PipStop

I recently picked up the February issue of Golf Magazine - it was the cover that got me thinking. And yes this does have to relate to trading.

The headline on the cover states, "Revealed: The Best Ball for You." I remember looking at it and thinking (as I often seem to do) "Gee, this is just like trading and all purported ways to be a successful trader there seem to be out there." "Gee, this is just like the trader out there who is looking for the best system, isn't it?"

In all 54 balls were tested. Each ball has a different dynamic that might relate better to a particular golfer than another. So many variables seem to go into something that is so elementary - or is it? Well the article will tell you that it's far from elementary.

What if all golfers played with the same clubs and same balls all over the world? Well studies like the one above have shown that for best chance to succeed customization is needed. In other words you need to know yourself (the mind) and test various clubs and balls (the tools) and practice, practice, practice to become proficient. There are those who don't become proficient despite seemingly having it all together, yet they still continue because they enjoy it.

Now trading isn't quite the same, but similar elements exist. Despite the protestations of many "solutions," there is not one system that will universally catapult one into trading superstardom. True success comes to those very lucky few who just "have it." Even if Tiger Woods never practiced he'd probably still win many tournaments - but Tiger is one in a million.

In reality it requires hard work, commitment, persistence, a shaping of the mind (not becoming too cluttered), as well as the proper tools to give yourself an opportunity to truly be a successful trader. I can safely say that you're probably not a Tiger of trading.  

So the keys that I deduced from my Golf Magazine epiphany is a) discovering who you are, and b) what tools you truly need to succeed - and for this, you need to practice and experiment.

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Trading isn't just a self-contained activity. It touches all areas of our lives, and for that reason it seems we can relate it to anything we deem to be of value.

I love to golf, but I have never golfed less in my life. That has to do with a variety of different things, including being with a growing family. So it seems quite timely that I read in The New York Times how more Americans are giving up golf. It's really an indication of how busy we are. 

I say all this, and see that Titleist has released a new Scotty Cameron putter, and I begin to wonder what it'd feel like in my hands ...