something amazing happened right then. I felt so relaxed, the stress of trading just melted away, and suddenly, my decisions were clearer. I started catching trends I would've missed in my buttoned-up days, and my performance? It just took off.
How Comfort Changed My Trading Trading from the comfort of my own bed or a comfy chair did more than just feel good:
-Stress Vanished: Being in a chill environment made me less worried about market swings, leading to more thoughtful calls.
-Sharper Focus: Without the itch of a stiff shirt or the squeeze of a tie, I could zone in on those charts for hours, picking up on patterns I'd usually miss.
-Smarter Risk Management: Feeling at ease meant I stuck to my trading plan better, dodging those impulsive trades that often left me in the red.
Making Comfort Work for Me It wasn't just about chilling out all day. Here's how I mixed comfort with keeping my game tight:
-My Trading Nook: I made a little corner in my room my trading spot, with all my gear handy, but with that homey, warm feel.
-Sticking to a Schedule: Even in my pajamas, I kept things structured, starting with a quick workout to get my brain going, then trading with the same focus as if I were at work.
-Mindset Shift: I treated my comfy setup like a professional space, ensuring I was not just trading but also learning and growing.
What I Took Away The big lesson? Your surroundings play a huge role in your trading psychology. A bit of comfort can lead to a calmer, smarter approach to the markets. It's not about slacking; it's about setting up the perfect mental space for making wise choices.
Are You Trading Uncomfortably? If you're still in an uncomfortable setup, thinking formality equals seriousness, maybe it's time to reconsider. Comfort could be your trading edge.
Finding That Balance Of course, there's a balance to strike. While trading in PJs can be a game-changer, you still need discipline, to stay informed, and dive into market news.
If you're curious about blending comfort with trading discipline or if your setup's not cutting it, shoot me a DM. I've walked this path, and I'm here to help you find what clicks for you too!
Kris/Mindbloome Exchange
Risk Management Guide for Beginner TradersHello traders.
In this video, I delve into the fundamental principles of risk management tailored specifically for beginner traders entering the world of financial markets. I start by emphasizing the importance of understanding risk and its implications on trading outcomes. By setting clear goals and objectives, traders can align their risk management strategies with their investment aspirations.
We explore practical risk management tools such as stop loss orders, which act as a safety net to limit potential losses on trades. Calculating position sizes based on risk tolerance and stop loss levels ensures traders are not overexposed to any single trade. Continuous monitoring and review of trading performance enable adjustments to risk parameters in response to changing market conditions.
I also shared some tools that can be used to help make the process of calculating risk efficient and accurate. By mastering these risk management techniques, beginner traders can safeguard their capital and embark on their trading journey with confidence and resilience.
Deciding Lot Sizes (My Method)A crucial decsion traders must make on each and every trade they take is lot sizes. What's the ideal lot size to take? What's the metric in which a trader uses to solve this ordeal?
Here's my method:
1.) Start off with a high lot size. Say....7 normal lots.
2.) At this point, when imagining trading with this lot size you should feel a sense of anxiety, nervousness or even excitement.
3.) Bring down the lot size by 1.
4.) At 6 lots ask yourself, "Do I still feel any sense of anxiety, nervousness or excitement? If you do, bring down the lot size by 1.
5.) Repeat this process until you don't feel any "slight" sense of anxiety, nervousness or excitement.
6.) Using the above mentioned process, if you reached 3 lots, further bring down the lot size by 1.
7.) The outcome is 2 normal lot sizes.
- Using this process to find the ideal lot size eliminates a host of unwanted phycological issues that can deter how you : analyze price, decide targets/stop loss, and how you manage an open trade.
- I've read and heard various methods over the years, but after close to 20 years of trading, this is the method I currently use.
That's it!
I hope it helps!
Ken
Simple Technical Analysis for BeginnersIdentifying the Support (lowest price), Resistance (highest price), and Key Levels (areas price gravitates to between Support and Resistance) one two or more timeframes. Today, I have them marked on the 4H and 1H Timeframes.
Identifying Support
Support is the lowest level a price will go before reversing. A support is created in two ways. The first way is when Sellers in the market close their existing positions and take their profit. The second way is when new Buyers enter the market by opening new positions.
Identify all historical Lows in a chart.
Circle these zones.
Connect as many as possible using straight horizontal lines. These are known as areas of Support.
Identifying Resistance
Resistance is the highest level a price will go before reversing. A Resistance is created in two ways. The first way is when Buyers in the market close their existing positions and take their profit. The second way is when new Sellers are entering the market by opening new positions.
Identify all historical Highs in a chart.
Circle these zones.
Connect as many as possible using straight horizontal lines. These are known as areas of Resistance.
Chart Made Using AlphaMind AM All-In-One Indicator
Entry, Stop Loss, and Take ProfitComplete Top-Down Analysis from Daily timeframe to 30min timeframes. Discussed how to map support and resistance levels, break and retest strategy, how to use multiple timeframe confluence for entries, and how to manage trades. Trading is simple; psychology is hard. Always approach the markets from an analytical perspective.
Understanding ForexForex – also known as FX – is short for “Foreign Exchange”. It represents a market where one can exchange and trade different currencies across the globe. To understand how forex works, let’s use the example of overseas travel.
If you’re from the United States and are travelling to Japan, chances are you would head to a local currency dealer before your trip to change some US dollars for the equivalent in Japanese yen. Let’s say the rate you exchanged was 1 USD ( US Dollar ) to 108 JPY (Japanese yen). This means that for every 1 USD you give the money changer, you get 108 JPY in return.
Now you’ve headed off on your trip, had your lifetime’s fill of sushi, taken way too many pictures of Mount Fuji and are now back in the US a month later. You still have some Japanese yen currency left which, of course, isn’t of much use at American shops, so you decide to change it back to USD.
Once again you visit your local currency dealer and ask to change your JPY back to USD. The rate you’re quoted is now 104 JPY to 1 USD.
Let’s pause for a moment: you may not have realised, but you’ve just made a profit without even planning to!
Previously, every 1 USD got you 108 JPY, now you get that same 1 USD back for just 104 JPY. That, my friend, is a simplified explanation of how profit can be made by trading the fluctuation of currencies against each other. In this case, the JPY strengthened against the USD while you were holding onto it, resulting in you effectively making money when you returned to the US and decided to convert it back to USD.
Now, it’s important to take note that when trading Forex, you always need to consider two currencies (hence, we call it a “currency pair”). In the above example, we were essentially trading the USD/JPY currency pair. It’s not enough to think that one currency might strengthen – you have to think of which currency it would strengthen against.
Thanks to the globalisation of financial markets, when we trade on the FX market, we now have the luxury of trading a lot of different currencies against each other all from the comfort of your home. Think the yen is going to strengthen against the Euro (EUR)?
Then buy the yen, sell the Euro (selling EUR/JPY )! This concept might seem a bit complicated right now, but just remember that when you’re trading forex, you’re essentially betting that one currency will strengthen against another currency.
* * The exchange rate on the chart is 104.056 Japanese Yen (JPY) for every 1 United States Dollar (USD) **