Hurry the ‘F’ Up!
The holy grail of habit change is not a single 1 percent improvement, but a thousand of them. It’s a bunch of atomic habits stacking up, each one a fundamental unit of the overall system.
~ James Clear, in “Atomic Habits”
If I may, I’d like to change a couple words and phrases in this excellent passage from Atomic Habits and reframe it for my purposes as an options trader:
The holy grail of profitable trading is not a single 1 percent improvement, but a thousand of them. It’s a bunch of edge trades stacking up, each one a fundamental unit of the overall system.
This is something I try to keep in mind when markets don’t move in the direction I want. Yes, I know every trade isn’t a winning one. Nor is every day a winning day (or week, or month). But if I’m confident in my ability to consistently makes trades every day that have an “edge,” then that edge should play out in my favor over the long run.
Of course, my greatest failings as a trader — and as a human — have most frequently been as a result of trying to force the long run to hurry the F up and get here as soon as possible!
But that’s not how it works.
If I can focus only on the things I can control, then the long run will get here soon enough. My job, as a trader, human, father, spouse, is to simply enjoy the ride.
