nerable to making mistakes. For example, do you have nine small winners and then proceed to give the profits all back to

the market on the tenth trade? It is important to understand that aggressive trading cannot be sustained. It leaves us extremely vulnerable to counter market moves that we cannot react to when our defenses are down. That's why a team's aggressive attitude may win one of the quarters within a football game, but may not lead to victory. Trading is even harder. There is no two minute warning. We need tremendous stamina to sustain each day's competition into infinity.

A

different and more successful attitude is knowing that we can win, but we do not have to dominate. How? By changing our focus from outward to inward and concentrating on assert­

ing our trading skills, strengths, and abilities. Asserting ability

will take less energy and produce less tension and strain. What

AERODYNAMIC _TRADING 1 90

is more important is that assertion is always a more relaxed mindset than attempting a victory through aggression. There­

fore assertion is more closely aligned to the mindset we adopt when we are in sync with the market.

An attitude that focuses from inner strength also indicates that we are in control and take responsibility for our own ac­

tions. By having a focus that is directed inward to achieve, we establish a firm platform from which to learn, improve, and grow. This only occurs when we are in control and account­

able to ourselves.

Trading is a war, but the markets have all the ^ammunition relative to our limited reserves. We have to rely on our inner

smarts to win a few battles, and then recognize when to step aside when the odds are against us, not waste energy attempting to win the war. If you really think about it, the final outcome of this war has already been decided. Markets

1 ,

0.

Aggression, with its outward focus, becomes entirely depen­

dent upon the actions of a counterforce or opponent. Failure is directed towards the opponent with better skills, greater speed, strength, whatever. The opponent was the cause of our failure.

When we are aggressive towards a trade, we provide ourselves with the same scapegoat of excuses. "No one could have pre­

dicted that action from the Fed;" "no one is winning in this market;" "the pit locals have control." They, they,

they

The excuses are directed toward outward events. We write them off as out of our control, so we end up losing the opportu­

nity to learn from them. As a result, we do not learn because we are not accountable. The aggressive attitude is a stagnant growth curve. If you lost, what do you do next time? Try to be more aggressive, of course. The resulting energy drain and tensions increase. It is a no-win foundation for achieving suc­

cess. On the other hand, winning through an inner focus of asserting our own abilities provides the foundation to improve.

We are accountable only to ourselves on how w e use our abili­

ties and accept our skill level as always growing. If the market takes an unpredictable zig when we zag, it is not a failure. It is an opportunity to increase and add to our knowledge and skill.

As a result we learn, we change, we grow, and we move for­

ward. The aggressive trader can only try to learn how to be-come more aggressive. .

This is the exercise my coach John Skiian gave me, that got me onto the winner's stand. It was given to him by a Japanese

coach. It works.

Objective: Conscious Awareness of Focus; Inwards vs. Outwards

Purpose: Changing attitudes from domination over an opponent to winning by exceptional execution of your own skills.

When we admire certain traits in others, we frequently have similar traits. _In ourselves, these traits may be dormant. The first step is to visualize these traits in others so that we can later find them within ourselves.

Exercise _{1 :} Identifying with an assertive individual or animal.

You will need a small piece of paper

and

Relax, close your eyes. Visualize a person or

ani­

mal that exemplifies assertiveness to you. It could be a cheetah, jaguar, dolphin, some other

animal.

AERODYNAMIC TRADING 1 92

Imagine all the qualities of your selected animal or person that make them powerful, both physically and mentally. Picture this person or animal at their best.

Visualize their actions in minute detail. Now define the characteristic traits they demonstrate as they as­

sert their abilities. Most will find traits such as cour­

age, focused attention, and self-confidence. Feel the attitude they display and the mindset they seem to adopt.

Now that you have seen these qualities in your mind's eye, you need to write down these traits on paper immediately. Not only must you see them in your mind, you must put them into a tangible list that you can see and touch.

Make a list now. (We'll use your list for the next part of the exercise.)

Exercise _2: Role playing to help you adopt the asser­

tive traits of the character you have chosen.

After visualizing the assertive animal or person of your choosing, you wrote down the traits that you admired.

Now picture yourself being that person or animal.

Visualize the actions and feel the strengths and mindset required to role play that individual in your mind.

Role play and literally act out the mindset you felt to assert confidence, power, and unwavering focus.

By consciously adopting that mindset, and then fol­

lowing through by

role playing your visualization,