[zdo]

(wikipedia and pictionary definitions aside) For traders, what is the difference between attitude and belief? Thx.

[Tams]

Originally Posted by zdo »

(wikipedia and pictionary definitions aside) For traders, what is the difference between attitude and belief? Thx.

your attitude determines your altitude,

your altitude is a reflection of your attitude.

[Tams]

Originally Posted by zdo »

(wikipedia and pictionary definitions aside) For traders, what is the difference between attitude and belief? Thx.

once upon a time,
people believe the earth is flat...


some people believe there is a God.
if you can see God, you don't need to believe.

[SIUYA]

Originally Posted by zdo »

(wikipedia and pictionary definitions aside) For traders, what is the difference between attitude and belief? Thx.

attitude is the approach and acceptance - it has to be positive, has to be one of looking for opportunity, of actually working and looking for those opportunities and ensuring you have done the home work, of knowing that there will be losses, of knowing that their will be good days and bad, that its a grind, that its mentally demanding/frustrating, and of knowing that you are likely to be wrong and stuff it up and that you will learn from that......

belief is that once you push the button, you have had the right attitude

[Tradewinds]

Originally Posted by zdo »

(wikipedia and pictionary definitions aside) For traders, what is the difference between attitude and belief? Thx.

Let's consider some possible statements:

• I used to have a good attitude towards my strategy, now I don't.
• I have a really good attitude about this trading system that I know is terrible.
• I believe in my strategy, but I just can't seem to trust it.

"I have a really good attitude about this trading system that I know is terrible": This statement seems strange. Something doesn't seem right. The statement mixes good attitude with a belief that the strategy is terrible. It would also seem strange to have a bad attitude towards a strategy that you believed was good.

You could have a belief that a strategy is good, but a pessimistic attitude towards your ability to implement the strategy.

To me belief can be mental or emotional. I can believe something mentally, but emotionally not trust it. With trading, you can become suspicious, hesitant and mistrustful after failures.

[Ingot54]

Originally Posted by zdo »

(wikipedia and pictionary definitions aside) For traders, what is the difference between attitude and belief? Thx.

I I know what they are ... but the difference between them ...? Hmmm.

Belief is an absolute. As soon as doubt enters the scene, you don't have belief, you have a theory.

Attitude is more a decision ... eg "Today I will ... (focus on my rules / strategy) ..." or "I will not let three losses shatter my belief in my strategy."

The difference between them is that belief is a core tenet, while attitude is a decision, at first conscious, but over time becomes unconscious, as confidence develops.

And with confidence, comes belief.

I do not think belief is possible without proof.

Except belief in God. Such "proof" is personal, and cannot be understood or shown to another. Thus the world says "show me God and I'll believe" ... but it is not that simple. An individual does not require proof to believe in God ... that faith is either there or it isn't.

Trading is different - it is tangible, and no amount of faith is enough - only the evidence of results will create belief.

Clear now?

Great idea for a thread, btw ... and I hope to have these topics clarified further - good contributions already.

[zdo]

Thank you all for the posts. I still don’t know. Here are some thoughts and more questions …
Attitude as an anticipatory act to create state and orient way self is going to engage upcoming experience.
Belief is what you do when you don’t know. If you know, belief is not needed.
Could belief be a limited, specialized form of attitude?
Seems belief can support attitudes, but can attitudes support beliefs? Can attitude condition how much conviction and attachment one has to belief(s)?
Still don’t know the difference.

[Tradewinds]

I'm not saying I have the answer, but consider if someone asked two different questions:

• What is your attitude towards XYZ?
• What is your belief about XYZ?

When I try to get a sense of the implications of those two questions, it feels like an attitude is more of a "gut feeling", without much, if any time or effort spent to gather facts, assemble them, and use some logic.

Attitude and belief could be applied to a few different things.

• Trading as a profession
• The investment industry
• Which instrument to trade
• Time frames
• Strategy
• Your personal ability
• Your ability to improve
• Brokers
• What the price is going to do.

There are plenty of times a trader may guess at what the price is going to do. There will always be a degree of uncertainty, but there can be different degrees of substance and preparation to a trading decision. So when it comes to the difference between attitude and belief, I think it is important to consider, "Matters of Degree". I think Attitudes have a lower threshold of proof, and deal more with intuition, and very little conscious effort.

So I guess I'd say that attitude and belief are sort of the same thing, but different matters of degree. I can tell myself that I really think that the price is going to turn and go up, but not really consciously be able to tell you why or give you any real reason. To me, that would be my "attitude".