Ed's FAQs January 1, 2010

Contributors Say (Quotes from Ed in Red)	Ed Says
Thursday, January 14, 2010 New Toronto Tribe Hi, I might as well get a Tribe going, have some fun, and pass the torch when I move out. I've attached the form from the site to this email. So far, my only exposure to what the TTP process is all about is from the write-up on the site ... is there any other info on what we can do during a Tribe meeting? If not, that's fine ... I'm sure we can figure out what to do.	Welcome Toronto !
Thursday, January 14, 2010 Wonderful Results Dear Support Team, I'm sitting in my office feeling thankful for all your support. With the help from you, TTP, and my local Tribe, my life changes. I notice things becoming easier and easier. I notice that my relationship with my wife and son continues getting better and better. Now my wife and I don't attempt to try and figure out difficult reoccurring problems using a linear cause & effect model, instead, we simply take it to Tribe. I notice that our dialog with one another is more about how we feel about things. The results are wonderful. In Tribe meetings I go through many processes: Rocks, snap shots, hot seats; and I notice that the more willingness I have in doing TTP, the better the results. I notice that some of my biggest AHAs occur at TTP meetings where I initially don't think I'm hot about anything. Really weird. We have a great Tribe and I'm thankful for the chief and for all the members. I notice that I get a lot out of other people's processes. I receive a phone call from my father and he rambles on for about fifteen minutes telling me in detail how I am right about various family matters and I notice that he does not say that he is wrong, he cannot admit being wrong, he has a big k-not about being wrong. He tells me that he should not have said negative things about my house, then proceeds to justify his negative remarks. He tells me that "I'm his only son, so he loves me" then he proceeds to insult me and continue his usual abusive pattern. This time I start laughing. I thank him and tell him that my position regarding our relationship remains unchanged, that the only relationship I wish to have is an intimacy-based relationship. He does not respond. There is silence, then my mother starts talking on other line. It is what it is. I notice that now that I've accepted my father for who he is, I don't spend energy or time trying to change him or the relationship. It seems that I have more time and freedom now to have a wonderful life. Things seem easier for me now. Things once difficult become easy. I install a new doorbell, two chimes, a transformer, and a dimmer switch--this is my first time to work with electricity---I figure it out. I take and pass the Series 3 Exam--I find a way to study for the exam--I figure it out. I install a flat screen TV and sound system--I find ways of getting the information I need to successfully install the system--I figure it out. I notice that I'm taking on more and more responsibility and am happier. I notice that my relationship with my wife and son gets better and better. I thank all of you for your support. I thank my local Tribe for their support, encouragement, and willingness. I thank Ed for helping me unlearn things and for helping me get out of my own way. I thank you all for being with me in this moment of now.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Thursday, January 14, 2010 Calculating on iPhone Hi Ed , happy new year...How about creating a calculator app for the Iphone? I am sure you have thought about it...	I think iPhone already has several.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Nothing Hi Ed - I trust you had a good 2009, and nice holiday season as well. I saw the below quote recently, which (knowing you just a bit) made me think of you / and is a pleasant reminder, to stay Present Now... AHA. ------------- "What happened yesterday ? Nothing ! What will happen tomorrow ? Nothing ! All happens Now... in the Eternal Now, from beginningless - to endless end." -Meher Baba-	Thank you for nothing !
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Whistlers and Growlers Hi Ed.. I thought you would enjoy this... The Earth Sings! http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=eHvdZdsIZxg&feature=player_embedded# Thank you for your continued support.	Thank you for the URL. I wonder how he is collecting the signals - and if any of the sounds represent interferences between his receiver and the Northern Light emissions.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Intentions and Results Hi Ed, I was talking to a friend and I mentioned "Intention = Result", and he tried to list all the counter-examples of how Intention does not equal Results, just like how I was several years ago :-) My observation is that most people think of "intention" as "declared intention", or some "conscious hope". (e.g. I intend to quit smoking; I intend to lose weight; I intend to follow my system) As such, almost everyone's first reaction is that Intention is not necessarily equal to Result. (e.g. "Look, I am still overweight") Then there is the next group of people who would interpret "Intention = Result" as something similar to Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret", whereby if you want to manifest X, you just need to keep thinking (or proclaim your intention) about X, and X will come. My observation is that this group of people, if they get a desired result, would use that as an example to confirm "intention = result". On the other hand, they seldom mention if the result is less than satisfactory, or worse, use "intention = result" as an excuse (e.g. "Apparently my intention is not there" with the implicit message "I can't do anything about it") I think I have gone through these two stages. My understanding now is that when you talk about "Intention = Result", the "intention" you are referring to is more like the "intention" of a pendulum system, which is simply to swing back and forth once you give it the initial push. There is no "good" or "bad" about it. There is no "desired" or "undesired" about it. There is no "right" or "wrong" about it. That's just how a pendulum is. That's just how it behaves. And that's what you see as a result. So it seems that the "intention" is more like the underlying structure plus some initial condition. Or maybe more appropriately, it's like the seed deep down that we cannot really see except to observe the result ("Oh, I see it is an apple tree"). In that sense, what you put in the soil is what you get. Or as your quote in Market Wizards, "Everyone gets what they want."	Thank you for sharing your thinking on this topic and on how understanding of it evolves.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Going Through Changes My support team, I wonder about my intention of not sending in a report as I agree to do. Work is busy - many, many changes coming in 2010! Exciting year! My husband and I attend a meeting with a doctor in November. He tells me that my diet is not healthy and I need to make changes. My hormones are not in normal ranges. I agree to complete a survey and he provides me with a food list do's and don'ts. I find this difficult to follow. I make changes one step at a time making progress slow. My father came to stay in November with a friend of my brothers. We end up with a full house again. In December I notice I am feeling better with the small changes I make to my diet. I track my feelings and food on a chart. My brothers friend leaves to visit family for the holidays. I find the holidays to be stressful with money and family. My husband and I have a difficult time and we have a big fight on Christmas Day. My dad leaves on the 30th to spend time with his wife in [State]. My husband and I find ourselves alone again - this causes us to reconnect and enjoy each other again. The New Year starts with a blue moon ... what a magical time! We attend a new church and enjoy it. The first service of the new year has a White Stone Ceremony. We both find a similar word to describe ourselves. Mine is Mother, his is the name we have chosen for a son. I cry. Now I concentrate on finishing projects, preparing to start school in two weeks and moving to [State]. We are not concentrating on baby right now, we know it will happen this year. My husband gets many calls over the holidays from his son in [State]. We contact an attorney and agree to hire her to help us get custody of him. He is in need of his father. I find great joy thinking of the possibilities of having him in our lives again...I miss him so much! I find that my excitement causes me to be impatient! I am annoying my husband with questions about the attorney! I will have to look at this intention... Thank you for your support and your continued good wishes for our family! Happy New Year to all!	Thank you for sharing your process.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Killing Time Hello, I am making progress on my programming and eliminating much of my medicinal behavior. I am disappointed that I do not hit my 15 hour goal on programming. I do feel it is a realistic goal that I can do regularly. Many on my thoughts this week revolve around watching http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKsNraFxPwk A friend sends it to me, I am not sure if they get it from an old FAQ or something. Anyway, it helps me better understand how time does not exist. I watch it twice. The first time I have a bunch of "aha's" and most of it makes sense, the second time I realize I do not understand a lot of it. The one big thing I take away from watching him take all his Polaroid snapshots is that while I create a desired snapshot of an ideal moment, I do not attempt to do that with my now. I try to experience my now in a causal manner. So, I decide to start taking snapshots of my now, and isolate it from any cause and effect, I try to be aware of two things 1) my intentions and 2) my experience - how am I emotionally taking in this moment. This has a big impact on my medicinal behavior. My intentions are identified in a naked moment, alone. No excuses or cause and effect. Now I know, so all that is left is a test of willingness. I find the experience simple and fast. There is not a lot of thought. I can do it while in a conversations or working. I am surprised at what I find. In an small argument I notice that my intention is to piss someone off rather than find a solution. If I click on the news, in that moment I obviously am not intending be my desired snapshot. This changes my actions and isolates my willingness. While I do not understand the math or complete logic of it, I do find it to be a more accurate explanation of how I experience my life.	Bekijk seems to hold the notion of discrete moments or "instances" of time. Bekijk's model appears to substitute spatial sequencing of these instances for temporal sequencing. He also allows, in a quantum mechanical sort of way, for "alternative" histories. In TTP we do not have discrete moments or alternate histories; we have one and only one continuously evolving moment of now that occurs simultaneously in all parts of the universe. In TTP we hold that Bekijk's separate snapshots of "past instances of time" all occur in this moment of now.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 No-Reason Lawsuit Ed, I have six years experience managing sales people, telemarketers, processors, and office managers. While I can tell you upfront that I do not have it figured out, far from it. I do have a bit of experience and a lot of failures that might help you. I am on the opposite end of the spectrum of you from a management personality, I got along with most everyone, but it took me a while to earn their respect. Not as a salesman or even a leader because at the time I am the cash cow paying all the bills, but as a manager. On the same note, a while back I hire an overbearing manager who lays down the law. Man, he does a great job creating structure in the office. We get a long and all the old problems disappear with the structure. A whole set of new ones appear and he eventually becomes totally ineffective due to nobody getting along with him. In summary, I have experience * Identifying different personality types and matching them with the right jobs. * Managing the drama that comes with an overbearing boss and a profitable and demanding office. * The political problems that result from pecking order and having two leaders in one office. The invisible fight for power. * I have been sued for basically no reason. * I thrown money, fancy titles, flexibility hours, and power at people and had them still feel short changed, disempowered and cheated. * I beat my head against a wall for six years and still do not have it figure out.	If you'd like a reason for the lawsuit, you might consider studying the complaint. You might also consider taking your feelings about <keeping your word> to Tribe. Liar ... ... Lawyer In the Causal Model liars and lawyers wind up connecting in more ways than just their pronunciation. Clips: http://www.steveklotz.com/blog/ wp-content/uploads/2006/08/liar.jpg http://mason.gmu.edu/~rrotunda/ lawyer-vulture.JPG
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 Problems Relating to Employees Dear Ed, More than an update - I need your support, Ideas - help!!!! You may or may not have gathered from our meetings that I , yes hard to believe have a hard time getting along with people, particularly in the office. My turnover is off the charts- It has been suggested that I not work with anyone in the office or that I work elsewhere- and they there...? ideas???? My employees may respect me- but can't stand me. And my involvement with them seems tooooooooo much. feelings.... frustration. I need some help on team building if anyone has some ideas.	Thank you for sharing your process. You might consider asking your employees for suggestions. You might also consider taking your feelings about <employee turnover> and <employees not liking you> and <Right Livelihood> to Tribe.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 Free Lunch Story Dear Ed, I want to share this with you and all your readers. ***** The Sack Lunches I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base.' His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.' After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers. Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars! Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base.. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.' Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little... A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.' Let us pray... 'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'	Thank you for sharing your story. I wonder how you feel about it.
Monday, January 11, 2010 How To Say It In SVO-p Ed, Further data supporting the idea that we are **ed!!!! I am not sure how to say ***ed in SVOP! http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2010/01/guest- post-the-military-industrial-compex-is-ruining- the-economy.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_ medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed% 3A+NakedCapitalism+%28naked+capitalism%29	If you can't say it in SVO-p, it might not be true.
Monday, January 11, 2010 Progress Report Dear Ed, Assets: $534,559.16 Liabilities: $552,143.58 Net: $ - 17,584.42 500oz goal: $563,375.00 Job applications: 4 Interviews: 3 Offers: 0	You might consider arranging your data in a graph, showing how the numbers are evolving.
Monday, January 11, 2010 Inspiration Hey Ed, Thought you could use a little inspiration.	Inspiration comes from "in" + "spire" = breathing in.
Monday, January 11, 2010 Trading Smaller and Sitting Tighter My dear TT support team: Happy New Year to you all! Thanks for being on my support team! My commitment: stick to my trading rules and report trades once I exit positions. Since I came back from the TT workshop, I have streamlined my “trading system” and now started trading again. And today I have given 3 losses a toss, which qualifies as exits. I categorize these as good but losing trades, meaning, these are trades with positive expectation, although the outcome on these 3 are losses. But I feel if I do similar trades over and over (N -> a large number), overall these types of trades will make money, aka, a good trend pays them all, and have something left. Overall I am satisfied with my progress. I now trade a lot smaller than before (overtrading is my No. 1 weakness – I become very greedy when I am winning). Trading smaller position size enables me to sit tighter and pay less attention to the minor daily fluctuations and focus on the primary long-term trend. Thanks for all your support, and Happy Trading!	Thank you for sharing your process.
Monday, January 11, 2010 Setting the Table Hi Ed, I recall a table you show at the October workshop that compares "typical" language and TTP--it maps "past and future" to "now," "debt" to "savings," etc. I wish to license this table for use on my website.	Thank you for asking; you may use the table for free if you credit this site.
Monday, January 11, 2010 Learning to Throw Inside Hi Ed. Below is my Baseball Pitchers Essentials Cary Card. The Essentials 1) The umpire is always right. 2) Work ahead in the count. 3) Attack the strike zone. 4) Diversify your pitch selection and location. 5) Value your teammates in the field. 6) Trust your stuff. I cannot help but notice the similarities to Ed's Essentials pertaining to trading. I recall early in my pitching career that I make excuses for throwing the ball in the hitter's sweet spot, being afraid to throw inside and trying to strike everyone out. Then I recall changing my faults and winning...and winning big. Thank you, everyone, for your continuing contribution to FAQ.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Sunday, January 10, 2010 From Humiliation to Intimacy Dear Ed, The below is from my Breathwork Weekend application. It is very personal and I wish to contribute it to FAQ. ********* The total cumulative effect of TTP and Tribe Work is the unfreezing of my heart and the awakening of my body. It is profound and deep. I feel I’m being reborn into life. I recall a recent day when I spontaneously hold my arms up cheering, shouting, “I can feel! I can feel!” Melting my resistance to feelings I judge awakens me. I recall this past week I discover the feeling of humiliation, my judgment of it, and my resistance to it. My wife and I have an intimate and close relationship and incorporate Tribe processes into our moments of now, like little Tribe meetings. Something comes up in our ongoing process. I recall resistance to the feeling of humiliation, but it is a pattern primarily in our relationship when we were dating 10-12 years ago. Yet, it’s something I experience intensely in present, like something long buried coming up for healing. Back in that time, my wife (girlfriend then) feels that I’m not hers, that she can’t have me to herself. Resisting her feelings of vulnerability she wages a campaign of telling me about her past experience with boyfriends, sometimes during intimate settings between us. She tells me of sexual experiences with past boyfriends when we are in bed together talking. She tells me of her everyday life experiences with past boyfriends in everyday life settings with me. I resist the feelings of hurt that come. I resist the feelings of vulnerability that come. And I totally freeze and block out the feelings of humiliation that come. She wants to get a rise out of me. “Show me that you love me!” “Show me that this hurts you!” Her actions scream. I don’t react. I resist. I refuse to feel. I do not share myself. As the drama goes on, the more I resist the harder she shakes me. Like being shaken as a baby by a scared mother. It’s my resistance to experiencing the humiliation that prevents me from seeing her behavior for what it is, inappropriate. My resistance is her fuel! Wow! My resistance to feeling the humiliation is what keeps me finding situations to feel (and resist) humiliation. Wow! You mean to say that feeling a feeling doesn’t make my reality that feeling but allows it to dissolve? So experiencing vulnerability doesn’t mean I am making myself into a vulnerable person? So experiencing the feeling of humiliation doesn’t mean I’m asking to be humiliated? Whoa, this is big stuff. The feeling of humiliation flows. The pain of my resistance to it dissolves. The “juice,” the “drama” of the actual events lose their potency. I see a positive intention of humiliation is to identify inappropriate behavior. I feel I’m adding humiliation to my emotional instrument panel. I see so clearly how my intention equals my result. My intention is to resist feeling; vulnerability, hurt, and largely humiliation. I magnificently get my result. My wife (girlfriend at the time) serves me beautifully. The more I resist the more she gives me to resist. This is an amazing AHA! to me. I feel grateful to my wife for supporting me then and now. I take total responsibility for my result and feel no blame. This deeply personal experience feels universal to me. It exemplifies so many aspects of TTP that I read about, connect with, and now experience; Intention=Result, I create drama around feelings I resist; the way out of something I don’t like is to enjoy doing it. I feel a structural change, a reordering of myself. It is so much easier to experience a feeling than the energy and commitment it takes resist. Thank you, Ed, for developing and sharing this technology.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Sunday, January 10, 2010 Cold Showers and Better Relationships Dear Tribe, I had a good week last week- up 7%. Lots of houseguests. I was busy, and I feel like we got a great deal of good work done. My commitments for 2010. Make a 100% return on my account. Sell [business] for one billion dollars. Sell [another business] for cash and stock. Value $ 50 million or better. Read the FAQs every weekday from Now to the Past/Now. (I'm reading FAQ backwards). Continue with Closure and Precision. FYI Here are the thoughts I got from Tribe. Some excellent thoughts here. I appreciate everyone's contribution. ----------- As for 20% of my best habits / 80% of gains it comes down to two things: 1) Trade Review. a. Doing post-analysis of my buys and sells and studying them on the charts. b. Studying the great winners (whether I was involved in them our not). I think of this as studying "the canon" of stock patterns. 2) Finding Opportunities. For me this includes thumbing through my watch list, paying attention to what's moving in the market, reading IBD ... just generally looking for stocks that fit my profile. I'm a discretionary trader. Of the two points of above, the first is the hard work. It's the intense preparation. It's also a very, very important factor in building confidence in my strategy. This is in essence my form of back testing. The second point is the "easy" stuff. Just "breeze" along and when I see something that looks like my strategy, things I've studied, then pull the trigger. Point two is merely the application of point one. Hope this is helpful. ---------- One thought, you write "I am comfortable with drawdowns. What worries me is that I may be on the wrong path -and I do not understand how to check that." I wonder if it's the drawdown that gives you the worry and how this fits with being comfortable? ------------- I receive your email and think a lot about your request for "20% of your best habits that produce 80% of the gain". At this moment, I notice that I don't seem to think of things in terms of 20% best habits that produce 80% of the gain. That's just me right now, though. Here is my process: 100% effort in Tribe meetings which is approximately 2% of my time gives me 100% of my gain. Basically what gives me my gain is simply me getting out of my own way. What gives me my gain is unlearning all the stuff that I've learned to do that doesn't work. What gives me my gain is the work that I do for myself and others in Tribe meetings and continuing communications with Tribe members. In short, I take stuff to Tribe and use TTP. Here are some results: 1. My dad calls me after months of not hearing from him. He apologies for some comments he makes about my house, then proceeds to insult me--I respond by thanking him for providing me with a great example of using deflection to avoid talking about things that I express desire to talk about, and I laugh. I continue to laugh after I get off the phone. He is what he is, I don't expect him to change, he is perfect the way he is, and I am thankful for the example he gives me of what not to do. I notice that for the first time I am really truly happy in my life and that he has no influence over me. Really weird. 2. Mom comes over and tells me about her not wanting to be abused verbally by her mother. She makes plans to come over more often and our relationship is good. 3. I install new door chimes, light switches, dimmer switches and a transformer. This is my first time to do electrical work. I figure it out. 4. I take and pass the Series 3 CTA Exam. I've never had a class on futures trading. I find a way to study for the test and I pass the exam. 5. I complete my trading system source code and am now optimizing my system across a portfolio of various futures. I keep my parameters to a small number and test my system for robustness. 6. I make plans to launch a new business in January trading futures for other people and have my logo and initially marketing material complete. 7. I present an idea to the NFA on how to pay associate persons that work with me, and I receive agreement from them. 8. I receive agreement from one person to work with me and we complete our first 3-day meeting. 9. I continue to learn System Dynamics and find a way to learn more and integrate it into my business. 10. I use System Dynamics to test my trading system. This list is longer, but those are some highlights. In short, my gain is a direct result from my willingness to do TTP. I notice my biggest breakthroughs at Tribe tend to come when I don't think I'm hot about anything "Of course, by closing one issue another may appear, in different form." You will not stop having problems - you will just have bigger and better problems. ------------------- My 20% idea is to take managed risks and treat results as information not marks of failure. 20% of my best habits? . . . . what, you don't want 100% of them?? ;-) "I would like to know where the 20% of your good ideas come from. I need to shake up my trading process." I imagine that in order to be creative one first needs to fully understand the field that one is operating in. Leonardo is considered a genius, but in order to be able to express this genius & his creativity he needed to know the basics of painting, perspective, sculpting, casting, engineering, mathematics etc. Ditto Miles Davis, brilliant one of a kind Jazz great. But to begin, he needed to know music theory, harmony, scales, melody, modes etc Only then could these men produce the great works that they did. So . . . . w.r.t. trading, good ideas come from knowing the basics (as well as the intermediate steps), which I assume you already know. For those that don't, the internet provides a host of valuable resources to enable one to get 'educated' plus there exists books, software & Ed Seykota... My personal favorite resource is the Blox traders Roundtable forum where you will find the answers to nearly all trading queries & a valuable source of ideas on systems trading. http://www.tradingblox.com/forum/index.php Once you have an appreciation for these sorts of things (i.e. the basics), you can begin to implement some of your ideas gained from this basic knowledge. If you're interested in generating many many original "good ideas" from the basic knowledge that you have then simply get this book called "A whack on the side of the head" A very fun read and at $11.00 hardly a bank breaker. If you don't come up with at least a dozen new ideas right of the bat then . . . .well, . . . . I s'pose, I will give you 3x your money back!!! My problem is not so much a lack of ideas but more the motivation & the time to pursue them & research them. (but this is my issue & not necessarily yours) Creativity is a skill that can be easily acquired. I honestly believe that. It's like learning to drive a car or swinging a golf club. Anyone can do it, if they apply themselves. Another thing that I find helps ME to be a better investor / trader is being very well organized. By this I mean, you have a plan that you are able implement. Whether it be systematic or discretionary or a hybrid of the two is irrelevant. You know exactly; a) When to get in b) When to exit if your position is profitable. c) When to exit if your position is unprofitable. d) Which markets you are trading/stalking/following e) How much of your account you are risking on each trade idea. Well that's the plan, following it is another story again! ------------------ Glad to hear you continue to progress.. As far as the best habits, I have found that it is helpful to take the attitude that "if you want something the key is to deserve it" For example, if you want to be a successful trader, determine what the successful traders do, and then do that. Research and implementation are the keys. If you can answer "yes" to the question "Have I done all I can do to make this work? "You will have success. This seems to work in all endeavors of life. For me, learning how to manage risk is the most important. Correlations, outliers, gaps, position sizes, etc. all impact this. It is my belief that successful traders who achieve longevity take a lot less risk than is commonly presented in most system examples. ------------------ I have two rules for my house rule 1. no panicking rule 2. no whining. There are many forms of panicking, each time I take a shower I finish with coldest water the shower has to offer, to set the day off without panicking. --------------------- Thank you for sharing your processes. In my processes since the workshop, the elements that produce 100% of trading success from what I can gather from those who are successful are in the master piece we refer to as "Whipsaw song" by Ed Seykota. To shake up your trading process and reform the trader in you, you might consider those tunes. Thank you for all your thoughts. I am taking them to heart.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Sunday, January 10, 2010 Progress Report Hello Ed and Support Team, Since I originally committed at the last workshop to sending weekly reports regarding not violating my stops I am happy to report that I held firm and am up 3.75% on the week. I have been "tempted" to enter a couple more positions that are very close to triggering, but I simply cannot until they have met all my entry requirements. Since I am nearly fully loaded and there's nothing to do I am working on developing a shorter term system to diversify my very long term system. Upon further reflection and cognizant that you are all very busy people I think I will revise my updates to only when I enter or exit a position and whether I followed the system stops or not, instead of weekly. However, in order to make this an interesting post on FAQ I wonder if Ed would elaborate on the situation he mentioned in passing at the workshop where a person is brought up in a household with a weak father and an overbearing mother and what the psycho-emotional pitfalls this typically presents, as I would certainly fall into this category. Also Ed, I did volunteer to be a proofreader for you, but have not seen anything yet. Just letting you know. If I can be of any assistance to any of you please do not hesitate to email me. Thank you all for your support.	I don't attempt to "predict" the emotional properties of a child from a few of the properties of the parents. If you have a particular issue, I can address that. I am moving forward, slowly, with my book. At this point I am not ready for proof-reading.
Sunday, January 10, 2010 Under the Hood Dear support team, I thank you for your continuing support and wish you the very best this new year and beyond. Since my last update, I am back testing my system using excel. It is an insightful and eye opening experience. It is very much like looking at the system under the hood. It is a slow process and I am using the opportunity to learn to go with the flow. I am unable to uphold the time commitment during the holidays but back up to speed now.	OK.
Saturday, January 9, 2010 Math-a-Magics Dear Ed, Here is one for you... TEACHER ARRESTED IN NEW YORK A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a compass, a slide-rule and a calculator. At a morning press conference, the Attorney General said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction. 'Al-Gebra is a problem for us', the Attorney General said. 'They derive solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values.' They use secret code names like 'X' and 'Y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined that they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'There are 3 sides to every triangle'. When asked to comment on the arrest, President Obama said, 'If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes.' White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the President. It is believed that the Nobel Prize for Physics will follow.	OK.
Saturday, January 9, 2010 Moving Forward with a Fund Dear Support Team, Happy New Year and I hope everyone has a fantastic 2010! In regards to current developments with my investment company, things are moving forward at full speed right now. I am really enjoying the process and hanging on for the ride! I decide to set-up my company in [Country]. I intend to move [there] at some point in 2010. Activities: 1) I am in the process of incorporation now and intend to be fully set-up by the end of February 2010. My intention is to begin managing client money by the end March 2010. I intend to run managed accounts versus a pooled fund. This is valuable for clients as assets remain in their name and transparency is much higher. It also allows for no lock up period which is something I intend to offer. 2) I am also focusing on system design for both futures and equities trading. I intend to offer both futures and global equity programs to clients as many potential clients are asking if this is something I will be offering. Have a great weekend everyone! Thank you for your continuing support!	Thank you for sharing your process.
Friday, January 8, 2010 Progress Report. Dear Ed, Since the last workshop things are going well for me. I have one guy interested in coming to the [City] Tribe and I am visiting a Tribe up in [City] next week. Thank you, Ed, for creating the large support network.	OK.
Friday, January 8, 2010 Yes Boss - You crack me up, You are a good teacher I must give you that. I click every one one hour to see what you reply and you do not let me down. Ed Says: "You might consider taking your feelings about <telling others what to do> to Tribe. If You, In a Bossy Kind of Way tell someone to do something and if they do the opposite, then your intention is: to tell someone to do something and to have them do the opposite." Apparent you are not ready teacher. And accordingly you MUST not let me meet you. This is an order. And I can see you follow the real intent of my boss intent. cheers ;-) This upon a time, someone assumes he has everything. I wonder who that someone is.	OK.
Friday, January 8, 2010 Measuring Time Dear Ed, I thought you would appreciate this research. http://www.physorg.com/news182150744.html Just think in ten years we'll look back at this time with 2020 hindsight !	OK. BTW: 2010 01 02 is a palindromic date.
Friday, January 8, 2010 Moving Forward With A Fund Dear Support group, Happy 2010 ! During the last month I worked in the change of my system code, mainly adjusting the stops and mainly staying out of the market when there is no trend. The good point to stay out of the market is that you can clearly see the beginning of a new trend ! After the back test it now looks fine, and I the result are quite good. I still have some control issues with my kids, that is always a point that concerns me but the good point is that when I realize that I am under control I try to back off the control, thanks again to the workshop. My proprietary fund in under the process to be opened, I am a little back of the schedule, mainly given the legal papers that are now being processed. Wish you guys all the best in 2010,	Thank you for sharing your process
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Sharing The Vision Ed says, "You might also consider what kind of success story you might like to manifest in your own life" I just share this with all the members in my Tribe. I envision, a) living a right livelihood where I wake up every morning looking forward to the day - the feeling is excitement and I can't wait to get going b) in excellent physical shape where I fight for every rebound in my basketball games, stay low on defense, keep moving to get open, hold my grounds and wear down my opponent - the feeling is pride and shark smelling blood (as in "If I am tired, I know you must be EXHAUSTED, and I am gonna overwhelm you") c) strong connection with my son where I provide him the space to develop, intimate relationship with my wife where I genuinely admire every bit of her qualities, and an open relationship with my in-laws where I truly embrace them for who they are - the feeling is I am the luckiest person on earth d) making 75%+ of shots within 3-pt line in practice - the feeling is a cold assassin who makes opponents pay for ignoring me e) read 4000+ pages of books / web-pages on subjects I enjoy - the feeling is satisfaction (like after having a very delicious meal and the stomach feels just right) e) fluent Mandarin speaker where I can carry out extensive conversation with my mother-in-law (a native speaker) - the feeling is a sense of fulfilling accomplishment that I prove everyone wrong, and a sense of pride that I can finally do it f) a 200-page journal for the year (since 2003, ranges from 97 to 159) where I jot down my thoughts and feelings - the feeling is in awe as I read my own words and amaze at my own insights g) a strong and committed Tribe where members are manifesting their dreams - the feeling is a sense of humbleness and gratitude that I am a part of their journey	Thank you for sharing your vision.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Saint Petersburg Tribe Dear Future Friends, Briefly about myself: I have been always searching for an occupation, which would satisfy my needs and me personally to the degree I would like it to. I have tried many different occupations, I am excellent at logical thinking, I love math, I speak languages, I sing, swim, ski and play chess, I have worked in aviation, business, I studied in different countries and even wrote two small books. But none of these could give me the feeling that all of my natural abilities are involved in work and my full potential is realized. Then my mother started trading for additional income and she told me a little bit about it. I found it quite interesting and began to read books. By now I am a very beginner, I have just applied for a course here, to learn the basics in a group with an instructor. While I am awaiting for the course start (which should happen in 18 Jan) I am reading about technical analysis. My mother read about Ed in Trend Following by M. Covel, we discussed the things with her. I love the way Ed brings the trading subject to the public, his sociability and pure wish to teach people. I respect very much his intelligence and ability to be successful in the niche where lots of people can't face the challenge and fail. That is why I am writing to you now with the request to register my Tribe (I didn't find the community in my location). I would like to learn many things in trading, to explore them and to share them with others. And I would like to learn them not in one of the public resources, but in a community created by a person, who has such a clear mind as Ed does. I am looking forward to your reply and thank you in advance!	Welcome Saint Petersburg Russia
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Government Jobs Replace Goods-Production Jobs Ed, Take a look at this chart of government versus private workers. http://themessthatgreenspanmade. blogspot.com/2010/01/now-that- chart-looks-familiar.html	One good thing about government is that we rarely get as much of it as we pay for.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Banjo as a Weapon of Mass Perception Ed, Did you know the banjo is considered a deadly weapon here in the State of Colorado? Read this article: http://www.gazette.com/articles/ size-91788-div-11px.html	There is no need to swing the banjo by the neck and hit someone with the resonator or tone ring. You can get a similar effect by simply tuning the 5-th string [G] down a bit. Subtlety Can Be More Effective Than Force in the matter of lowering g-stings. Clip:http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/ images/encyclopediaimages/g/g-/g-string -example.jpg
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Getting Results Dear Support Team, My intention and commitment to develop and foster collaborative relationships with regard to development of mechanical trading systems is producing significant results I want. I'm excited about significant relationships and opportunities I have now. I feel deep in my core I'm in right-livelihood. Metrics: I engage in more than 30 phone calls relating to my commitment. I exchange more than 50 e-mails relating to my commitment. Thank you for your support. Clips: http://collaborativeworkingpracticeinfutures. blogspot.com/2008/11/collaboration-cycle.html http://www.informingchoices.com/5.html	Thank you for sharing your process.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Laying Down The Law Dear Teacher, There is an old saying "When the teacher is ready, the student appears". You are ready sir. I move to west coast [City] in 6-8 weeks. It is time, Ill see you in person. Intentions = result.	You might consider taking your feelings about <telling others what to do> to Tribe. If You, In a Bossy Kind of Way tell someone to do something and if they do the opposite, then your intention is: to tell someone to do something and to have them do the opposite. Clip: http://static.open.salon.com/files/ bossy_lady1219181442.jpg
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Evolving Dear Ed, Thank you for your continuing support. I am learning to experience, joyfully and willingly, the feeling of <keep pulling the trigger as the drawdown gets bigger> I have a very fulfilling Tribe meeting tonight. A female QA engineer joins our Tribe and brings a unique perspective on anger. I feel that I'm doing something worthwhile. I notice that this feeling is in contrast to my habitual feeling of worthlessness. I feel that I am evolving. I notice that I like how I am evolving. Thank you for supporting me in my evolution.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 Wants to Join Dear Ed sir, I [Name] want to join you. Please tell me the procedure	See the link to the Tribe Directory, above.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 Wants to Join a Tribe Dear Ed, I have been reading the FAQ. I am very interested in attending a TTP workshop. I have contacted my local Tribe, but I am unsuccessful in reaching him. My motivation and goal to join TTP is to deal with my K-knots. Thank you	We are in process with contacting the Tribes in our directory to find out which ones are currently active. You might consider starting your own Tribe.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 Checking In Dear Ed, Thank you for your support with my process toward Right Livelihood. Although our communication is primarily done through FAQ, you and the tools you create and make accessible continue to have a large impact in my life. You help me bring more good people into my life with common values and interests. I want to make you more aware that you are making good things even when you may not hear about it.	Thank you for your support.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 Applying for the Workshop Best wishes for the new year! I attach a recent version of the TTID for the Tribe Directory. I really like the essay topic for the application [for the workshop]. I plan to write that over the next couple of days.	OK.
Monday, January 4, 2010 Embracing Feelings of Incompetence Happy New Year Everyone. Last week is full of distractions with the holidays and leaving town. It is still a productive week. I am contacted by a member of a Tribe up North who is in town to see family. We hung out talking for about five hours talking about TT and trading. I am thankful he is now a member of my support team. I notice that I procrastinate programming. It is very noticeable. I realize I am working hard not to feel incompetent. I now have a sticky note on my computer screen stating, "Embrace and utilize the feeling of incompetence". Since posting it, things come more easily and I overcome some problems that stopped me. I make a commitment to program 15 hours this week, this does not include doing another study course on programming. You will notice some added columns on my Commitment Excel Spread sheet. This includes the one for programming and others for TV watching and miscellaneous stuff. It is nice to have this accountability and I look forward to tracking my progress.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Monday, January 4, 2010 Feeling the Joy Dear Ed, I am applying [for] the kinds of jobs that I have on my resume--the kind of jobs with which I have experience in earning money. Cash: $84,178.73 Other Assets: $454,228.59 Liabilities: $552,143.58 Net: -$13,763.26 500oz goal: $552,250.00 Job applications: 7 Interviews: 1 Offers: 0 [My daughter] develops a fever and throws up in the middle of the night this week. As [my wife] and I clean up the vomit and soothe [her], I feel tears coming to my eyes. I have a sense of being a real family, taking care of the baby. I notice, to my surprise, that I don't mind the smell or the cleanup job, or changing the sheets in the middle of the night. I feel joy even as I am aware of [her] discomfort. I recall Ed saying that joy is the absence of all other (corrective and judgmental) feelings. I experience that joy overwhelmingly that night.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Monday, January 4, 2010 Important Dear Ed, I wonder when annuities are important?	The importance of something has very little to do with the thing and almost everything to do with how important you feel it is.
Sunday, January 3, 2010 Workshop Feedback Positive Intention of Being Critical Happy New Year All! I'm pleased with how much more I'm getting done on a daily basis since my last update. Particularly, I'm doing my Trade Review. In my Commitment I commit to doing two a day and in December I achieve that up until when the holidays kick in (Dec 23). This is great. And I am experiencing some of the feelings that come up with Trade Review that I write about in my last update: <am I doing this right? I'm just small time. I'm too risk averse to really do well. Look at this stock, I sold it and it went higher.> These feelings seem to be in some sort of process of dissolving. In FAQ Ed responds to my previous update with the suggestion I may consider taking my feelings about <being critical> to Tribe. This is helpful. I am beginning to feel a positive intention of criticism, a distinction between healthy, helpful criticism (self-criticism in this case) meant to improve and foster growth vs. a drama of <I have to be perfect> <only perfect 'deserves'> <I'm going to criticize my way to perfection>. My posture is shifting from pushing to be "perfect" to seeing that just following my strategy is worth millions and millions of dollars over time, chock full of all it's "imperfections." In concert with this I'm developing a pretty deep emotional understanding of the difference between a losing trade and a bad trade. This month on a blank piece of paper and in less than 50 words I outline my entire strategy. This gives me clarity. And also gives a standard by which to measure my actions. If I'm critical for selling a stock that goes higher I can consult this piece paper. I've looked a few times, still haven't found a clause in my strategy that says I am to sell at "the high." If I find a flaw or a way to improve my system then I can change my system. Otherwise just follow the system. I think a lot about the tape on floor exercise at the October workshop, the four quadrants of things we do, one axis runs from Important to Non-Important, one axis runs from Urgent to Non-Urgent. I feel I'm spending more time in the Important Non-Urgent quadrant. I enjoy this trend very much. EoQ reporting: for Q4 '09 I return 9%. Closing out 09 and this decade and looking forward to the next I am very grateful for Ed, Trading Tribe, TTP, my support team, and my wife and family.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Sunday, January 3, 2010 Progress Report Dear Support Team, I have updated the latest version of my file. There are no major changes to the format but two of the monthly contracts have rolled. For the monthly contracts I have amended the rules for rolling. My original set made no sense with my current broker so I have changed them to what is possible. In updating the file I realize I have too much exposure to the CAC market so I am addressing this when the market opens. Also, over the last two weeks I have uncovered two mistakes. When I implemented the system after the workshop I did not notice that the GBP signal had been stopped out already and the position should never have been taken. I also did not spot that the Nikkei 225 future contract had signaled a long position in August so I should have entered into it earlier. Both errors have been corrected and the file updated. I spotted both these errors when comparing my stops to Mechanica. I realize I need to create a new variance file to monitor my stops and entry orders vs the system. I am working on this now. I also realize that I need to maintain my monitoring on a daily basis and I am creating a checklist for this. The monthly contracts and my sugar trade have led to the realization that my current bet size method has the effect of allocating less risk to new positions because the size is being reduced by my definition of core equity (core is reduced by the risk from existing positions, therefore every trade reduces core, therefore my new bets are sized against a lower core, therefore the bets are smaller). I have always understood this in theory but had not thought through or modeled the effects in any detail. I am now trying some different sizing versions in Excel and I may change my rules. I have had a busy couple of weeks researching system variations, some statistics work and programming Ed's S&R system into Mechanica. The work has been interesting but has led to quite a lot of feelings that I have too much to do, that I am too late to be working on this kind of stuff and that I should spend more time on my job. I have been reviewing my performance in 2009 and this is also leading to some uncomfortable feelings, sometimes that I have been lucky and this can't continue, others that I am not working hard enough and falling behind. I am going to try and just go with whatever feelings arise and see where they lead. The performance review, and seeing the progress from some of the support groups that I am part off has also started thoughts about proposing a credit markets trend fund to my employer but this immediately has brought feelings of not being good enough and fear of rejection. I am going to find the data I need anyway and see where this leads. Finally, I have been wondering all week what trends I missed in 2009 so I am creating a wide portfolio of markets in CSI / Mechanica to see what is currently trending and this may mean that I make some major changes to my portfolio and my processes Thank you for your support and I am open to any feedback. I hope everyone has a healthy and happy 2010!	Thank you for sharing your process.
Sunday, January 3, 2010 Progress Report Dear Ed, I seem to feel compelled to do these after others do - my own group behavior? We are still working off [a marketing] surge- learning some things about peoples commitments, impulses as in they are impulse driven to call us then drift... we will be anchoring them with trades- before we fire drill on a new relationship again. I knew that from 2000-2003 period - I forgot. This was sent to the team: If we mail we fail NO MORE ACCOUNTS ARE TO BE OPENED WITHOUT AN ANCHOR TRADE Not if we want them anyway. If we want the account (s) we must be willing to anchor it down otherwise it will drift away.... (their interest will drift away!!!!!) We are in negotiations to take more space another 2500 feet this will give us reception (elevator frontage) and space for 23 brokers to handle overflow Thinking fish processing- factory operation. Our fund finishes down -16% for 2009 against a plus 63% in 2008 and a plus 48% in private account 07 its not the end of the world perhaps 2010 will be better. But all in all 2009 wasn't bad - we established an office, a TV studio, expanded media relationships by 5-600%, front page of the WSJ - [Name] says I'm the smartest guy in the US, discovered the work ethic of interns - that are generally more motivated than salaried people, and are ready to expand further into adjoining space. Also established offshore fund, still working on bank account, improved capture rate on NPM site also improved search on DV site and NPM discovered benefits of viral marketing with you tube clip that has 250k views -this is powerful stuff... We worked right up through New Years Eve... not sure how productive that was... as everyone was mentally absent. I will mark out vacation time for the coming year-	Thank you for sharing your process.
Saturday, January 2, 2010 Feeling Annoyance Happy New year to all, My speculative trading account for the month of December is up 0.45%. (essentially flat) The markets continue to offer me scenarios in which I may feel & experience the feelings associated with annoyance. I am NOT willing to embrace and enjoy these types of feelings. I think of the old saying, “What you resist, persists”. Yes I know, take it to Tribe. As an example; I have a resting buy stop in place for a particular stock which gets hit on the absolute high tick of a 10% up day. My buy order does not get filled. That is annoying in itself but upon review of 1 minute data it appears that activity at this high tick is nearly zero, so o.k. fair enough. Prices close a few ticks below my still active buy stop. I imagine that after a 10% up day, surely there must be some retracement as market participants take some profits the next day. To ‘save’ myself some money I cancel my buy stop and place a limit order for the next day a number of ticks below today’s close. Of course, the market opens the next day with a huge up gap and keeps powering on ahead. Fast forward a few weeks and the market for that particular stock is now about 50% higher than my initial buy stop price. So to save myself a few pennies, it ends up costing me a stack of pounds. ARGHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!,<insert very rude swear word here>!!!!!! Feeling hugely annoyed. Annoyed to the point where I don’t even want to look at that stock anymore. Strangely enough, my limit order to buy is still in place & still active. Thank you to Pandora. Way after the fact, I realize that I’m trying to predict the future by changing my order. At the time however I don’t even consider this. I think I do the right thing. Of course in those instances where my buy stop does get hit, prices invariably retrace to a point way below my buy in price anyway. Either way, I get to feel annoyed, which is what I want . . . obviously!!	Thank you for sharing your process. If You Have an Annoyance K-not you may find your self playing for annoyance instead of for profit. Clip: http://blogs.technet.com/blogfiles/tarpara/ WindowsLiveWriter/VistaDesktopSearch Annoyance_F561/oibabycc%5B1%5D.jpg
Saturday, January 2, 2010 New Math Hi Ed, Happy New Year I found this formula in risk management section on your site. The stake after one pair of flips: S = (1 + bP) (1 - b) * S0 According to me this formula should be S = (1 - b + bP) (1 - b) * S0 because the fraction 'b' which is on bet is from the stake only. So suppose the payoff is double of the bet. Then after first bet of 250$ we have (1000-250)$ i.e 750$ if we win the bet then we will get 500$ and total will be 750+500=1250$ only. But what is there in the simulation chart is 1500 which will be true only in case of 3:1 payoff. If I am wrong then please clarify this. Other wise please try to elaborate the idea of managing the bet size.	In the risk management example and in the Casinos in my neighborhood, you keep your bet and you get some extra when you win. In your case, the dealer keeps your bet whether or not you win. You might consider calling up a pit boss and asking him how his customers might like to play by the rule set you advocate. "Sorry Folks." Our new rules are that I keep your bet whether nor not you win. Clip: http://www.blackjack.org/blackjack/ content/misc/blackjack-dealer.jpg
Saturday, January 2, 2010 Research Project Ed, Ed says, "I wonder how you are figuring to get people who don't like to report - to report to you." I figure to radiate my intention for this research project such that people who don't like to report could feel my genuine curiosity, and report to me...which is what I am doing here, by writing to your FAQ, and solicit support. Another consideration is if you may request future Workshop participants to agree to complete a survey every 6 months (or year) after their Workshop about their progress. For example, I notice that one of the requirement for ongoing participation to the IV Tribe is "report experiences to FAQ". I personally would be happy to extend my TT Workshop experience beyond just a mere weekend with continual follow-up. After participating in three Workshops, and from my conversation with other graduates, I think the vast majority share this same view. This continual survey requirement would also help in holding participants accountable, which again, from my experience is something most of us would be happy to have. My intention is to learn how some people succeed in manifesting their dreams while others (most?) make little progress, and share my findings so that more people can manifest their dreams and live a fulfilling life. I read some success stories from the FAQ, and that's encouraging. However, to really learn about the "success", I think we need to 1) remove the selection bias (the ones who report tend to be the ones who have made significant progress), and 2) removing noise from the signal (e.g. I'd like to follow up with the "success stories" to see if their success sustains or merely a false breakout). I see this as an exciting complement to the ideas I've read from your "Metaformation of Winning." Moreover, while there are lots of books out there with interviews on "successful" people, their conclusion seems to be in the like of "All lions have four legs." I wonder about an experiment to check out as many four-legged animals and see what makes some of them dogs and some lions. More importantly, we are doing it in the now as the success/failure manifests, where I feel we can learn a lot more than ex-post (after those people are already a proven "success"), since it removes hindsight bias. I'm willing to devote my time and effort to this endeavor. I wonder how you feel about it, and if any suggestions you may have. Thanks, and happy new year!	You might consider taking your feelings about <requiring people to do things> to Tribe. You might also consider what kind of success story you might like to manifest in your own life. Some People Become Very Expert at trying to control others Clip: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/ 20020913/car.jpg
Saturday, January 2, 2010 Dynamic System Model Dear All, Thank you for all your help and support last year. Thank you for showing up in my life and Happy New Year!!! Thank you for showing interest in my attempt to model in Stella the Austrian Credit Cycle. The model shows the Credit expansion cycle via a one-off rise in the fiduciary media expansion policy (bank loans). I model it by a STEP function on year 5. The Stock "Circulating Credit" exhibits a S-shaped growth with the ceiling being the leverage ratio, set by the bank multiplier. The Stock "Capital" starts in equilibrium and decreases first by a combination of Overconsumption and Mal-investment. I find tricky to model Mal-investment. Currently I choose to model it as an increase to the aggregate Capital production time. I feel I need a 2 stage Capital model (to show the difference between invested capital and produced capital) and 2 different Capital Stocks (e.g. High order Capital goods and Low order Capital Goods). Mal-investment then is a transfer of invested Capital from Capital(1) to Capital(2) with a delay between investment and produced capital. Another part of the system shows the effects of Capital Reduction on the Gross Market Rate and the Loan Expansion Rate (increase demand for Loans). It is a first draft but I wonder if you can provide some feedbacks on the below: - How do you model Mal-investment in System Dynamics? I define Mal-investment as: "a sub-optimal investment allocation policy which leads to a reduction of the stock of Capital and/or its growth rate" - Can you spot any mistake or any improvement in the Model above? Thank you for your help. As you well know, any feedback may help to steer and speed my efforts.	You might consider starting by sketching out the behavior you wish to model.
Saturday, January 2, 2010 Happy New Now Ed, Happy New NOW... if now can be new.... I wish you the best whishes for...NOW!!! I wish you love, prosperity, delight in your life. I rely on your Responsibility to realize all my previous wishes for your life. Happy new NOW Great Teacher!!!
Friday, January 1, 2010 Different Dreams Since Breathwork Dear Ed, I have read several times that dreams are how peoples subconscious mind works out problems in their sleep. That never did appear to be true for me. I would have a lucid dream with one predominate emotion and wake up after the dream with that same emotion still as strong as in the dream and the dream ending with no resolution or reduction of the problem or the intensity of the emotion. Since participating in the Breathwork weekend my dreams have seemed to change. In my last dream my wife and I was attending a meeting in an office building and on the break we went out the door and down some stairs to get a drink. The stairs were steep and it was a long way down to the ground. My wife went before me and the further down I went it seems the further to the ground it became. I looked over the side and could not see the ground any longer. I was surrounded by clouds. After several steps the hand railing on the stairs was broken off and there was nothing between me and falling over the side so I moved to the other side for a handhold but after several steps on that side that railing was broken off on that side also to where the stairs were suspended in air with nothing to keep me from falling off either side or forward down the steep stairs. I was afraid to go any further down but felt trapped like there was nothing else to do except keep going down although I was terrified of falling. This is where the dream would usually end for me and I would either wake up or remember it in the morning as stopping here. This time something else happened. It is as if another part of my mind came in and suggested I still had my hand on what was left of the railing on the right side so why don't I just go back up the stairs and take the elevator down. Problem solved. What a simple solution although just a second before that option did not even exist for me. This is the third such dream I have had since participating in the Breathwork weekend that is dramatically different from the dreams I have had before. Thanks for hosting the weekend for everyone.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Friday, January 1, 2010 Workshop Inquiry Dear Sir, I am in [Country], anybody giving workshops in [Country], please send me contact details of him. I just read to join TTP at your site. I don't know anything else.	I plan to host the next workshop in Reno, Nevada, USA. Tribes appear in many parts of the world. If you do not find one near you, you may start your own.
Friday, January 1, 2010 Counter-Clockwise Dear Ed, I came across this article and thought you would appreciate it...say what you want! ********* Just Say No to Aging? Imagine that you could rewind the clock 20 years. It's 1989. Madonna is topping the pop charts, and TV sets are tuned to "Cheers" and "Murphy Brown." Widespread Internet use is just a pipe dream, and Sugar Ray Leonard and Joe Montana are on recent covers of Sports Illustrated. But most important, you're 20 years younger. How do you feel? Well, if you're at all like the subjects in a provocative experiment by Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer, you actually feel as if your body clock has been turned back two decades. Langer did a study like this with a group of elderly men some years ago, retrofitting an isolated old New England hotel so that every visible sign said it was 20 years earlier. The men—in their late 70s and early 80s—were told not to reminisce about the past, but to actually act as if they had traveled back in time. The idea was to see if changing the men's mindset about their own age might lead to actual changes in health and fitness. Langer's findings were stunning: After just one week, the men in the experimental group (compared with controls of the same age) had more joint flexibility, increased dexterity and less arthritis in their hands. Their mental acuity had risen measurably, and they had improved gait and posture. Outsiders who were shown the men's photographs judged them to be significantly younger than the controls. In other words, the aging process had in some measure been reversed. I know this sounds a bit woo-wooey, but stay with me. Langer and her Harvard colleagues have been running similarly inventive experiments for decades, and the accumulated weight of the evidence is convincing. Her theory, argued in her new book, "Counterclockwise," is that we are all victims of our own stereotypes about aging and health. We mindlessly accept negative cultural cues about disease and old age, and these cues shape our self-concepts and our behavior. If we can shake loose from the negative clichés that dominate our thinking about health, we can "mindfully" open ourselves to possibilities for more productive lives even into old age. Consider another of Langer's mindfulness studies, this one using an ordinary optometrist's eye chart. That's the chart with the huge E on top, and descending lines of smaller and smaller letters that eventually become unreadable. Langer and her colleagues wondered: what if we reversed it? The regular chart creates the expectation that at some point you will be unable to read. Would turning the chart upside down reverse that expectation, so that people would expect the letters to become readable? That's exactly what they found. The subjects still couldn't read the tiniest letters, but when they were expecting the letters to get more legible, they were able to read smaller letters than they could have normally. Their expectation—their mindset—improved their actual vision. That means that some people may be able to change prescriptions if they change the way they think about seeing. But other health consequences might be more important than that. Here's another study, this one using clothing as a trigger for aging stereotypes. Most people try to dress appropriately for their age, so clothing in effect becomes a cue for ingrained attitudes about age. But what if this cue disappeared? Langer decided to study people who routinely wear uniforms as part of their work life, and compare them with people who dress in street clothes. She found that people who wear uniforms missed fewer days owing to illness or injury, had fewer doctors' visits and hospitalizations, and had fewer chronic diseases—even though they all had the same socioeconomic status. That's because they were not constantly reminded of their own aging by their fashion choices. The health differences were even more exaggerated when Langer looked at affluent people: presumably the means to buy even more clothes provides a steady stream of new aging cues, which wealthy people internalize as unhealthy attitudes and expectations. Langer is not advocating that we all don uniforms. Her point is that we are surrounded every day by subtle signals that aging is an undesirable period of decline. These signals make it difficult to age gracefully. Similar signals also lock all of us—regardless of age—into pigeonholes for disease. We are too quick to accept diagnostic categories like cancer and depression, and let them define us. Doing so preempts the possibility of a healthful future. That's not to say that we won't encounter illness, bad moods or a stiff back—or that dressing like a teenager will eliminate those things. But with a little mindfulness, we can try to embrace uncertainty and understand that the way we feel today may or may not connect to the way we will feel tomorrow. Who knows, if we're open to the idea that things can improve, we just might wake up feeling 20 years younger.	Every time you say how it is ... that's the way it's gonna be for you.
Friday, January 1, 2010 Re-Commits Dear Support Group, I am happy to report that I am ready to resume trading with real money. I have spent the time since the workshop revising, refining, re-testing and optimizing my LTTF system for stocks and ETF's. I hereby re-affirm and re-commit to following my system entry and exit stops and report back to you weekly. Instead of pre-emptively exiting at the first sign of adversity (which was an avoidance of the feelings associated with the market going against me) I will choose to feel whatever feelings come up and accept them as allies and learn from them. I thank all of you who have given me very constructive feedback over the last year for your support and wish all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year filled with many new AHA's and exponential personal and emotional growth.	Thank you for sharing your process.