Yes, I Can

To change the world, I change myself.

To help others, I help myself.

As the time goes by, I'll be able to see the differences...

トレーダー仲間への手紙: June 8, 2008

こんにちは！ 土日、ずっと出ていて、連絡遅れてごめんなさい。

私自身、次の大きなステップを踏み出した気が、最近、しています。 で、今、私の一番のお勧めは、この本です。 「トレーダーの精神分析」　ｂｙ　ブレット・スティーンバーガー

これは、ある程度、メンタルの重要性というか、Aさんが言っていた、自己矛盾のない、一貫した状態（意識と無意識が一致している状態）の大切さが分かり、実行に移している段階の人には、どうすれば、自分でトレーダーとしての役割も務め、さらにコーチやメンターの役割もこなせるか、のステップや重要性がかなり具体的に書かれています。

そしてその根底は、

・アマチュアトレーダー（私がいった第一段階）とプロトレーダー（第三段階）の違い
・収支がトントンのトレーダー（第二段階）とプロトレーダーの違い

などが書いてあります。

そしてその違いは、デモであれ、ライブであれ、どんなトレードをしていても、その「練習方法」や意図が、まったく違います。 そしてこの点を本当に理解してトレードしないと、パフォーマンスの悪さのすべてを「メンタル」という心理的な言い訳に使いかねません。


これはよくある現象だと思います。 でも、心理面の重要性を説いていても、その本当の意味は、やはりAさんたちのような体験を本当につんでいかないと、まったく意味が分からないで終わる可能性が大いにあると思います。

それと同時に、その心理面だけでは到底乗り越えられない壁というのが、この本で分かると思います。 つまり、心理面を克服した後に、素晴らしいパフォーマンスが待っているというのは幻想です。ある意味。

でも、心理面ができていなければ、やはりすごいパフォーマンスは発揮できません。 これが本当に分かるようになると、今の自分が何をすればいいかが、目からうろこが落ちるようにわかってくると思います。

今、ちょっと出る前で時間がないので、何か分からないことがあったらメールしてほしいのですが、本当にトレードで稼ぎたいなら、この本は私は行動指針になるかなと思いました。 また皆さんに会えるのを楽しみにしてます！ 予定があったら、会いましょう！


====== added comment on June 18 ====

Whatever path that had to be taken had to be taken. There was a positive intention for the event anyway. So why do you even need to worry about the consequences? Just take a step, one by one. You will see the light coming up sooner or later...

"Ohana" means...

"Ohana" means family.

Family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten.

~From Lilo & Stitcch

Freedom and Stability

In a pure dualism, there only exists extremes; but in a world where "balance" has more virtue, the integration of the two can be more valuable even in our daily life.


When I realized that the freedom was the one I have truly desired for a long long time, I also asked myself, "do I really want it at any cost?" And the answer was clear, "of course not!"


What I want through the practice of NLP or Ericksonian hypnotherapy is just the integration of two apparently distint ideas, behaviors, values, or whatever you call. The important thing to me is the fact that I was fascinated by one idea while keeping my desire to maintain something totally different. Does this mean I am not consistent? Well, maybe not. Maybe something a lot deeper than that.


We humans are not that simple. Why abused children still love their parents? Why losing traders still want to take positions in the market while saving even a penny in their daiily life? Some may come up with seemingly logical explanation, but I don't care how good they sound. What I care about is the consistency in the person's body and mind. And my perspective is that as long as consistency exisits, there must be something important to them. Otherwise, why do they still want to keep it?


Maybe the interpretation of a word is quite different from that of others, but once again, who cares? To me, freedom can definately coexist with stability. And why is it so? Because I said so.


If I feel consisten when saying freedom and stability can live together, that is the reality to me, even if some other people may think those two values collide with each other.


So, the key in my life is, as long as I feel any inconsistency in some values even if I want to keep them, I just need to integrate them into something higher in value. This is the pure process. No content intended.

On our 9th marriage anniversary, I want to thank my husband for his many many lessons whose values I could finally appreciate only after taking NLP courses...

On Marriage by Kahlil Gibran

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.

Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

Trade Is...

An art where you express yourself in the most imaginative way possible in a constantly changing context called "market."

A pure process in which you find a better framework that suits you the most to fulfil whatever goals you have.

A way of life to form your identity and to abide by the rules you have made by yourself.

A mirror to see myself through to find out my strengths and weaknesses.

A door to freedom where there is no physical, economical or philosophical boundary or limitation to which you challenge your creativity and imagination.

A tool to learn the skills of SRCF: state management, rapport, calibration, and flexibility.

A confirmation that only you can be your own best coach...

投資の初心者に対する私からのアドバイス from Brett Steenbarger

"Proven Strategies From the Cutting Edge of Trading Psychology"

（邦題：　「トレーダーの精神分析」より抜粋）

トレーディングの基本技術の１つは、マーケットのパターン認識である。これは短期、長期、メカニカルまたは裁量のトレーディングスタイルなどを問わず、すべてのトレーダーに当てはまる。将来のマーケットの動きを予測するには、まずは売りと買いのパターンを見つけることである。

しかし、トレード技術が上達してくれば、自分の理解できないパターンについてあれこれと思い悩む必要はない。リンダ・ブラッドフォード・ラシュキ女史いわく「いろいろなマーケットパターンを研究する前に、まずは１つのパターンをマスターしなさい」である。

彼女によれば、トレーダーがマーケットパターンをとらえるには、マーケットを「組み立てる（frame）」方法を持たなければならず、それはどんな分析でもかまわない。それは意思決定や判断の善し悪しを決めるベースとなるもので、トレード技術が上達するにつれていろいろな修正が加えられても、コンパスとしての役割は変わらない。


トレード技術を上達させるには、まず最初に自分に合った１つか２つのトレーディングパターンを選び、ヒストリカルなデータやリアルタイムのデータによる模擬トレードによってその有効性を確認する。気をつけなければならないのは、最初はそのパターンに基づいてトレードするのではなく、単にその形に注目するだけでよい。

例えば、自分の得意のパターンが保ち合い圏からのブレークアウトだとすれば、そうしたパターンが出現する局面を見つけることである。そうしたマーケットの局面をうまく見つけられるようになったら、そのパターンのチャンスをとらえる有利な仕掛け値を研究する。

次に模擬トレードによって自分の判断の善し悪しとその理由などを確認する。

こうしたプロセスを繰り返していけば、そうしたブレイクアウトは長期トレンドの途上でよく出現することなどが分かってくるだろう。こうした情報は将来に同じようなマーケットパターンの出現を予測する大きな手掛かりとなる。

物事は単純に考え、１つのマーケットパターンのトレードをマスターするまで繰り返すこと。トレード技術を上達したいのであれば、どうかこうしたポイントを忘れないでほしい。

Yes, I Wanted to Do, But Not Really So...

Recently I've finally realized that the last thing I needed to do to change my fatal patterns in trading would be to practice to execute other patterns over and over again. I was hyponotized to believe the power of practice by John many many times during his workshop; but the reality, or rather the strong defense by my unconscious, seemed to be so persuasive not to really believe so. Or I can say somehow I have this dilemma between my desire to practice to change my behavior on an unconscious level and my hesitance to pursue the change process at the same time. I did not try Visual Squash this time to integrate these opposite emotions; but the moment of realization suddenly came to my mind the night before.

I guess this sudden change in my perception is so-called the authentic integration of conscious and unconscious. It was like a thunder lightening on my head. The sensation was so radical that I felt as if something was really controlling my mind and body. I could not stop writing my clear understanding of my issue in trading and its possible solution.

We humans are so congruent in that we cannot do the things happily if we don't really want to. Of course we have developed some ways to fight against our unconscious screaming by ignoring it. But in the long run, we will find its consequence whether expected or not, and sooner or later...

Up until my true realization that I have finally been able to work on the integration of my conscious and unconscious, my behavioral pattern in trading was more or less the same, and its result was my unchanged equity over a couple of months. I tried very hard, no matter how conscious level the attempt was made on, I had no choice. I did not want to try anything else besides my old habitual pattern, and I could not even imagine if I could do anything else. And this feeling of having no choice is exactly the symptom of a one-tracked mind.

Why people remain so stubborn no matter how unsuccessful that pattern has been? Because they dare to imagine that they could get the same "state" by doing something else. If I could not increase nor decrease my equity, there must have been something that I had wanted to maintain the state of balance. Even though I attempted to increase my equity, I could not; but it did not reduce it either. Somehow my total equity was in balance over a couple of months. It was strange, but once I realized the positive intention of my behavior, which still seems to be very difficult, I suddenly saw myself acting in a totally new behavior.

I opened a demo account at my Forex broker without any hesitation, and started to trade at a bigger scale. I was quite amazed at the rapid change I went through, but I am very confident that I've decided to take on a new path only because I have nothing to be incongruent about. It took longer than I expected, but this was the thing I wanted so longingly since the first day I took an NLP practitioner course. Even though I haven't achieved anything so big in trading, I can see myself as a very very successful super trader.

My Signature Themes from StrengthsFinder

Your Signature Themes report presents your five most dominant themes of talent, in the rank order revealed by your responses to StrengthsFinder. Of the 34 themes measured, these are your "top five."

Your Signature Themes are very important in maximizing the talents that lead to your successes. By focusing on your Signature Themes, separately and in combination, you can identify your talents, build them into strengths, and enjoy personal and career success through consistent, near-perfect performance.

Activator
“When can we start?” This is a recurring question in your life. You are impatient for action. You may concede that analysis has its uses or that debate and discussion can occasionally yield some valuable insights, but deep down you know that only action is real. Only action can make things happen. Only action leads to performance. Once a decision is made, you cannot not act. Others may worry that “there are still some things we don’t know,” but this doesn’t seem to slow you. If the decision has been made to go across town, you know that the fastest way to get there is to go stoplight to stoplight. You are not going to sit around waiting until all the lights have turned green. Besides, in your view, action and thinking are not opposites. In fact, guided by your Activator theme, you believe that action is the best device for learning. You make a decision, you take action, you look at the result, and you learn. This learning informs your next action and your next. How can you grow if you have nothing to react to? Well, you believe you can’t. You must put yourself out there. You must take the next step. It is the only way to keep your thinking fresh and informed. The bottom line is this: You know you will be judged not by what you say, not by what you think, but by what you get done. This does not frighten you. It pleases you.

Strategic
The Strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large. This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, “What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?” This recurring question helps you see around the next corner. There you can evaluate accurately the potential obstacles. Guided by where you see each path leading, you start to make selections. You discard the paths that lead nowhere. You discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. You discard the paths that lead into a fog of confusion. You cull and make selections until you arrive at the chosen path—your strategy. Armed with your strategy, you strike forward. This is your Strategic theme at work: “What if?” Select. Strike.

Learner
You love to learn. The subject matter that interests you most will be determined by your other themes and experiences, but whatever the subject, you will always be drawn to the process of learning. The process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you. You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence. The thrill of the first few facts, the early efforts to recite or practice what you have learned, the growing confidence of a skill mastered—this is the process that entices you. Your excitement leads you to engage in adult learning experiences—yoga or piano lessons or graduate classes. It enables you to thrive in dynamic work environments where you are asked to take on short project assignments and are expected to learn a lot about the new subject matter in a short period of time and then move on to the next one. This Learner theme does not necessarily mean that you seek to become the subject matter expert, or that you are striving for the respect that accompanies a professional or academic credential. The outcome of the learning is less significant than the “getting there.”

Input
You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information—words, facts, books, and quotations—or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity. If you read a great deal, it is not necessarily to refine your theories but, rather, to add more information to your archives. If you like to travel, it is because each new location offers novel artifacts and facts. These can be acquired and then stored away. Why are they worth storing? At the time of storing it is often hard to say exactly when or why you might need them, but who knows when they might become useful? With all those possible uses in mind, you really don’t feel comfortable throwing anything away. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It’s interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable.

Achiever
Your Achiever theme helps explain your drive. Achiever describes a constant need for achievement. You feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself. And by “every day” you mean every single day—workdays, weekends, vacations. No matter how much you may feel you deserve a day of rest, if the day passes without some form of achievement, no matter how small, you will feel dissatisfied. You have an internal fire burning inside you. It pushes you to do more, to achieve more. After each accomplishment is reached, the fire dwindles for a moment, but very soon it rekindles itself, forcing you toward the next accomplishment. Your relentless need for achievement might not be logical. It might not even be focused. But it will always be with you. As an Achiever you must learn to live with this whisper of discontent. It does have its benefits. It brings you the energy you need to work long hours without burning out. It is the jolt you can always count on to get you started on new tasks, new challenges. It is the power supply that causes you to set the pace and define the levels of productivity for your work group. It is the theme that keeps you moving.

Process Model and Content Model

As far as I know, there are two major schools in the field of NLP: the process model and the content model. The more I learn New Code NLP, the more comfortable I feel to live my life pursuing the process-model. It is like the concept of "limit" in calculus. Although my NLP instructor, Mr. Matsushim says that even the concept of process model is a content itself, I have come to realize its fundamental difference between the two. I guess it is more like an idea rather than any concrete definition. Basically, the process model is the way to think in terms of flow that consists of each unique event that may be considered as "content." But since this each event can be theoretically even broken down into much smaller event, if you think of each component of the event, we can say the pure process does consist of infinite number of contents as long as we focus purely on the process itself.

So, if we interprete this concept and apply it into our daily life, we can even say that we don't even need to difine our mission in a static way since the process of pursuing "whatever we think is right in the now moment" will lead to create our dynamic mission after all. It is rather my desire that when I die I want my special people to tell me in the presence of my dead body "so this was her mission in life..." I don't really need to speak out to the world what my mission is. That is uncesessary. People will know and appreciate it by my action. This is about the congruency taught by my husband and John. I want to speak and walk at the same time...