The Quest for the Holy Grail: Secrets, Gurus & Software

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Another big danger to new traders is the idea of the holy grail of trading.

To many, the holy grail of trading is deemed to be the ultimate solution to all their trading problems, the magic bullet that will allow them to profit without effort, the secret trading method or tool that will allow them to predict the market and win on every trade. However, far from being the solution, this mentality often acts as a stumbling block to all traders, if not a brick wall.

Many people hop from tip to tip, from guru to guru, from one software to another, attending every seminar and learning from every guru, but they will never be contented, and they will never become good traders, because they are too busy finding the holy grail to put their knowledge into practice. So what is the holy grail?

The holy grail can appear in many forms – a “sure-win” indicators, a “100% win rate” trading system, a “legendary” guru, or a “unique proprietary” software guaranteed to make you rich overnight.

They all hold the same promise – to make you rich quickly with little effort.

Unfortunately, there is no shortcut to success, no magic bullet that will make you a super trader overnight.

To them, the answer is always so near, yet always slightly out of reach. Every time they see a new method, they think “this must be it, this must be the missing ingredient.” They test it out for a few days, realise that it’s not perfect, then skip off to find the next new toy. Many don’t realise that no method is 100%.

Many people also mistake sophistication for perfection, opting to fork out money for automated systems that will print money for them as they sleep at night. However, when the system stops printing money, as all do eventually, they are once again off to find the next holy grail.

It took me many years to realise it, and I have been through at least 200 books and tried almost every method or tool available, before I finally realised that to find the holy grail, one has to look within. So if you want to start learning the skills to make consistent money on your own, you need to first get rid of this stumbling block.

Many people in trading start off with the wrong ideas, and after sacrificing a lot of time and spending a lot of money, they wonder why they still cannot get the results they desire. Others think that hard work can solve everything, and given enough time, they will naturally pick up the skills themselves. Not many succeed in re-inventing the wheel. As a world-class tennis coach used to say, “Practise makes perfect, nut make sure you are not practising the wrong thing.”

“It’s not the method or system, it’s the trader.”

So, my advice to new traders is to stop jumping from system to system, hoping to find the holy grail (which does not exist).

Instead, start learning as much as you can, then find a good system and work with it until you find success.

If you would like to learn how to get started in trading, also check out: “The Beginner’s Guide to Trading & Technical Analysis”

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Spencer Li

Spencer is an avid globetrotter who achieved financial freedom in his 20s, while trading & teaching across 70+ countries. As a former professional trader in private equity and proprietary funds, he has over 15 years of market experience, and has been featured on more than 20 occasions in the media.