The process of becoming a forex trader is full of twists and turns and it definitely doesn’t happen overnight. To obtain professional trading skills might take just as long as you would expect to become a well-known lawyer, a best-seller book writer or a top-notch computer programmer. Yes, I am talking about years and years of learning and experience.
Success walks hand in hand with forex trading. Your efforts to learn and improve trading skills are the key. Comparing forex trading to other meaningful professions gives an important insight – trading is like an abstract painting. It is an art without rules, without exact features. Forex trading is an art of changes and volatility.
Learning and mastering the fundamentals of trading will later on help you to create your own strategy. You will develop your own reactions and adjustments to the trading circumstances of forex market. It’s not the style that matter, but the level of preparedness you have got to deal with the changes.
It might look boring and unworthy, but let me reassure you that time and practice invested in forex trading pays off. Your patience and improvement will grow each day and over time you will find the success beyond your expectations.
In my opinion, it is better to learn everything you can yourself before you start asking questions. Not that questions are bad for you and there are many great communities and traders eager to help newbies but not everyone on the internet is qualified to give advices. Some answers can be harmful to a new traders’ mind! Besides, don’t try to skip through steps. You can’t expect to enroll to university and ask the questions related to third-year disciplines. You simply won’t be able to understand the answers! It’s like trying to dance ballet without ever exercising!
Speaking of questions, I think that in order to become a successful forex trader you have to understand yourself. Understanding your purpose and limitations can help you figure out your risk tolerance, money management techniques and trading methods. To do so I suggest asking yourself these questions:
- Can I handle the possibility of losing money? (both financially and emotionally)
- What do I seek in forex trading? (money, excitement, profession, mortgage payment!)
- Am I willing to spend a decent amount of time learning and practicing trading?
- Am I deeply emotional and how do I react to stressful situations?
Understanding only yourself is not enough. You have to explore the waters you are getting into – the forex market, the price movements, influences and consequences.
Once you know the basics of forex trading you need to learn what influences the price movements in the market. This isn’t an exact science where two plus two is four. The market is constantly under the bombardment of changes and what might have worked yesterday might not be worthy today.
Then of course come the tools. You have to master the trading tools and not just know that they exist in your trading platform.
And finally, the most important suggestion is to take is easy, learn hard and improve daily. Take time analyzing your trading history, find the mistakes, make notes, maybe even have trading journal. Eventually the puzzle pieces will all fit together into a perfect picture. Good luck!
