A Balanced Mind

[Soultrader]

The left hemisphere of our brain controls the right side of the body and is analytically oriented. This is the side we use to analyze the markets. Attempting to trade with only the left hemisphere gives you a very narrow vision of the financial markets. Focusing on only technical indicators and science to reason the markets is a left hemisphere view of trading.

The right hemisphere controls our left side of the body and is responsible for our inituitive, creative, and artistic side. The right hemisphere is known as the emotional side of our brain and is used to process vast amounts of information. Trading on only the right hemisphere of our brain equals emotional trading. However, this side is necessary to develop self understanding.

A trader needs a balance of both the right and left hemisphere of our brain. Overnight preparation should be done with the left hemisphere while the right hemisphere should be used in the line of fire.

Here are a few examples of right and left dominant types taken from Balance Your Brain Hemispheres - The IPN

Left Dominant Type:

• argues logically and always has an answer for everything
• is future oriented
• never has time and races towards a heart attack
• any body awareness is foreign
• ignores any physical symptoms
• is nervous, restless, hectic, wound up, sometimes euphoric
• but learns quickly under direction to improve the condition
• has a tendency towards hypochondria
• doesn't know what to do with inner visions and feelings
• The left dominant type likes to be in leadership roles and high management positions. They are task oriented, result oriented, like to work with a list of things to be done. In order to be happy, they need success and recognition, but also order and structure. They have a very rigid vision of their own identity and their goals.
• problem solving approach: the left dominant type solves problems logically, analytically, step by step. Prefers numbers and facts in a logical sequence. Is interested in technology, finances and accounting, learns from dealing with facts. Easy to be hypnotized.

Right Dominant Type:

• talks in feelings, but often in the negative
• is past oriented
• tries all kinds of therapies and abandons them again
• nothing satisfies, is depressive, moody, emotionally unstable and feels sorry for her/him-self
• is self-descructive, always expects the worst
• slow learner to improve inner and physical conditions, often frustrating to others
• many people of this type are very charismatic and extroverted
• they search for fun activities, like painting, making music, work in the garden, being creative. They think of many things simultaneously, start many activities, need a lot of space. Have a high ability to express themselves, are communicative, often spiritual and inventive, inspire others with their ideas and also get easily inspired by others, are wordy and suggestive.
• as a child are difficult to educate, because they often have difficulties to distinguish between right and wrong. Under duress, they lack a sense of self-identity, are incapable to seperate feelings from ideas. It is easy to get into a panic and react with helplessness and little self-control. Under constant stress, obesity and hedonism are a problem. Often they believe in destiny and coincidence, without human intervention. When they have a chronic or life threatening illness, tend to be fatalistic.
• solves problems intuitively, with a sense for the whole. Is open for new ideas and developments, learns from action and observation.

I am curious to know the various excersises that can help one develop a good balance of both. Some people tend to use one side more than the other. One method I learned about a year ago to improve the right hemisphere is to write down market insights and thoughts on a daily basis. This allows your creativity to grow.

If anyone else knows of methods to help balance the two hemisphere's please share it with us.

[modric]

The first orientation is the decision that you will do things right. Then you have to learn from somewhere what is right. It is a matter of some firm statements about life told by someone truthful. With a bad philosophy you want do things right...

Then listen your thoughts, logic, experience, feelings, predictions, desires.

Thoughts and feelings must match. If a thought says to you: This is great! And the feeling suggests you: "Nah, don't want this" >> whom to listen?

My answer is: When you feel peace with your decision, this is the top possible orientation that you'll do right. But the idea must be right. It is a question is it O.K. to get in peace with a plan how to rob a bank...

You don't need to force yourself to balance anything. Use what you have. I found a lot of intuition inside me, just didn't use it a long time. The top possible exercise for intuition is to use it. When something will tell you - this is good for you - and you'll feel peaceful with that - do it. Check the results - are they good? Getting good results after listening your feelings will give you confidence to do this the next time...

[Soultrader]

I agree in trusting your intuition. Aferall, intuition takes years of experience to develop. You feel things sometimes without the abilitiy to explain it.

I think intuition in trading takes minimum 5 years to develop to a point where you can trust them 8/10 times. I often hear new traders mentioning, "I'm going short because the market feels weak or overbought."

This should not be mistaken as intuition. It's simply emotional trading without a plan.

[Trade Up]

A good trader has to feel comfortable with every decision which they make.

There is no point thinking "The market looks weak, I am going to go short" then seeing a stock you like, and going long. Its like paddling in a tidal wave if the market is not right.

It is strange, but you do develop a feel for the market, and within seconds you can do figures in your head to see if a stock looks good value.

You can teach people about markets, but if they dont have a genuine interest and "feel" for the market, they will never be Great Traders.

[ezduzzit]

Hmm.. all good thoughts to be sure, but as to your question S.T. of ways to increase one capacity or the other, I find that doing creative puzzle solving works wonders. You develop not only your sense of logic but also your powers of creativity. You have to be selective but you can Google for this kind of stuff under terms like mind games, mind expansion+fun, creative puzzles, etc.

I find that when things are "fun" you tend to learn faster and there's certainly something to be said for it being enjoyable. I originally started out doing wooden block puzzles, metal ring puzzles, etc. and it just carried on from there. You would be surprised how you can begin to see relationships between things that others are totally blind to. It also increases your powers of observation.

Anyway, I hope that addresses what you were after.

Happy Trading

[Soultrader]

Thank you ezduzzit. Never been much of a puzzle person but may need to check it out. I am more of a dice/card game type of person.

Have you heard of eyeQ? Welcome to eyeQ - Speed Reading and Brain Enhancement Technology

This is a little irrelevant to this topic but thought I bring it up. Its a program to help you read faster. I take the demo every now and then to improve on my tape reading skills.

[ezduzzit]

Yes S.T. I not only have heard of eyeQ. . I own the program and it materially improved not only my reading speed and comprehension but also slightly enhanced my powers of observation. I just wish you and I had developed and marketed that program ourselves!

I assure you I did not start out as a puzzle person, it was initially just way to pass the time. However, I soon found it had benefits and have not been able to stop. I hope you find some that you find entertaining.

Happy Trading

[Soultrader]

With your comments, I may actually invest in the eyeQ program. How long did it take you to see significant results? I found out about eyeQ a few months back from a trading buddy who is a pure tape reader.

	Quote:	ezduzzit
	I just wish you and I had developed and marketed that program ourselves!

I agree! Always looking for a unique opportunity

[ezduzzit]

I actually had pretty decent results within the first week but that improved a significant amount once I got into a regular habit of repeating the program and practicing the techniques. If you don't use it you lose it is every bit as applicable in this situation as in all the others. Just put in a half hour or so per day each day for the first couple of weeks and you should soon see some real benefits.

I have noticed that if you have serious enough reasons for doing something, you can accomplish just about anything you decide upon. If your reasons are frivolous or you just decide one day.. oh I think that might be nice to have or do, then you will find it hard going and probably not get what you wanted out of it.

Happy Trading

[Soultrader]

	Quote:	ezduzzit
	I have noticed that if you have serious enough reasons for doing something, you can accomplish just about anything you decide upon. If your reasons are frivolous or you just decide one day.. oh I think that might be nice to have or do, then you will find it hard going and probably not get what you wanted out of it.

Very true EZ. In order to achieve, you must want it badly. I dont believe in doing anything half way. That is why trading should be a full profession and not a part time hobby. A hobby costs money.

That is why it is so hard to teaching people how to trade. Most new traders simply lose motivation and passion once they realize what it takes to become a professional trader.