2022 is almost halfway done. Lots has happened over the past year but it’s time to take life in a new direction.
I’d like to start talking about something I’ve been working on for a few years that I need to work even harder on.
Becoming a day/swing trader.
Note that I didn’t say “learn how to day trade”. I think that if you’re going to truly succeed and prosper with anything, it’s not enough to learn how to do something. You have to transition your mindset so that you “become” what you want to do.
Example: Almost anybody can throw a baseball. Does that mean you’re qualified to become a pitcher for a major league baseball team?
Obviously not. There’s a lot more to it:
- Conditioning
- Learning how to play
- Perfecting other skills: fielding, hitting, etc.
- I know, pitchers don’t have to hit anymore! But learning how to hit can make you a better pitcher, even if you never have an at-bat during a baseball game, because you’ll learn what hitters look for and can work to counter that.
- Experience. As you move up in the system, you’ll face better competition and you have to get better to stand out.
- Teamwork
- Self-discipline
- Dedication
- Etc
The same mindset applies if you want to become a trader. It’s easy to find a system for trading but that doesn’t guarantee success. It takes even more to learn how to manage yourself – and that, in my opinion, is the main difference between successful and unsuccessful traders.
So I’ve decided to start writing about my journey to become a successful trader. Keep in mind a few things, though:
- I’ didn’t start this journey today. I actually started studying various forms of trading back in 2008 and started taking it more seriously late last year (2021).
- I’ve invested a lot of money in it in terms of trading capital, tools and software, and training courses. While I think you can get started with a couple thousand dollars (if you’re willing to build wealth very slowly), this is not something you can do for free.
- I can only tell you what I did, what I’m doing today, and my personal opinion of it. I’m not qualified or licensed to give professional trading advice, nor do I have the intention of getting the necessary certifications and licenses to ever give such advice. I’m just sharing my experiences; what you do with it is up to you and you are 100% responsible for what you do with it.
This will be fun – at least for me. I’ll be able to write, teach, and hopefully leave some information that will be of use to somebody. And even if it doesn’t help anybody else, it’ll help me clarify a lot of things that I need to work on.