The winning trader stays ahead of the crowd. In ever-changing market conditions, it’s vital to think of new, innovative trading ideas. But it isn’t always easy. There are times when you feel mentally stuck and unable to think creatively. When you are feeling a little stuck, there are specific steps you can take to get your creative juices flowing.
Creativity can’t be forced. If you try to force yourself to be creative, you’ll feel the pressure, and your mind will close down. The first step in thinking of a creative idea is to calm down. You must relax. Go to a quiet place and let your mind wander for a while. You might just stare at the wall or listen to soothing music. Don’t try to immediately think of an innovative trading idea. Instead, just let your thoughts flow freely. Let all the problems of the day pass through your mind. Allow all pent up emotions to be expressed. Let your emotions and ideas flow in and out of consciousness until you feel calm and relaxed.
After you feel relaxed, you can start allowing your mind to start thinking of creative ideas. There are two conditions that must be present to think of a creative idea. First, your mind must be focused on. You must concentrate on your inner experience. Second, you must allow a variety of ideas to flow through your mind freely. The goal is to review a wide range of ideas, which can be combined and recombined in new ways.
How do you get a flow of ideas to actively run through your mind? You can take a variety of approaches. You might try an indirect approach initially. Pick up a trading book or magazine and start reading. Don’t try to force yourself to see a new trading idea in what you’re reading. Just read freely so that your thought processes start moving. Another strategy is to read through a list of your most profitable trades. The goal isn’t to take old strategies and consciously rework them. The objective is to merely get your mind to start running through a variety of ideas. You may not get an idea immediately, but over time, if you feel relaxed and let your creative juices flow, you will soon combine and recombine ideas.
At some point in the process, an innovative, new idea will appear. Again, the key is to set your thinking processes in motion. As you scan various concepts and ideas unconsciously, your mind will work below your awareness. Suddenly, the information that runs through your mind will come together, and you will see something new. You must concentrate, however. If you are distracted, you may miss the creative idea that is about to emerge. You must stay calm and focused, and let the idea enter your mind.
Creative ideas are hard to come by. It’s vital for trading success, however, to actively find new ideas. The key is to keep your mind active. The more your mind is active, the more likely you’ll discover the creative new trading ideas that will make you profitable.