There is one overlooked and underappreciated skill that precedes and helps to cause trading success.
It is so simple that most people ignore it and go straight to trying to buy and sell using various technical indicators and chart patterns.
What is that one thing? It is to learn and master the English Language.
Learn and Master English – FIRST
When I look back at my journey from my current vantage point, I see new insights that previously remained hidden. Even before I mastered global macro trading, even before I mastered news trading or order flow trading, or how and why prices moved, there was one thing that I did FIRST.
What made the difference?
That was increasing my knowledge and mastery of the English language.
Back when I got started in the mid 2000’s, this was a contrary position to take in some trading circles. There was the boom in China and India and some people were talking about how your children should grow up learning Mandarin Chinese. Well, back then it was the right call for me to learn and master English. And I would say the same thing today – to go learn and master the English language.
It seemed like a bold move at the time. But why?
Because there was certainly a large part of me that really wanted to just focus on the trading. To just focus on firing up my charting platform, putting on technical indicators – and trading. The urge was certainly great in me. Thankfully though, I also had some semblance of the reality of the situation.
I sat there one day in my first year of trading and wondered why it wasn’t working out. Why wasn’t I making any money? Incredible frustration and confusion and helplessness set in. I was intuitively asking myself: What could I do?
What I knew at that time was that I struggled to read and understand completely various trading articles and books. When I first read the Market Wizards books, I was confused. I asked myself, why was that?
One of the reasons was because the books and articles were using what to me seemed like advanced vocabulary. They were not just using “investor” or “trader” terminology – they were using more advanced English. Eventually, it occurred to me that even though I had a high school education, that I still could and should improve further. I realized that even with my education, that did not mean my ability to read and understand English and trading articles and books was at a high level.
I realize I had to educate myself and do it properly. That it was my responsibility to learn greater language skills.
That’s when I decided to attain a greater mastery over the English language.
So what did I do? I took positive action and got a dictionary and after I read a word I did not understand, I would circle it, and look it up and write in some simpler words as a definition on the book or article. It was tough and time consuming in the beginning. A large part of me wanted to just read the book and article and be done with it. But I stuck with this plan of mine. It was so necessary to my development as a trader and a person. And most importantly, it paid off – in dollars.
After doing that for a year or two, I got much better at interpreting the trading information flow. And shortly after that I got my first big trading success.
What was responsible for my first trading success? Surely it was the order flow strategies I had discovered, developed and implemented.
But also, in preparation for developing and implementing those, it was my enhanced ability to read, write, speak and understand the English language.
That was how the process went.
I jump started my trading career and first successes by learning and mastering English. That allowed me to master the how and why of price movement. Which led to my mastery over stop losses and option barriers, and eventually to mastery over news trading and finally global macro trading. It all started with my commitment to learning and mastering English. That combination of trading strategies plus better English has been an enormous benefit to my life.
Yes, certainly I had to learn the “trader” terminology. I had to learn the trading strategies. But I also had to learn better English. This is a very overlooked skill that can boost your success that I have never read about in any trading book. They skip it over because they just automatically assume that the average person will figure it out. Well, in over a decade at this, I can tell you with confidence that most don’t figure it out.
Therefore, I say it:Â For trading success – for MASSIVE and Quicker Trading success – LEARN ENGLISH.
I realized back then that people were judging me – every day, due to the way I talked and the words I was using. And I did not believe that it was a favorable first impression I was making most of the time. I knew something had to change.
They say you are judged first by what you wear, then by your speech, then by what you do. Well, you can wear the best clothes, but if you can’t string together coherent and effective sentences to get a quality idea through, then you can get stuck in life. There are lots of people working in low level jobs in the local community for years and decades, and you can tell they are using the same words that they started with. They have not grown much. So they can get stuck in life.
As the rock legend Gene Simmons said:
“Learn to speak English. And learn to do it well. And learn to speak it without an accent.”
“Speak English without an accent… If I can’t understand what you’re saying to me, or if your accent is too strong, the impression I’ll get won’t be about the content of the conversation. It will be about your accent.”
“It’s your responsibility to learn to speak English properly.”
“Everyone is proud of his own culture, but we should communicate in a common language and uphold certain cultural/economic/political ideals… And in America, that means speaking English, regardless of our birth language.”
Therefore, even though it may sound weird – you can jump start your trading career and plant a firm foundation – by learning English, first. Then you can go wherever you want to go.
Masters in Many Fields – know English
If you take a look at the Forbes list of wealthiest people, not all of them, but most of them know good English.
People in so many industries and professions – know and have good English.
You might see some sports athletes age 19, 20 who have not yet mastered the sport and English. But, by age 25 or 27, they are winning big and they have mastered the sport and their words are very different as well. They are thinking more clearly and speaking more clearly. They are having more powerful thoughts and expressing them in clearer terms. Heck, you can even see the athletes progressions by finding an interview of them at age 19, and another at age 27 on YouTube, and see just how much improved their language is.
Eventually these successful people get asked to do interviews, etc. And they have to know and master some language – and it is usually English. For an athlete to have global exposure, global brand endorsements – it usually helps for them to know and master English.
Master English for Greater Trading Scenario Analysis Powers
One of the most important skills in trading and in life for the 21st century is that of the mind power of Scenario Analysis.
How well can you play out scenarios in the market about what will happen in the near future? How well can you play out scenarios in your life about what trajectory you are on?
I have noticed that the lack of English language skills results in diminished scenario analysis powers. Not in every single case, but that has been my general observation. Those who cannot think straight and form clear and accurate sentence in writing or the spoken word are probably not going to have good trading scenario analysis powers either.
And in trading the power of your mind to accurately play out trading scenarios is a crucial skill to not just develop, but to MAXIMIZE as well.
My parents never mastered English and they were disadvantaged in life because of it. They never had superb scenario analysis in life to aid them in their decision making.
I have friends both male and female who are older than me who have not yet mastered English even though they have been living in America for over a decade. And I can see that it is limiting their opportunities, consciousness, etc, not just in work, but in the romance department of life as well.
So I see it with both people younger and older than me.
Those who have not mastered English, are usually disadvantaged in life.
Those who have mastered English are advantaged in life. It is an automatic advantage and edge in life that works silently in the background for you – every single day.
Master English to Make Greater Trading Profits
I have successfully sold my products and programs to people living in the Asia Pacific region. However, upon closer analysis there is a great difference in refund rates between various countries. Those customers located in China and Singapore areas tend to refund at much higher rates than those living in Australia. The refund rates in Australia are very low.
I was pondering why that was so and the one reason I came up with is that the people living in China and Singapore may not know as good English as those in Australia. The people living in Australia can probably read, speak, write and overall understand English a lot better. So they can understand the trading material and strategies better, and thus make more trading profits.
Selling to people in Australia is a great joy for me as they understand the material better, they implement better, they make more money and I get fabulous comments and testimonials from them.
Which brings me back to my point about – if you are not succeeding in trading, not making as much money as you believe you should be making and don’t yet know how to read, speak, write and understand ENGLISH, then make that a priority. Get it done.
Then you can interpret the trading information and books, with your better grasp of the English language, and can then make better trading decisions and make more money.
My increase in trading profits went hand in hand with my increase in mastery of the English language. They both went up together.
Master Traders Ideas are in WORDS – in ENGLISH
So many of the master traders of the past and present – know English. If you go look up traders like Jesse Livermore, Alfred Winslow Jones, Michael Steinhardt, George Soros, Paul Tudor Jones, Ray Dalio, etc. They all know and have mastered English.
For example, when someone interviews a master trader, the master trader responds with words. The trader’s wisdom, strategies, philosophies, principles, etc, come out as words – in ENGLISH.
One of the reasons I did not understand the Market Wizards books the first time around and was confused was because I needed to learn better English!!
When the hedge fund manager Ray Dalio recently published a book called Principles – well it is a book filled with words – in ENGLISH!!
Most of the traders in the Market Wizards books know and have mastered English. They are no dummies in that area.
Also, if I think about it – deeply think about it, most of the greatest trading books and articles in history I have ever read, were first written and published in ENGLISH. After that they may have been translated into other languages at a later date. But they were initially created – in ENGLISH. Therefore, if a trader does not have a good grasp of the English language, how are they going to learn the trading wisdom from the masters? Those who do not know English can be at a disadvantage, depending on their trading strategy and other circumstances.
Therefore focus and have a good command of the English language.
Learn English for A Surge in Self Confidence
The increase in self confidence from thinking, speaking and writing more clearly is profound. It helps to provide a foundation that prevents hopelessness, depression, etc. It provides a foundation that can sustain enthusiasm for extended periods of time.
As my knowledge of the English language soared, and my knowledge of trading soared, so did my self confidence. It was a success cycle. One thing led to another. Greater vocabulary and English led to developing more effective trading strategies and habits, which led to more money, which led to more self confidence. More self confidence led to sustained and increased motivation to continue to master the English language and trading.
Any time you can find and implement this kind of success cycle – use it.
Conclusion:
That is why before you go all crazy and try to fire up your trading charts and slap on technical indicators and rush to make a buying decision in any market, or bitcoin, etc, ask yourself:Â Have I mastered the English language first?
Because it might be the missing piece of the puzzle that allows you to get to the next level of success in life. It was for me some 10 years ago.
Whether you are a 20 year old trader or 50 year old trader – learn English.
After you make progress on that you can then go and learn the how and why of price movement. First get better at English, then learn the why and how of price movement for the order flow foundations.
Then the arsenal of trading strategies waiting for you to use for profit become much more accessible.
Which arsenal of trading strategies should you use? Go for The Order Flow Mastery Course.
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