Are you guilty of one of the cardinal sins of trading?
Hubris: A foolish amount of pride or overconfidence. No matter how good of a trader you think you are, the market is always bigger. You will not win an argument with its price action no matter what.
Fear: Cutting winners short because of unwarranted fear eliminates all the big wins. Being afraid to take a good entry creates loss of a potential profit. Thorough trading methodology study is required to trade confidently.
Ego: The desire to be right more than the desire to make money leads to losing a lot of money. The ego causes traders to hold losers far too long. The best traders are slaves to the market’s price action.
Laziness: Seeking to be given trades instead of doing the work to develop a system leads to failure. Trades only have meaning when they are executed within a robust system complimented by discipline and risk management.
Greed: The greedier a new trader is, the higher the probability and speed at which they lose their whole trading account. There is significant risk in going for trades with big position sizes, because the losses can be huge if when wrong.
Money is made in the market through self-discipline and trade management. If a trader does not manage risk and position sizing, their winning trades are meaningless because they will eventually give it all back. Without overcoming the sins of hubris, fear, ego, laziness, and greed, a trader is unlikely to make it at a professional level.
“The best traders are slaves to the market’s price action.
