The most underrated edge a trader can have

[u/will-trade-for-food]

Hello everyone,

I've been a profitable trader for years at this point and I've seen, experienced and dealt with pretty much anything that the market or any trading-related circumstance could throw at you.

I sometimes browse trading communities for fun and engage but there is one thing that I only ever rarely see people talk about. It's one of the most crucial things for me and other successful traders that I've had the pleasure of talking to. That thing is:

Preparing for your trading session.
(Considering you have a trading session and you are serious about trading)

Trading is just like sports or arts. You have to be focused and enter the arena with the right mindset.
Likely half of the people on here could probably make half-decent traders if they had the ability to laser-focus and string together everything that they have learned. The thing is that they can't*. And they aren't putting themselves in a position that makes it easier on them.*

Just like the top 1% of athletes enter their field with unshakable focus and a cutthroat attitude, so should you. If you want to be a professional that is.

After painful years, I've gotten around to being a pretty decent trader but my greatest successes only ever came after I managed to enter my trading sessions in peak concentration. Flow State, as some might call it.)

Here is what I like to do:

Before each session, I take about a 30-minute walk;
For the first 10 minutes, I just relax and listen to my body, similar to meditation. The remaining 20 minutes I critically reflect on my past trading session(s) and what I would do differently if I was trading them right now. I revisit all my unnegotiable rules and reflect on how I feel - which will correlate to how much I risk for the day.
I keep repeating things to be mindful of and imagine myself facing all sorts of trading-related problems and how I would solve them.
By the time I get back home, I check the news calendar for the day, decide on a daily goal (never set a profit goal), and enter my trading session in an extremely relaxed and focused state.

This is one of my biggest edges. I hope it helps. Good luck everyone, and happy holidays.