If I could have a penny for every setup I felt enthusiastic about and that invariably blew up in my face I would be… well, a lot richer than I am. To be honest when it comes to picking juicy entries off a chart I rank about average. What may set me apart from the rest, and what has helped me survive in a wide range of market conditions over the years was learning to overcome my instincts and engage in setups that scared the heck out of me.

Earlier this week we covered how to recognize trend reversals with nothing but plain old vanilla price charts. In essence this involves establishing a sequence of higher highs and higher lows (or lower highs and lower lows during a sell off) which should remain unchallenged during the meaty part of a trend.

When it comes to indicators I definitely have come round circle during my evolution as a trader. Like most of us I started out like a kid in the candy store, especially during the early ThinkOrSwim years, which opened the flood gates on the availability of advanced tools for lowly retail traders.

Many years back, during a period of introspection due to a series of losses, an old floor trader who was mentoring me at the time shared with me the most important rule of his 40-year long trading career: Simply trade the market in front of you instead of the one you want to be trading.