Goals Plus Motivation Equals Trading Success

The link between our reality today and our goals for tomorrow is
motivation. Motivating ourselves to do what needs to be done and to
stick to a realistic timeframe for completion of these goals is the main
ingredient in a successful venture. Often we have wants, desires, and
dreams but lack the motivation to get down to the nitty gritty in order
to turn our desires into tomorrow's reality. There are no shortcuts,
just determined effort and basic hard work.

Setting goals can
increase our level of motivation. Goals can help us create our own
personal milestones that help us grab the daily bread, so to speak, and
get our hands dirty with effort. When we set a goal, or a series of
goals, we should be mindful to make them realistically doable, keep them
on task and targeted, and use their completion as a yardstick in which
to measure our progress and success.

Setting goals that are
unreachable can be highly counter productive. After all, if we can't
enjoy the process of checking something off of our list or closing the
page on a chapter we've completed, we just run ourselves into the ground
with repeated effort and no enjoyment. Eventually, the inability to
reach even one milestone creates dissention, and the average individual
gives up and moves on.

Perhaps you are on the other side of the
tracks and you like to set goals that are so reachable that your day is
done in ten minutes. It feels good to check off our daily tasks and wind
up with free time. Of course, we can make our goals so attainable that
we are no longer moving forward with any real momentum. Often, we know
this and are feeling the void of a true accomplishment when we set goals
that are too easily reached.

Striking a balance between the two,
finding which time frames motivate you the best might take a little
trial and error. If you need ten little goals in order to reach the
first big goal just so you can check them off your list, so be it. Just
be aware that the first ten are micro goals and that your day is not
complete until you reach the end game.

Using goals to motivate
your successful trading days is done in the same manner that you reach
other goals in life. First and foremost, write them down. If you have
to, write them down every morning and check things off as you accomplish
the tasks that reach the goals. Creating realistic and reachable daily
goals is the ladder you build toward your monthly goal. When trading,
you want to make sure you aren't trying to live out a fantasy, such as
turning chump change into the "big win."

It is a proven fact
that adults, teens, and children alike learn new skills better when the
pressure applied to the task is moderated. For you, learning to trade
and learning skills that will turn you into the top notch day trader you
are looking to become, moderate pressure doesn't mean trying to live up
to the expectations of big wins and dream trades. Small trades learned
over time will allow you to evaluate your progress without the threat of
financial ruin. No one can perform well all the time under that sort of
pressure.

Keep a realistic view of day trading, and don't expect
to be rolling in big trades with huge profits in just a few months, no
matter what any introductory course may try to sell you on. Long term
seasoned and well planned trades lead to financial success. Short term
boost trades lead to a little extra spending cash on occasion, but not
an overall freedom of financial wealth. By maintaining your education
goals, your trading goals, and your ability to trade in moderation while
you learn the ropes, you can eventually succeed into the land of
financial freedom. Of course, this takes time, practice, and an honest
assessment of your trading skill set.