In trading, like in several other disciplines, the most consistent person wins. If you keep adjusting your trading strategy, you’ll probably never get to see consistent trading results.
Consistency comes first in your actions and (fairly) consistent results from the market come second.
That is not to say that you have to stick to the same strategy for the next 50 years. One of the traits of highly successful traders is adaptability. The trader who can adapt to various market conditions will always come out ahead.
1). Preparation
Professional Trader #1 priority in trading is risk managment. Professional Trader believes that once you get your trading system and position size in place you must use the amount you will risk on each trade to determine your risk of ruin. His point is that if your risk of ruin is not zero then you will eventually blow out your account. Risking 1% to 2% of your capital in any one trade usually gives you a zero percent risk of ruin but it also depends on your systems win/loss ratio. But the point is to test any system with 30 trades first then determine your risk of ruin.
2). Enlightenment
Your most important goal is to lower your risk ruin to zero. In trading, the trader with the best ability to cut losses short wins. Simple trading strategies work the best based on traditional support and resistance while trading with the trend on either retracements of break outs. The 10% of winners in the market win by treading where others fear, buying on break outs when they first occur and going short when a new low is made, or buying into the abyss when a stock finds support or resistance and reverses at the end of a monster trend.
3). Developing a trading style
You must choose your own personal style of trading, swing trading or trend trading. You must also trade based on your chosen time frame: intraday, short term, medium term, or long term.
4). Selecting Markets
Ideal markets to trade have volume and price transparency, liquidity, 24 hour coverage, zero counter party risk, low transaction costs, and are honest and efficient. They also must have the necessary trading attributes of volatility, research, simplicity, ease of short selling, specialization, opportunities, growth, and leverage. These are the markets that afford you the greatest chances of money trading.
5). The Three pillars of trading.
Money Management: You must make your trades as fixed as possible. Trade with the same risk, capital, units, percentage, and in the same type markets to manage risk most effectively.
Methodology: Choose a method that works for you and your personality from the ones available. (Dow Theory, technical indicators, patterns, price and volume, etc) Once you have a methodology to your trading, test it 30 times by e-mailing a trading partner for accountability to verify it works in the real world.
Trader Psychology: Manage your hope, greed, fear, and pain to stay in the game.
6). Putting it all together
Monitor performance consistently. Positive reinforcement. Equity momentum.