I did it!
I took my first trade in my live account.
So here’s what happened. I’d prepared and planned to trade AMZN, but AMZN had some interesting news that morning. It joined the DOW, replacing Walmart. When you’re going long on a stock, you want good news. I didn’t love this news because I wasn’t sure how the market would react. But I was ready to see what would unfold. When the stock market opened, AMZN didn’t really move.
As I waited for the stock to hit my entry point, I noticed TSLA doing something interesting. It’d been stagnant for a few days, and it decided to move. I was excited because I love TSLA. I’ve traded it a ton in my SIM account. It’s probably my favorite stock to trade. So, I combined a few trading methods to create my trading plan.
- I decided on a number I’d be comfortable losing: $10.
- I entered the number of shares I was comfortable buying: 2 shares.
- I calculated how much I’d make versus lose.
When I was fully onboard with the plan, I clicked send and waited for my order to be filled. Below is a screenshot of TSLA’s chart that I took at some point in the trade to reflect on it afterward.
TSLA came down to the exact number I’d hoped for, and my order was picked up. I moved my stop loss up as the trade went in my favor. I tended my nervous system throughout the trade because the adrenaline was pumping, and my arms were shaking.
Within 30 minutes, I’d exited my trade, which was about as long as my nervous system could have handled staying in a trade. I closed my laptop and went to the gym, sauna, and cold shower. I needed to move the adrenaline out of my body and reset my nervous system.
I couldn’t have been prouder of the trade because I followed my trading plan. I trusted my conviction. I got in and out. It was clean and easy. Plus, I profited from the trade!!!
I had the goal of taking my first live trade by April 1st. For months, I’ve been taking trades in my SIM account. I took over thirty trades in the last thirty days, so I’d been putting in the reps and building the muscle of charting a stock, waiting for it to enter a zone, entering a trade, managing a trade, exiting a trade, and reflecting on a trade. I’ve been doing this to make trading fluid and automatic.
Because I have overcome this hurdle earlier than my April 1st deadline, I’ve set a small monetary trading goal I’d like to hit by the end of March. Of course, my main goal with trading is to make money. But, my current focus is to correctly read the charts, create trading plans, and listen to my convictions. I’ve already experienced the power of listening to my inner knowing, so I want to continue honing that muscle.
I’d almost entered another live trade but received a hard “no” from my inner knowing. I was so afraid to miss out on a trade. The fear of FOMO is legit. But I got a no. So, I sat in the discomfort of waiting until I got a yes to enter. To my surprise and relief, my inner knowing was correct. I’d have lost money if I’d entered the trade.
What’s been so fascinating about trading is that it’s really a practice of self-trust. Now that I’ve traded live, I can focus on building my confidence in trusting myself. In time, I’ll become more comfortable buying more shares, staying in trades longer, and feeling more at ease in a trade.