Trading is full of ironies, but none is more widespread, with little attention paid to this problem, than the disconnect between the system a trader follows and the way they live their everyday life. Many traders seek consistency by adhering to strict rules in trading, perhaps entering at a 200-day moving average and exiting at percentage above that rule, but in their everyday lives, they don’t live a system anything close to this. This contradiction is what crushes traders over time because a trader should not rely on a system that they themselves do not practice daily.

You must trade for yourself, who you are, your timeframe, your vision and mission.

Anything else is remaining untrue to yourself as a trade.

Another example: it’s not uncommon for a trader to diligently think they can set stop losses or follow a rigid risk management plan, all while being impulsive or undisciplined outside the markets in their everyday life. Eventually, the undisciplined nature will break the rules they set out to follow.

This underlying irony is everywhere: expecting to behave differently behind the screen than in real life.

Now, it is important to say that this post is not saying organization or rules or specific frameworks are the essential nature of life and trading. More-so what it is saying is that you first must know who you are as a person and then build a plan according to that.

I, for example, and wildly unorganized. I prefer to live life a bit more in the moment and work to my own beat. When it comes to markets, over the years, I’ve found that this is also the most important thing that I can do in markets – do it my way, on my time, casually. You could say on a vibe.

Vibe trading.

I have no system.

I have no rules.

I have tried and succeeded. I have tried and failed. And onward I go. All according to my vibe and flow of how I see the market and my portfolio at any point in time.

I’ve learned this the hard way as well. My worst trades have always come from trading things I don’t full understand or don’t believe in. Perhaps I tried to buy based on a “indicator” and ended up trading a company I know nothing about. This is not me at all. I like knowing and supporting companies, buying them for the long run, and being apart of their mission.

So, the lesson is simple: Traders who honestly assess their true nature, their lifestyle, and then apply that to their system of approaching markets to achieve full consistency across both life and markets are those who can build something that lasts and is durable to what they are aiming to accomplish.

It is not fake, it is not ironic, it is not a deviation from who they really are, it’s a trading plan that aligns with themselves at the deepest level.

Some have systems in life in markets, others have rules in life and markets, and then there are those who, in this case, just vibe through the good or bad, ebb and feel, and maintain consistency.

The best traders I know, trade like themselves.