You Hold The Trump Card
"How appropriate that the gods put under our control only the most powerful ability that governs all the rest — the ability to make the right use of external appearances — and that they didn't put anything else under our control. Was this simply because they weren't willing to give us more? I think if it had been possible they would have given us more, but it was impossible."
— Epictetus, Discourses
I read today's meditation with great interest and it is also very true, when we compare it to trading.
We can't control the markets and we have to be prepared to expect the unexpected at times; this is all part and parcel of trading, of course. What we can do though is control how we respond to what we are seeing during a trade and react accordingly.
It is all down to ourselves and how we deal with whatever the markets throw at us. This is why it is imperative to be in control, by adopting a neutral mindset once we have opened a trade. We need to be "in the zone" with full concentration to react swiftly and without hesitation, should we need to; win or lose. Rinse and repeat, over and over again. This is what makes us better and more confident traders, meaning that we can become consistent and profitable.
I have picked out a couple of lines from today's meditation which I love and I find the message oh so true and it can fully relate to trading, as well as in our every day lives and I quote; "While you don't control external events, you retain the ability to decide how you respond to those events. You control what every external event means to you personally."
In summary, there are many things in life and in trading, that you can't control. If however, you can master yourself to be able to respond in the correct way by making the right choices, then "you hold the trump card"
Work on putting this into practice, every time that you trade. You can do it; you've got this!