i get this article from a private forum. i glad to share it here as it provide great tips for beginner and old timer (otai) trader alike.
Cutting your losses and letting your profits run is one of the oldest axioms in trading, yet many traders insist on doing just the opposite.
Believe it or not, some traders are more afraid of being wrong then they are of losing money. When these traders find themselves in a losing position, they tend to stick with the losing trade a little longer in the hopes that the market will turn around and eventually prove them right
However, because futures are such a highly leveraged investment, it is difficult for the small trader to stay with the losing position for very long without inflicting serious damage on their account.
Similarly many of these traders are so anxious to be "right" that when the market shows them a small profit, they take profits too early without realizing the full potential of the trade. While there is nothing wrong with taking a profit, the fact remains that if your profits do not offset your losses, you will eventually be unable to continue to trade.
So what should a trader do?
1. You need to realize that you will not be correct all of the time. It is important to realize that you will incur losses as you will sometimes be on the wrong side of a trade. The important thing is to realize WHEN you are wrong and exit the market quickly
Accepting small losses is the key to cash preservation and trading survival. Everybody is wrong sometime. It is a fact of life. However, by being wrong that we eventually get to right.
2. Make sure that you only take the trades with the best risk/reward ratio. This will ensure that when the trade does work out as planned you will be earning decent profits.
3. Have patience. Too many traders are too anxious to trade. They got into markets before they are ready hoping that the trade will work out. They think that the road to success is through trading a lot, but it is not.
The road to trading success is by making sure you take only the best trades with the highest probability of working out, and maximizing the profit from each trade.
4. Keep a trading journal. It is difficult to learn from your past mistakes if you don't remember them. Likewise it is difficult to repeat your success if you don;t remember them either. Making notes of things you observe in the market will provide you with a wealth of information that you could not obtain elsewhere.
5. Plan your trade. Having a trading plan may not ensure your success as a trader, but trading without a plan will almost guarantee a failure.
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