[james_gsx]

Today I was trading (granted only 2 ES trades and the rest were options) and following my plan like usual. I don't want to say I was in the zone, but I was definitely aware of the market and the opportunities.

As the day came to a close I remembered a few of my trades and how I went about them. Then it hit me, I felt absolutely no emotion during the trades. I saw them, took them, and looked for the next one. After the trade was over, I thought nothing of it and moved on. I was quite proud of myself and my trading plan, and it felt good.

So this is pointless without any explanation how I got here. As some of you know, the emotional side of things has been my weakest link. I believe that weakness was due to my lack of execution. I finally told myself to stop coming up with excuses and just execute. Execution has been my theme for 08 and it has done amazing things for my entire life.

I simply sat down this morning and looked at my trading plan. I took my notes through the day, and when I saw my trades come up whether it was an ES trade or various options trades I took them and didn't think twice about them. My week was profitable, granted I'm not a millionare and I didn't make a ton of money. But I improved the bottom line, and this is my business and it was a profitable week and that's what matters.

I now view my trading as my business, and the key to any successful business is execution. I have seen and heard of many executives failing because they talk talk talk and never do anything. So my advice to any newbies who are struggling is simple: Sit your ass down and just get it done. Write that plan, and execute the plan. There will be emotion at first, but the more you execute and just get it done the faster your learning curve will become. You'll realize that you aren't lacking any intelligence or some holy grail, but simply screen time. And the only way you can improve your screen time is by actually trading and getting it done. It might seem silly, but you'd be amazed at what happens when you finally start doing things and following through with yourself. You'll become more motivated, and your trading will improve.

I'm not a professional trader yet, and I know this is just the start of my unemotional road. I understand there will still be trades where I will feel emotion. But I know this is the start, and I am very excited with what's to come. Good trading everyone.