Ever since college I have been fascinated by this mysterious world of currencies trading (also known as FOREX). The great attraction for me was obviously the money, the huge potential for profit, but also the exclusiveness of being a trader. I always thought that trading attracts a certain breed of people, where only the best of the best succeed. And, as I always thought of myself as being one of the best, I set myself an objective of becoming a successful trader.
You might ask why I chose to trade currencies. To be honest, I was lured in by the very low entry barriers ( at that point in time, it took close to $500 to open an account; now you can open a live account for as little as $50) and the huge potential to the upside, thanks to leverage. Next I embarked on a paid forex course that opened my eyes to the possibilities that were out there. I opened my first demo account, read my first charts and plotted my first indicators. A new world was taking shape and I was getting more and more attracted to it. But the final argument that convinced me was the fact the forex was the biggest and the most liquid market in the world, with over $5 trillion in daily volumes and the opportunities were all around, to the buy side and to the sell side.
It didn’t take long for me to join the ranks of rookie traders who are so eager to earn some money trading that they go in the markets unprepared and leave with their pockets empty. I’ve spent a couple months playing on a simulator, trying to participate in free contests, but eventually my patience ran out. I blew out a few real-money accounts while in college. Luckily for me, I did not lose too much money, but hey, I was a student and everything I saved went into my trading passion. So needless to say, that was all I had. First lesson to be learned from here: don’t invest money you do not afford to lose. While I believe the money I lost to be a fair tuition for learning the ropes in currency trading, I still could have done a lot better just by practicing more on my demo account.
Nevertheless, I was perseverant in trying to make it in trading. I did not let myself down by the losses I incurred, but I embraced them and got more motivated. After all, if you really want something, then you should do everything in your power to achieve it. When I managed to save some money again to invest in trading, I set my goal to not lose money. I realized by then that another important lesson is to be in the markets at all times. The best way to gain an edge in the market is to be a part of it at all times.
No matter how much I struggled to get my balance up, it seemed that I could not lift my account off the ground (remember I used to fund my account with only a couple hundred dollars and use leverage to trade). I could not offset all the small losses and commissions with my winning trades. Pressure was building up and mistakes took place more often. It took me a couple of years to understand that undercapitalization can “kill” you in the markets. Leverage is an incredible weapon for those who know how to use it, but in the hands of a rookie it is a ticking bomb. Small accounts with high leverage blow up incredibly fast, as rookie mistakes are being exacerbated by the effects of the leverage. Always make sure to have enough risk capital in your account. As it turned out, all my efforts to make it in the financial trading world did actually pay off, even though not as I first imagined it would. I eventually landed a job with a prop trading firm. Here is where things got really interesting and I have exponentially boosted my knowledge. I cannot stress enough how important it is to be among peers that have the same passion as you do, who are professional and have the competitive mindset that will push you to outperform yourself. Of course not everybody is lucky enough (or maybe don’t even want to) to land a trading job, but if you really want to make it in trading you should spend more time on trading forums. Share ideas, compare performances, get your motivation up. Seeing others do it and being successful at it will push you higher than you could imagine.
It all started out as a college hobby and it transformed itself into a career. I just gave it my time, dedication and perseverance. For all of those thinking about starting their journey in trading I say do it with an open heart. It is the most rewarding activity you could ever do. It gives you the freedom you always dreamed of. At least that’s what it felt like for me.
If you’re ready to open your own trading account, make sure you take the shortcut and use the advice given in these lines. Stay motivated, well capitalized, always in the markets, gain your edge and enjoy the ride. You will also need a trusted broker to partner with. Forex broker has great offers for new accounts that could definitely help you start off on the right foot. Just remember the basics and you’ll be fine!
Submitted October 28, 2016 at 03:09AM by dwaynebuzzell http://ift.tt/2eWrsMn
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