The satisfaction of an ‘aha’ moment … there’s nothing quite like it. And when it happens in trading, it doesn’t just feel incredible, it can be the start of an incredible shift.

At the SteadyTrade podcast, we love showcasing trading success stories. We’ve featured inspiring traders at all levels of experience, from relative newbie Chris ‘Tango Baker’ Morales (Episode 157) to penny stock trading legend Tim Sykes (Episode 114.)

These traders have impressive records and great stories. But you gotta remember, their trading success didn’t happen overnight. 

Working toward consistency in trading takes a lot of hard work — and usually, a few hard knocks, too. 

Today’s episode is about the culmination of all that hard work. It’s about the ‘aha’ moment that so many new traders have when the process of trading starts to make sense. And for many traders, that’s also often the point when their accounts start to go from red to green. 

Tim Bohen, Kim Ann Curtin, and Stephen Johnson share the moment when it all started to click for them — along with special guest Alex, Stephen’s trading buddy. 

Tim Bohen

If you’re a regular listener, you probably know Bohen’s story. He’s had a lifelong interest in trading but never made money, never found an edge … until he discovered the teachings of Tim Sykes.

Sykes’ “Pennystocking” DVD was a game-changer. Bohen’s ‘aha’ moment came when he suddenly realized that “90% of this stuff is patterns and catalysts.” He realized that most trades are a repeat of the same basic setup.  

That was an important epiphany, but what really made it click for Bohen was data collection. Be sure to watch on YouTube to check out his trading journal from 2008 … and what he learned from it!

Coincidence? Stephen did this recently, taking an entire weekend to do it — learn more in Episode 161.

Alex 

A few years ago, our podcast guest Alex was working for his dad and thought that was his path … Then he also discovered Tim Sykes. He joined Sykes’ Trading Challenge and knew it would take some work.

But Alex figured he’d probably be a fast study and become one of those trading phenoms like Roland Wolf. (Check out Roland’s two-part interview on the podcast here and here.)

Alex was wrong. He lost for 10 months in a row and was down $13K… 

Then in 2019, with only $2K left in his account, Alex knew it was his last chance — figure out trading or get a real job.

He shares how tracking his trades and the overall market helped him make sense of it all. Learn what he found and how it affected his trading. Alex also shares how he uses stops and how his process has evolved in the pandemic market. 

Stephen Johnson’s ‘Aha’ Moment

Ah, the long and storied trading journey of Stephen Johnson!

It’s been chronicled many times on the podcast before, but today he shares what made trading click for him.

Surprise, surprise … Tim Sykes has influenced Stephen’s trading, too. Stephen credits Sykes’ “Trader Checklist” as a huge eye-opener. He also reveals how the art of assigning value to different indicators helped turn his trading around.  

Stephen talks about how when you start trading, you want to trade the most — but you know the least. 

Learn why as he’s progressed, he wants to trade less and less. These days, the setup’s gotta be really good. 

Kim Ann Curtin

Kim’s still a newbie, but she talks about what’s clicked so far in her trading journey — like recognizing the concept of trading patterns.

She speaks about how Sykes’ “Trader Checklist” DVD has been pivotal for her. It’s helped her find “a means of measuring” potential trades. Stay tuned to hear more about her burgeoning trading career!

Did This Episode Click With You?

Are you a trader who’s had an ‘aha’ moment? Or are you still waiting for yours? Reach out and let’s get talking!

Remember: if we select your question or comment as an on-air topic, you could win a SteadyTrade mystery gift box. Leave a comment below or on YouTube!

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