“It’s very easy to get trigger happy in trading when things are going well but do you have the skill set or capital to play defense?”

Marques Johnson —

As we approach years end, there’s a lot that comes to mind for me and I’m sure a good amount of you out there in the community as well, when it comes to how this current year has gone when it comes to trading the markets. It’s a perfect time now to start getting yourself prepped for how to approach the new year, with new goals in mind, better or more structured routines, new strategies you want to add to your repertoire or simply evaluating what worked for you to perform consistently. Most importantly, making sure you stay true to what kept you disciplined when you had a short losing streak or what kept you from being greedy when you were up doesn’t change and a lot of that is predicated upon self-awareness. It is one of the most crucial aspects of trading because it forces you to stay true to what works for you and to not get caught up in trading a certain style that appears to be more profitable for someone else or more fun. That style fits that particular individual may be based on their lifestyle, capital they have access to and just their overall skill set.

I’ll use myself as an example, I would absolutely love to day trade, but because of my job, I have to be more theta based when I trade because I don’t have the ability to sit right in front of my computer long enough to pay attention to my position getting in and out of trades. The way I trade now still makes me very happy and I look forward to placing a trade every single day because I know the way I approach the markets with the current skill set I have helps me achieve my goals on a monthly/yearly basis. So why flip the script?

It’s very easy to get trigger happy in trading when things are going well but do you have the skill set or capital to play defense? You have to be real with yourself and I had to answer that question for myself personally when I thought I wanted to day trade when I asked Coach Tim to help me out. I didn’t nearly have as much time as I thought, nor the consistency to be who I thought I wanted to, so it was very easy for me to just to fall back on what has been successful for me from the beginning. I also realize I’m only 28 years old, I have plenty of time in the future to focus on day trading, but for now, knowing who I am makes my decision-making a lot less stressful and allows me to trade with confidence.

So the next question becomes what other elements of my game can be better that will allow me to be more versatile. That doesn’t necessarily mean a new strategy, it could mean trading different markets such as forex or commodities.

Forex trading is easily one of the better directional markets out there, so when we have a lot of neutrality like we had the past few months before our breakout a couple weeks ago, the forex market was probably the best directional trading you could find which is why for myself it has my attention to add to my playbook. I enjoy trading commodities because that’s pretty much what I started trading first (ETF’s) 3 years ago and being more engaged in forex is very compatible and quite honestly will provide a better understanding of current trends for both markets. 

“It’s up to you to figure out what’s your next move not only to provide more versatility but just to give you another challenge to keep you sharp as that is my goal personally.”

If you notice, I’m basing that off of what I already do that rolls over into the next stage of my trading that I feel is appropriate for me. It’s up to you to figure out what’s your next move not only to provide more versatility but just to give you another challenge to keep you sharp as that is my goal personally.

In fitness, the mind needs to be just as strong if not stronger than the actual body to help push through heavy compound lifts or difficult workouts. I find it no different in trading, the better my mindset, the better the decisions are and the more money I make, which is what we’re all in this game for.

Last but not least, find someone who’s better at what it is you want to do that matches your style of trading because there’s always blind spots you’re unaware of learning something new and Tackle Trading has plenty of support for whatever direction you decide to go.

Happy Thanksgiving Traders!

Marques Johnson. Full-time Trader.

I’m from Virginia and I grew up in a military home where I was raised by two parents who provided me the best of both worlds from how to be a good person and how to be self-sufficient in life. I’ve been trading for three years now and each year there’s always something significant I learn because the markets are changing all the time. I particularly focus on trading stock and futures options but trading isn’t the only thing I’m passionate about. Fitness is a significant aspect of my life and personal training is what I do throughout the day, so the balance of trading and fitness is a great mix for me mentally and physically which keeps me motivated every day.

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