You’re sitting here reading my blog and, so you’re probably a Forex trader, or considering becoming one. And you’re probably looking to to trade Forex using price action. There’s nothing wrong with that at all.
But are you having fun?
Maybe you’ve been trading for a while, or maybe you’re a newbie just learning the ropes. Either way, you’ve probably already figured out, trading is not easy.
A Tough Business
There are a lot of aspects to trading that you must nail down. Planning, tracking, implementing, monitoring, gathering information, testing…
… I could go on for a while. Most of all, traders usually put pressure on themselves to succeed.
When I started trading, there was no pressure to succeed. I was trading because I enjoyed it. It was something I liked doing and I had fun with it. I was not concentrating on making money. I still lived at home and I didn’t really understand the value of money. Why would I? My parents bought the food, clothing and everything else needed. I wasn’t trading because I had a job that I wanted to get away from, or because I was in desperate need of money, I was trading because it was a challenge but was also fun. And I quickly started making money trading.
When I was about 19, I forgot to have fun while trading. I started making quite a bit of money, for my age, and of course I wanted more. So I started taking trade after trade and I stopped following my plan. Eventually, this cowboy style of trading caught up to me and I blew my account. So what did I do? I took money from a bank account and opened a new Forex account. Can you guess what happened next? I kept on trading like a cowboy and I blew my second account.
I spent a lot of time kicking myself and desperately trying to figure out what happened. Then it dawned on me, I had sucked every ounce of enjoyment out of my trading. I was no longer trading because it was fun but instead was trading to make money. I had started to hate Forex.
So I will ask you again, are you having fun?
How to Have Fun
Having fun is different for everybody, so I can’t tell you how to have fun. However, I can tell you what I did to make trading fun again.
Made Friends
When I first left school I worked a few jobs. I apprenticed as an air-conditioning installer, a carpet layer and worked as a pizza delivery driver. I hated those jobs, but I did like making friends at work and seeing my friends daily.
When my trading fell apart, I realized that Forex is a lonely business and I was the only trader I knew. So I joined a popular Forex forum and made some friends. Making friends, who did the same job, made trading a whole lot more enjoyable.
Relax
While trading isn’t as hard on the body as a manual job, like being a laborer, it is tough on the mind. There were times when Forex got a little too hard to handle. Instead of forcing myself to keep on trading I took a break and relaxed.
Sometimes you need to relax a little bit and come back to trading with a fresh mind. Forex is hard to master, so if you don’t get it right away do not stress out.
Relaxing, and not putting pressure on myself, did wonders for my trading.
I Simplified My Trading
I have already said that Forex is not simple. However, I realized I shouldn’t make Forex any harder on myself. So I simplified my trading by removing indicators from my charts. I limited the pairs I traded, the time frames and I planned my trading in advance.
If you want some hints on how to simplify your trading then read this article. Grab the free Forex video course to discover how to put together a proper trading plan.
Have fun trading Forex
Forex is a business and if you become successful then it can be a very lucrative career. As with any career, you won’t be happy or successful unless you love what you’re doing. So think about where you are now and, if you aren’t having fun, then find a way to have fun!
If you have any ideas on how to keep Forex fun, leave a comment and share them.
Greg
Nice, thanks.
Mick
Spot on. I wish you had told me a couple of months ago. I’m only just working this out now. I must teach myself to ‘turn-off’ for a while.
Thanks Nick.
Art
It’s one view point on how to make foreign trading enjoyable. Personally I like trading forex because it can’t be manipulated by any single on entity in an significant amount but m
Art
It’s one view point on how to make foreign currency trading enjoyable. Personally I like trading forex because I’m successful at it & that’s all I need. It just so happens what i enjoy doing makes me money.
Buy I do agree having other traders to talk to is nice however its difficult finding other traders who are successful. Usually when I talk to other traders it turns into me having to explain why, what, when of trading; which gets old quick.
shaun
How to make trading fun: Follw the NickB blog! Thanks again.
Muyen
Hi i still cannot watch this videos pls show me what to do
Thanks
Mama mia
I love youmamamia
Muyen
If you know i have said it before I’m repeating it because noting is done about it
NickB
@Muyen:
Which videos do you mean? free video course or blog? I have not seen you mention it before. 99% of people can see the videos on this site so it is likely your computer that has the issue.
1. Clear your browser cache.
2. Download latest version of adobe flash.
3. Use a different browser.
4. Try see if it works on a different computer.
Irwin Godin
Im having fun trading forex except when I try to communicte with Forex4Noobs. I signed up several weeks ago for your new free course with the modules. When I try to get it now I get confusing messages. You wanted my user name but when I gave it I was told it already exists. I dont get it. This is not fun.
NickB
@Irwin Godin:
This is why most people use the support ticket system. You have used it before Irwin so you should have no trouble finding it again.
As for the free course. You registered with the user name ‘Irwin Godin’ on the 29/1/2011. Upon registration you were taken to a page with very clear instructions.
“You’re almost done with your registartion. Within the next 1 hour (usually instantly) you will receive two emails from Forex4Noobs. Both there emails will have confirmation links. Please click the confirmation links to confirm your access.”
You never confirmed your registration. I believe there are three things that could have went wrong.
1. You never read the instructions thus you never checked your email address.
2. You read the instructions but never saw the emails because they went to your spam box, which you have not checked.
3. You use a desktop mail client such as Outlook or Thunderbird and you did check your spam box. However, your web mail client sent the emails to spam before your desktop client could download them.
My records show that you were redirected to the instructions page and withing 30 seconds of that the emails went out to you. Furthermore, you never opened a support ticket. So any failure of communication is on your side.
I suggest you check your emails and if you still cannot find the confirmation emails open a support ticket.
Ken Wong
True enough :)
I would put it in another way. Trading Forex is an ART. For an Art to become a masterpiece, the Artist must have the passion and love for this Art…..
Of course we all know that the side “effect” is making money. But the ends should not be to make money, but to enjoy, have fun, and master the Art. If the ends is to make money …. I can bet on it that 90% chance or more is that the opposite would happen :D
I am one living example….hahaha
Helen
Great resourses here thank you. It amazes me how people can get so shirty though when using so much amazing information thats provided here for FREE. :-s
Jude
Dead true post.
I was NOT having fun back in Sept. 2009, so I took a huge break (10 months). I had developed some horrible habits, was a basket-case, kept breaking my own rules,..etc.
So, I spent several months not even glancing at a chart. Every so often, I would open my trading account for an hour (and go do some gardening, etc.) ,so Oanda wouldn’t think it was abandoned money sitting there.
Then. when the new CFTC rulings came in (and Oanda follows them), I was really not happy. I went to Oanda because they are in Toronto and they are not a bucket-shop. On the other hand, I did not need a nurse-maid, thanks. I don’t need the FIFO rule and I don’t see how it helps. I liked hedging, and used it often to my advantage. As for the leverage ruling,…a new thorn. Occasionally, an absolutely brilliant trade comes along where, a mound of horse do-do couldn’t make the wrong choice – give me leverage!
Made me want to go back to the racetrack.
So, I took a few more months off to get ready for the irritation of “Disallowed. Against FIFO rules” popping up on my trades when trying to close a trade, because I would forget the stupid new rules. (Which, incidentally, made me lose MORE because of the time wasted in clicking ‘Ok” , then “cancel” and then, closing the right one, which, of course, would be having a mad slide by then,…argggg)
NOW, with my head cleared of bad habits, or maybe not clear but more aware of them, and using only a few indicators, I’m having some fun again, although I may have more fun arguing with these Canadian gov’t pansies who are giving in to the CFTC.
(BTW, for some reason, probably my comp, I’m having to download the chatroom every single time, and then it fights with my skype. Trying to fix that since I made money just paying attention in there,..between Fetor, Furious and 4ow4ow – aside from having some good laughs!)
Keep up the great posts, Nick!
Charles Liang
so true
Tawaraja
Hi Nick,
Nice article. The URL “https://bullrushacademy.com/what-is-free-vip/” is not showing any video. It would be great if you could share the video again. Thank you.
Nick
You need to register to access the video course. Use the form on the right to register.
Isaiah
11 years later and these facts stand true! Thank you for this. I’ve gotten caught in the “cowboy loop” a few time in the beginning