<<I have simplified his lesson to one thing after 25+ years: I wake up in the am and ask myself, is the intermediate trend up or down or sideways? Then I ask myself am I positioned in that direction or not. If not, WHAT THE HELL AM I UP TO; AM I SICK LIKE LIVERMORE, OR WHAT??
The first step is to have confidence that I know what the intermediate trend is, over 90% of the time. Then, I know in my heart if I am not with it, then I am positioned as if I am gambler, an addict, a rank amateur.
Anyway, knowing about Livermore has helped me. Its very important to do what he said and not what he did>> Dead on. Excellent excellent post.
I think really all that got me in a whirl is Jesse L. did not practice what he preached, and that must be known; as a warning, a litmus test. Am i trading by the rules or am i an addicted gambler like what i feel caused livermore to break his rules.
In the wild period of my trading it was a question i had to always confront myself with, i think it is a test area many traders must work through, discipline is the traders greatest friend.
I recommend the official biography of George Soros( he ordered the writer to look into 'his closets' and if he found a skeletons write them, publish them).
Soros in self analysis on some reasons for his success states that one he constantly runs and re-runs in his head the financial moves he is making, that he is his own toughest critic, and will reverse a position in a blink if he overules a premise he had been working.
Soros says he feels as a young trader he made all the mistakes that traders can make but he observed that he learned from his mistakes fast when many others did not, and he attributes that in part to his being inwardly very competitive and thus hard on himself when he made a trader's mistake.
Also in response to the question is he humble in the market place he says if he wasn't he would be penniless.
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