Trading Losses: There are two types of losses, one loss is caused by the market simply not being conducive for the profitability of your system. The other loss is due to your lack of discipline causing your system not to work. If you followed your trading plan and had a loss that is to be expected. If you are trading a proven and tested method then you have simply learned that taking a loss is simply part of trading. However if your breach of discipline caused your loss, whether not taking a stop, over riding your plan, not taking an entry, trading too big, etc. then it is time to learn why you had the loss. Ego? Fear? Greed? Overconfidence? Laziness? and many other things cause losses. It is crucial that you learn why you broke your trading plan so you do not repeat the mistake again.
Charts: Studying the past price action of charts is very educational. It will show you how prices have reacted at support/resistance levels in the past along with moving averages and any other indicators that you may choose. It is important that you understand how your market has historically traded whether it is currencies, commodities, stocks, or bonds. It is crucial that you learn how to identify a trend, a swing trade, and a range bound market.
Social Networks: There are many great traders on facebook, twitter, and stock twits. There are several that freely give away advice and knowledge daily simply because they enjoy sharing. There are others that also sell good services like web sites, chat rooms, coaching, books, and newsletters. To separate the wheat from the chaff focus on who gives advice that makes money over a long time frame. Only follow traders that discuss all three elements of trading you need to be hearing about risk management and trader psychology along with entries and exits. Be very wary of anyone that makes trading look like easy money, it is work like any other profession.
A Mentor: Getting a mentor is a great way to short cut much of the learning curve. Having someone available to ask questions of and get direct feedback is incredibly valuable. The hard part is finding the right one. If you are paying for a service then you need to verify the mentors credentials and success as a trader. If a successful or rich trader agrees to help you with no compensation it is crucial to not take up too much of their time. Have questions ready and ask intelligent questions by doing the necessary homework before talking with them. It is also possible to pick legendary traders and study them in depth through the internet, interviews they have done, books they have written, and purchasing any services they offer.
Trading Books: Books that are written by successful traders are gold mines for information that can speed up the learning process for new traders. When looking for the best trading books I use Amazon and focus on books that are written by traders that have track records of many years of successful trading. I also like to see many 4 and 5 star reviews for the book. I have reviewed over 250 trading books on Amazon, if you can wade through all the other products and books I have reviewed then there are many gems waiting for you. My Reviews
We never master the markets, we remain students for life.
Source: http://newtraderu.com/