Being in the moment for the moment means that you are not only focused on the task at hand, but you are intentional about that focus being for that moment only. Fully available means that you are deliberately and intentionally activating and accessing your internal resources, (like pattern recognition, detail orientation, data tracking, emotional calmness, and confidence to name a few); so that you are availing all that is useful and appropriate in your arsenal of tools and techniques to bear on the task at hand.   Fully present means that you are undeterred by what happened a few moments, minutes, hours or weeks ago; and undeterred by what might happen in the next few moments, minutes, hours or weeks in the future; you are not invested in the outcome beyond what is related to the task at hand. If you are emotionally invested in the outcome, that means that you are diffusing your focus and rather than all of your attention going to what you are doing, it is partitioned with only a percentage going to where it is most needed.   Look at it this way, when you are executing a trade, if you are simultaneously thinking and hoping that you will make a profit, you are investing a part of your consciousness (awareness) on the outcome, which by definition means that you have less of your internal resources available for the undertaking – the “what matters most” of that trade.

Being in the “now” is also involved with your capacity to be aligned. Alignment is critical as well. If you are operating at odds with yourself and it is very easy to do; you have compromised your ability to be fully available. Just think of the many times per day that you are indecisive, conflicted, and otherwise torn about a set-up, a strategy, a price pattern or what a trading tool might actually be indicating. At these times your attention is partitioned and your ability to focus is diffused and fuzzy. Are you at your best? No, you are working against yourself. Being aligned, where you are congruent in body, mind and emotions, creates the capability to move as one, going in the same direction and for the same goals. When this happens, your values, beliefs, emotions and internal conversations are about one thing, that is, the effective negotiation of the trade. Consider how trading is like riding a bicycle. A bicycle wheel has spokes that emanate from the hub, and they are all aligned and balanced in their tightness. If you pop a spoke, then the balance of those remaining spokes is thrown off causing the wheel to become “untrue.” If the wheel is untrue, then it becomes wobbly and is no longer straight. The main problem with a wheel that is wobbly – besides being inefficient – is that it rubs against the brakes. Forward motion becomes very difficult when that happens. If you are out of alignment, you are often rubbing and working against yourself becoming erratic, illogical and conflicted. This condition will play havoc with your results and at the very least slow you down considerably.

So, the importance of being “in the now” cannot be overstated. You’ll want to cultivate your ability to stay focused on the moment by noticing where your attention is at any particular time. If you do this consistently, you will become more and more self-aware. You are then in a position to be more deliberate about where you put your attention and for what purpose. Over time you will be better able to proceed in your trades fully by design rather than by default.