On Trading the “Now”

Ever been in a tough spot in the market, and the pain is so bad that you just want to pull the plug to make the pain go away? You can literally live and die with each tick in the market, depending on which way it goes. 
 
And at the end of the trade, when you’re finally out of it and can think straight…did you notice that literally NOTHING that you did during that bout of anxiety…had anything to do with where the price ended up? 
 
There is a quote that says: 
 
“If you are depressed you are living in the past. 
 
If you are anxious you are living in the future. 
 
If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” 
 
Most of us get anxious with price movements because they remind us of some scar that the Market left in our soul at some point in the past. But guess what? The market has no memory. Every moment in the market is unique, to quote Mark Douglas. 
 
This is why I think it’s important to acknowledge that we have zero predictive power as a human being. We literally cannot predict the future. What you CAN do, however, that will immediately reduce your stress during these situations…is to MAP OUT EXACTLY WHAT YOUR FUTURE ACTIONS WILL BE. 
 
If the price goes up later today, what will you do? 
 
If the price stays in this same range, what will you do? 
 
If the price drops later today, what will you do? 
 
Those are actions that we have CONTROL over. 
 
The market? Not so much. 
 
Try living in the present while you trade. It’s much easier and you’ll live longer. 
 
In your corner……..Doc Severson

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