Ed's FAQ Aug 11-20, 2016

Contributors Say

Ed Says

Aug 18, 2016

Adamant - Against the Trend

Hi Ed,

The last few days I've been reading some trading literature and it bothers me some, how this rather famous trader is so adamant against trend following. Maybe this is why is he had to shut his fund down multiple times ...

I hope you and the Tribe are well,

Thank you for sharing your observations.

Aug 18, 2016

First Tribe Meeting

Hi Ed,

I attend my first ever TTP meeting with the London Tribe. We begin with a check in and run through the 'Tell me what you you are thinking / Tell me how you are feeling / Show me the feeling' process.

I feel comfortable doing this and find it a great way to break the ice.

A member takes the hot seat and I help to create the field of acknowledgment. I watch the sender go through several forms and I wonder if I have it in me to do something like this. It looks and feels very strange to me. I read about many TTP experiences on your website as well as the TTP book but nothing can prepare me for experiencing it for real.

It is my turn to take the hot seat and I explain to the Chief that I find it all very strange and I feel unsure if it is something I can do. The Chief asks me if I am willing to go with that feeling and I say yes and in no time I am going through several forms. I loose track of time but I think I am on the hot seat for more than one hour.

There is a feeling in my upper chest and neck, sort of like a burning feeling that is present throughout the process. The feeling becomes more pleasant as the process goes on but is still there as I check out at the end. I am left thinking that I will need to revisit this feeling at my next TTP session.

My first meeting is a truly eye opening experience and I look forward to many more tribe meetings.

Kind regards,

Thank you for sharing your process.

Aug 18, 2016

Foggy

Hi Ed,

I plan to write email you instead of going for private consulting for now. Not sure how the house will sell. My family doesn't seem to interested in selling in this fall.

As I told you when we talked. I'm looking to move to NY. I can't decide on anything. I go through loops in my head and get stuck in a quagmire. Then when I get some momentum or energy going where the fog clears up. I get a vision of what I could have been doing instead.

I'm dealing with this though of I'm supposed to be somewhere else right now, I'm supposed to be in Brooklyn.

But I don't do it. I'm having problems seeing reality, I feel like I'm just floating around in a fog with no sort of radar. Today I was looking at the moon while driving and ran a red light. A pick up truck almost hit me. I'm needing to clarify my intentions as well as act on them instead of letting them float by.

I'm have about 12k in cash and the same amount in debt.

I'm hoping you can lend me some of your consciousness right now so I can make the right decision.

Thank you for sharing your process.

You might consider taking your feelings about <fog> to Tribe as an entry point.

Aug 18, 2016

Consulting & Software Request

Hi Ed, i wish a happy birthday, and for you to live up to 100+

I'd like to know how can i have access to your trading platform and method suite. Also i would need a 1 hour mentoring from. How much would this cost me.

Also I'm ready to sign an agreement to share my profits with you for a couple of years.

Ed, I'm very motivated, and willing to do all the reports tasks at hand. I have a degree from France's finest University, known for its quant curriculum but honestly that doesn't really cut it when it comes to trading. Real trading, ie elementary buy now and sell in a couple months.

I have been in trading for a couple years and i came to the conclusion that unless you have an unfair access to the market(ie Citadel style.lol) any edge would come from capturing huge moves(trend trading)....thus i came to you.

Please Ed consider my request for mentorship and Plateform access.

Best of regards

Thank you for raising this issue.

You can find terms for private consulting at Ground Rules, above.

You normally cannot gain access to my proprietary software.

Occasionally I get to know someone well and form a trading partnership in which I contribute my experience and software, the partner raises the money and runs the fund, and we divvy up profits, if any.

You can get mentoring-lite, through this site, for free.

Aug 17, 2016

Consulting Proposal

Hi Ed:

Greetings from South Florida - may my note find you most well. Thanks for providing such an excellent Web Site.

After carefully reviewing your Web Site and first learning of you through Jack Schwager's Book, Market Wizards, I have decided to write you.

I worked in the brokerage business for over 17 years at firms such as DLJ, CSFB and my last 9 years at [Firm]. That's how I came in contact with [Name] and he sent me a copy of his book after I assisted his son, [Name2], in getting started with our trading platform.

I am now a private full time futures trader - exclusively using systematic trading on CME Futures Products such as CL, GC, HG, etc. My systems to date are based on the 4 moments of statistics, slope, linear regression, and moving averages adjusted for skew.

I am trying to accomplish the following:

To not fight the trend with short term trades.
To further develop systems for my own private use with professional guidance/input.
To follow a set plan and the rules I have.
To not do the precise wrong thing. The wheat showed me a profit and I sold it....
To believe fully in the mechanics of my systems and never average a losing game.
To accept your thoughts with total humility.
To assist local orphans with a good percentage of winnings.

If you would be willing to work with me, my pleasure to come down to P.R. for a couple of days at your convenience. I would be honored to be your client.

Warmest Regards:

Thank you for expressing an interest in moving forward with your trading.

Aug 17, 2016

Jam Video

Ed,

Great to meet you at the Rolling Oaks Jam. I have a bit of it on the video (attachment).

Thank you for sending me the video.

I now have it on line at:

https://youtu.be/DQybIftKYR8

Aug 17, 2016

Issues with Best Friend

Hi Chief,

Last Saturday I send short message to my best friend and asks what he is doing.

He responds and telling me he is getting up and reading. I am thinking calling him and talk about the issue between us. Then Gang start to talk to me on WeChat. I find myself prefer more talking to Gang about trading and go on with it.

I plan to to talk to my friend this weekend.

Thanks,

Thank you for sharing your process.

Aug 17, 2016

More On Proposal

Dear Ed,

Thank you for your clear communication in rejecting my proposal. Ever the teacher, you lead me to an important Aha. Your objections, as I understand them, are:

5. Rent's too damn high
4. Ed never pays for software--if anything, Ed's partners pay him
3. Ed's pretty good at this software thing and needs no outside help
2. Ed's software contains secrets, and Ed doesn't trust me with them
1. Ed develops software with clients, not programmers

My initial reaction is to address individual issues. Maybe adding a non-disclosure clause can ameliorate #2? Maybe I can do the feasibility study for free? But the sheer volume of objections takes me aback.

I notice feeling very small. I feel like a child who gets a dispensation to sit at the adult table--but makes a fool of himself with insufficiently deferential behavior. Then I get the Aha. It clicks that this is the setup I like. Suddenly I see many relationships in which I get similar bitch slaps.

I ask my sister to repay a loan; she refuses indignantly. She says, “If I knew you’d want it back, I wouldn’t have borrowed it.”

I ask my father to share his feelings; he refuses, indignantly. He says, “To expose one’s nakedness in front of his children is shameful.”

I ask my boss for more responsibility. He smiles like you smile at an autistic child, “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about these matters.”

I see a pattern of relationships. I want to do things for people just so they’d accept me, like “lend” money to my sister or take jobs for which I’m overqualified. But If I ask for a man’s coat, or a man’s wage, I get a slap.

As against this, I notice that in recent years I relinquish this pattern in some areas, and Tribe deserves much credit here. For example, my ex-wife and I play this game until we divorce, but my current marriage is a partnership of intimacy and mutual respect. This gives me hope that in other areas, such as my career, I can make similar progress. The insight from last week’s meeting is a valuable tool in deciding which relationships I want to pursue.

While It’s painful to get this Aha in real life instead of in role-playing, I am grateful to you, Ed, for helping me with this. Participating in your Tribe feels like I’m in the right place. Visiting with you on your birthday feels like I’m in the right place. Negotiating a partnership with you feels like I’m in the wrong place.

I release you from the role of my prospective business partner and welcome you back as a tribe member and a friend.

Thank you for sharing your process.

Aug 16, 2016

More On the Chaser

Ed,

Thank you for listening.

It was very insightful.

Looking back, throughout most of our time, even though we were together, it felt like I needed her to like me even if I felt deep down she didn't.

I am glad I was able to receive this input.

I hope you have a good week.

Thank you for sharing your process.

Aug 16, 2016

Martingale in the News

Ed,

This election cycle I basically see all media and pundits (Washington Post, Huffington Post, CNN, 538, National Review, Weekly Standard,etc), using the Martingale system.

Thank you for sharing your views and for sending me the photo.

Looks fairly safe to pull the trigger in this condition.

Aug 15, 2016

The Chaser and the Run Away

Ed Hello,

Thank you for taking your time to read this.

I'm trying to practice the acceptance of feelings.

I can imagine you might be tired of hearing about this, so I apologize beforehand, but I broke up with my now ex girlfriend. She was my first relationship, we were together for a year. It's been six months since we finished our relationship and I don't think I'm over her.

It still feels raw and it hurts. I'm not trying to medicate but accept these feelings. However it doesn't feel that it has gotten better over time. Maybe I'm not totally accepting it?

While we were together I was also very insecure she would leave me for someone else. Now that we have parted ways, and she is with someone else, it has intensified these feelings of insecurity.

Am I not accepting my feelings correctly?

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Thank you for raising this issue.

People tend to attract partners who have complimentary Rocks.

For example, if you have a rock that entrains feeling insecure and trying to get your mate to reassure you of her commitment, you may wind up attracting someone who values her freedom and withdraws from you when she feels pressure.

Trying to get her back while she withdraws, may then develop into a major organizing principle for the relationship - and wind up motivating her to leave you for someone else (so you can both continue on with different partners).

You might confirm this by noticing if you recall a deep chemical need to get her to like you - while you do not find women who do like you particularly interesting.

You might consider taking your feelings about <women who like you> and <women who don't like you> to Tribe as an entry point.

Through the Rocks Process, you might find roots for your patterns originate in your family of origin. You might also, through role playing, replace some of your patterns with Heart Rock methods.

Ultimately, as you come to like yourself and as you learn to honor your own needs, you may find yourself naturally shifting your affections from people who don't like you to people who do.

Fickle Women

attract insecure men.

http://quotesgram.com/fickle-minded-quotes/

Aug 15, 2016

Feelings about Firearms

Dear Ed,

In a recent Tribe meeting, I hear you bring up an incident from several years ago. The incident involves feelings about firearms. While we have debriefed that incident at the time, and at least on one other occasion, I notice that it continues to come up. I interpret this persistence as unfinished business from the original meeting in 2008.

I would like to propose a process to resolve this experience. I invite you to meet at a gun range in either California or Texas. You bring your rifle, I bring mine. We each fire 5 rounds from our own rifle at targets, then swap rifles and fire 5 more rounds at the same targets. I have a hunch this may help turn the incident into a passing aha.

Thank you for raising this issue.

I gather you interpret mentioning historical anecdotes as an indication of need for resolution.

I further gather you feel the way to resolve feelings involves dramatizing them out in the real world.

In TTP, we work directly with our feelings and forms without having to resort to the Hatfield-McCoy method.

You might consider taking your feelings about <your gun> to Tribe as an entry point.

Aug 15, 2016

Proposal

Dear Ed,

Thank you for entertaining my partnership proposal. I wish to enroll in a long-term, commercial relationship with you. I wish to take on the responsibility for such aspects of your software development process as you may wish to delegate. In addition, I wish to support you in experiencing such feelings as may come up, especially around the software development process.

This relationship may take one of several forms, depending on the scope of work we decide to do in partnership. I am unclear on your ambitions in this regard and want to understand them more clearly. My preference is for a large enough scope that I can commit to it exclusively, without depending on other sources of income.

Refining commitments is an iterative process. I propose that we follow a variation on the process I used successfully in my consulting practice. For a large project, the first deliverable I always propose is a writeup of the scope -- some call this a feasibility study.

We meet face to face for a day (or two half-days) and I learn the state of your project, where you want to take it, your budget and schedule.

I commit to producing, within 10 days of our meeting, a formal bid with deliverables, time lines and budgets to which I am willing to commit if you accept my terms.

This document is in plain English, about half a page to a page in length. My proposal for this feasibility study is $300, payable in 6, $50 US gold eagle coins at face value; 1/3 at the meeting and the balance on your acceptance of the deliverable.

Thank you for sending me your proposal.

I generally work with traders in a way that helps them discover their natural trading skills.

I do some of this, for free, through this FAQ forum. I also do some private consulting, for a fee: see Ground Rules, above, for details.

On rare occasions, if a client commits to a long-term career in trading, I may extend my software to support the enterprise.

My trading platform includes a suite of methods, many proprietary, that I accumulate over the years, as I go along. Some of these methods automatically generate and post generate the TT_Chartbook pages, above.

I enjoy the process of thinking about trading and I enjoy creating code to test and refine my thinking.

Before thinking things through I have nothing to delegate, except confusion; after things get clear, the code pretty much writes itself.

I occasionally host a trader retreat - in which a number of traders get together to share and test ideas - and to contribute to the knowledge base.

I see US $50 Gold Eagles recently trading for around $1,400 each. I see you want six of them, at face value. Gold Eagles always have some or another face value so I don't know what you mean here.

So, as I see it, your proposal has me paying you $8,400, so you can get up to speed on my proprietary software.

Per my understanding, above, of your proposal, I feel I must pass.

Aug 14, 2016

Tribe Meeting Report

One-Week FAQ Update:

The Tribe meeting begins by drumming.

I feel out of sorts this meeting but I feel relaxed after drumming but still out of sorts. I feel inner tension and conflict. My body does not feel well. Everyone shares their issues. I describe what is going on with me. I relate to what everyone shares as an issue. I feel that I am supposed to be here.

I describe I want less drama and to not use food to medicate feelings. I want to lose weight. A fellow tribe member also expresses a desire for less drama and less clutter. Another Tribe member is having much success but wants more joy, more happiness and contentment. Another tribe member feels stuck at work and wants more engagement with their job, associates and customers ... they want to be more connected and a greater degree of fulfillment. Another tribe member wants to live their religion more fully, to increase discipline. They want to finish a business plan and open a managed account business. Another tribe member wants to trust their wife and be more one with their wife in regards to money. They want an alliance or an agreement. Wants to make and keep agreements. Another tribe member wants to resolve a disagreement with a lifelong friend. Another tribe member wants to lose 90 lbs in the next year, wants a closer relationship with men, wants to retire and get liquid and keep agreements with self. Another tribe member wants to form a band and record songs, be open to a new partner, build community and take the next step towards fully automatic trading.

As I reflect on everyone's desires it feels as though it all touches my own desires very intimately ... these are all things I am wanting maybe in a slightly different way but nonetheless I am here for a special reason. I write down in my notebook a quote but I identify with it very much that I "want the drama because its covering up something else".

Sadness comes to mind and loss ... they go together I think. I want to lose weight but I know to lose weight I must face my own sadness and loss deep in my heart on some important issues. I also must keep agreements with myself. Do I respect myself and love myself enough to keep even the simplest of agreements?

These questions come up as I write this. I've been conditioned to believe certain things about myself. I've accepted these ideas on a very deep level. I have unraveled a big part of that lie but perhaps not all of it. I am awake now, crippled perhaps but awake.

The first process a Tribe member is bothered by his son's frayed shoelace. I relate to the feeling of things being imperfect or out of place and the impulse to "fix" things or "fix" people. I know that's not love but that's the reason I'm here ... to learn to love more fully. He describes his son's response that he likes it like it is. I think back to being a child, to enjoying that it's ok for things to be out of order .. .it's fun, it's beautiful. We do a role play when the Tribe member is interacting with his father.

His father says he must clean his room or the house before he can go play. He will get beaten if its not right. I play the father. These agreements we make and out intentions in the agreements are so important.

I notice excessive anger is a manipulation and can be used as an excuse to break agreements. I notice the longing I have all my life for some connection with my own father ... the loss of that relationship. Oddly, I begin to notice this at about the same age as my son is in the role play ... the early baseball years. My father disconnects into his own world ... into various forms of medicating feelings.

I recognize the loss and want to let it go. We role into a process where a Tribe member is being spanked as a child by their mother. His mother seems to enjoy beating him and his father disconnects and provides no protection.

He tries to make a connection with his mother. He wants to understand what rules he has broken. He is being punished but there was no agreement he can recall. He went fishing so he wants to understand when it is ok to go fishing and when it is not. He makes an agreement with his mother that he can fish when his schoolwork is done.

His mother feels afraid he will not keep up with his schoolwork. I am reminded of a Yoda quote: "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering."

Keeping agreements seems essential to relationships. Trust is a commodity in all of our relationships. I recall during the next process when I am very young, maybe 3-4. I have a child's guitar given to me and I play it trying to imitate Elvis Presley on the stereo my parents have. They have his records or albums and Jim Reeves, I remember his as well. I remember being recorded on the cassette player and my father playing it back to me.

He made fun of me playing and singing. He played it back several times throughout my childhood. There is a laugh he does and a smile when he is laughing that is a dead giveaway that he enjoys hurting others.

Its a sadistic laugh. I've always wanted to play the guitar and banjo but I get started a little and get stuck. We go into another process where the process is about making agreements and the Tribe member is unwilling to make agreements. I find myself being willing to navigate relationships and make agreements when my gut trust level says it's OK.

There are people at this moment in my life that I will never make an agreement with and do not want to be connected with. I notice I break agreements with myself on a day to day basis regarding my eating habits. We role into another process and the Tribe member wants to be more engaged in his work, with his "team" or he wants to get into a situation where he can.

I relate to this process of wanting to make a difference and wanting to make a difference not just as a cog in a wheel but as a human being interrelating with others. Several feelings come up in regards to creating more satisfaction, making a difference, wanting interconnectedness and the feeling of being in the wrong place.

I come out of this Tribe meeting wanting several things. I want to lose weight (60lbs) and face the feelings I am avoiding. I want more joy, self-love, happiness and contentment. I want to create an environment of community in which I can be my true and best self. I want to negotiate agreements that help me to achieve these ends of working and living in an intimacy centric environment.

I'm not looking for "perfection" but I want a definite trend in this direction and to stay in that trend. I want an intimate partner and remain open to that. I want to get my fund off the ground and put together a team that practices intimacy centric relating. I want to make a lot of money and help others make a lot of money as well.

Thank you for sharing your process and your insights,

Aug 13, 2016

Birthday Song

Dear Ed,

The memory of your birthday party still creates a warm glow in my heart. What a great group of people, including six amazing children! Your relaxed attitude, which included providing Silly String and colorful streamers to throw, set the tone perfectly. Thank you so much for creating the opportunity to spend time and have fun with old and new friends.

I have been asked to share the lyrics to the song I performed, to the tune of "The Ballad of Jed Clampett", so here they are:

"Come and listen to my story 'bout a man named Ed,
He helps a lot of people get to know their inner Fred.
He's always available on FAQ,
But don't hold your breath for him to tell you what to do!

    Take it to Tribe, he says,
    Hot seats, weird forms...

Well Ed came out to Texas so that he could play some tunes,
Cuz jammin' on the banjo gets him higher than the moon.
But then one day he was wanting something more,
And the next thing you know, he's strolling on the shore!

    Puerto Rico, that is,
    Palm trees, tax breaks...

So thank you all for stopping by to celebrate this day.
We wish him well for all the years that still will come his way.
And when we're sharing feelings let us pause and bow our heads
To the one who got us started: the famous Mr. Ed!

    Happy Birthday, Ed!
    We acknowledge you, and we love you, too.
    THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR PROCESS!!"

Many happy returns, tax and otherwise. Thanks again for throwing a great party.

Thank you for creating your song and for performing it at my party.

Aug 13, 2016

Tribe Meeting Report - Honoring Agreements

Ed,

I leave the leave the Tribe meeting feeling confusion.

All of the hot seats act as a mirror reflecting current issues I want to work on and some that occupy my blind spot.

After my hot seat I see I have a long history of not honoring my agreements. A part of me feels okay with this and a part of me feels uncomfortable with this acceptance and its accompanying arrogance.

All of my life I operate within the protocol of making agreements and then breaking them whenever I feel like it. I break agreements with family, friends, romantic partners, business partners, God and most importantly myself.

It dawns on me how much my failure to honor agreements influences my path and quality of life. I then wonder how different my life would turn out if I keep my agreements. I envision a life with much more richness, love, and support.

A statement during check out stays with me. 'People that break agreements seem to have a lot of freedom because they go and come as they please, but they may not have anyone to share life with because people don't stick around'.

I don't want this.

I want lasting personal relationships, lasting friendships, lasting business relationships. Up until this moment I accept that people will float in and out of my life, never once do I connect this to my failure to keep agreements.

I hope to revisit the feeling of keeping agreements in an upcoming tribe meeting. Until then I start with keeping agreements with myself and observing the feelings that come up.

I want to thank each Tribe member present for supporting my process. I feel an abundance of gratitude to you Ed, for opening up your home and sharing TTP with me.

Thank you.

Thank you for sharing your process and insights.

Aug 13, 2016

Tribe Meeting Report
Clarifying a Key Relationship

Dear Ed,

I arrive at the recent Tribe meeting without a pressing issue, although I feel open to the possibility of something emerging in response to the work of the other members. I also feel a desire to support my fellow Tribe members.

The process proceeds differently from what I recall from past meetings. After initial check-in and summarizing of progress over the past year, those members who have issues to work on simply state the issue and then Ed chooses one to start with, rather than more extensively exploring the details of each one to determine who is hot.

Ed chooses the member who reports anger outbursts and increasing irritability, and a role play of a recent incident with his son immediately begins. An intense form leads to a memory of a similar experience with the member's father (both fathers are upset with their sons' untidiness). The role play shifts to the childhood experience, in which the member wants to go out to play with his friends before he cleans his room.

Sharing feelings with his father leads to a very calm and rational negotiation about permission to go out after some cleaning is done. The impact for the member seems to be about recognizing that he recreates his experience of fearing his father when he gets angry at his son, and that he wants to be able to understand his son's feelings rather than simply enforce compliance.

The process then shifts to a member who wants to ask a close friend about a change in their relationship that has created distance. The member has brought the subject up previously, and his friend states that nothing is wrong, while continuing to behave "coldly" to the member. The Tribe member fears bringing the subject up again.

The feeling of "getting in trouble" emerges for the member, along with a memory of going fishing with his friends and being dragged home by his mother, who hits him for not obtaining her permission. This process also leads to a negotiation about obeying the rules and does not strike me as addressing feelings or the fear of confrontation.

The group seeks a common thread in these incidents and comes up with "confrontation" and "making and keeping agreements". The process then shifts to a member who wants to have an agreement with his wife that allows him to trust her about how money will be spent.

It soon emerges that the member himself does not keep agreements with his wife, and does not behave in a trustworthy manner. A role play between the member and his wife proves to be the trigger for my personal connection to the issues raised to that point. His wife asks if he will keep his agreements, saying that she feels clear that she wants to be with a man who keeps his agreements. The Tribe member clearly struggles; to me, he first struggles with knowing his true feelings and then struggles with stating his feelings openly to her. He finally says, "No, I can't keep the agreement."

I feel blown away, both by his honesty and by his wife's clarity in asking the question that could potentially leave them with a huge problem, and possibly end their relationship. I realize that I have spent the past several years in a relationship feeling afraid to ask that very question (basically, "Are you in this relationship or not?"). I didn't want to hear the answer!

My heart pounds and I feel both energized and stunned. Due to personal progress I have made in improving my self-esteem and in desiring to live in reality instead of fantasy, I feel an immediate resonance with the wife's calm and determined openness to the truth.

The next day I initiate a conversation with a man with whom I was previously involved. I feel a need for closure. He acknowledges my feelings and shares his feelings. It is the most emotionally mature conversation I have ever had with him. I feel satisfied and able to put the old relationship to rest. I no longer feel haunted and dominated by thoughts and feelings about this relationship.

Another process later in the meeting feels meaningful. The Tribe member uncovers a profoundly upsetting feeling of "not being in the right place" through a memory of being forced to wear his sister's hand-me-down coat. This memory emerges as he role plays telling his boss that he is frustrated and unhappy in his job. He says he can use the image of the coat to help him determine when an action or a situation feels right to him.

Once again I feel impressed with the power of the Tribe and TTP to access underlying patterns of handling emotions that have such a strong influence on our current experiences.

I feel very grateful to my fellow Tribe members for sharing their feelings so openly, and to you, Ed, for creating the opportunity for us to connect in this way.

Thank you for sharing your process and insights and for documenting the meeting.

Aug 13, 2016

Brass Band Levitator

Ed,

http://www.wimp.com/brassband/

Thank you for sending me the link,

Aug 12, 2016

Tribe Meeting Report
Approval, Agreements and Trust

Ed,

Austin Trading Tribe Report from Saturday August 9, 2016

                This is my tribe report for the issues that I discovered. I brought issues of an issue with needing my Father’s approval for success in life. I also wanted to live my religion more fully by fulfilling my callings in church.

                I explained the feeling that came up during the time a “Father” from the role play was yelling at his son. It was a knot in my gut just below the solar plexus.   During the hot seat with [Name] role playing my father, he asked if I trusted myself. I said no, I don’t trust myself in business. This was profound to me a real aha moment. I have never thought of that being the issue. I have that feeling again as I write this report. It passes after I acknowledge it. I now know that I get this feeling when I am not doing what I know I should be doing for myself and others. I no longer need my father’s approval to start my business. I just need to build my self-trust and keep the agreements I make with myself. This was an issue that was pervasive to the tribe.

                It seemed that everyone, myself included, wanted to gain control over their weight. I have become very aware since I have had weight loss surgery that it is critical to address my emotions around food so that I do not develop another addiction to replace it. At some point you said, “If you are willing to feel the feelings that come up you can accomplish anything.” I hope that I am able to feel those feelings in order to reach my goals.

                The next issue was living my religion more fully was included in the meeting theme of “keeping agreements”. I am simply not doing that with keeping all of the agreements that I have made with respect to my religion. I need to keep my agreements that I make with myself and others.

                I feel a sense of relief that I have now remembered to write to FAQ. I hope that we will have more meetings in the future. Thank you for all that you do.

                The next day I have the joy of attending your birthday party. Again, Happy Birthday!!

Thanks for all you do,

Thank you for sharing your process and insights.

Aug 12, 2016

Tribe Meeting Report - Starting a Fund

Hi Ed,

Thank you for having me in the Tribe meeting and the birthday party! I have a great time over there.

I wonder if you plan to have another session of Tribe meeting? It’s crucial for my success and I really want to attend. I am setting up business and starting fund raising right now. Continuous TTP training and Tribe meetings is critical for me. I can bring a lot issues in fund raising into Tribe meetings.

You mention in the meeting that you need help on music, system design and building a community. I want to be your partner on system design and / or TTP community building. I might not qualify as your partner. But I want to contribute my 2 cents if there’s anything I can do for you.

I am done with IB API and am working on API with Shanghai broker now. I am aiming start trading on my account over there.

Thanks,

Thank you for sharing your process.

I can run a series of Tribe Meetings in San Juan, PR and also in Austin, TX depending on demand.

Aug 12, 2016

Austin Tribe Meeting Report

Ed,

I attend the Austin Tribe meeting on August 6. My issue is "my career is out of alignment with my priorities." With Ed's help, we role-play situations in my professional life. Eventually a form emerges: hands in front of my belly, fingers of both hands fanning out and touching the fingers of opposite hand. I rock my hands up and down saying "I'm in the wrong place." Ed encourages me to do more of this in-the-wrong-place form. The Tribe cheers me on, "Yeah! That's it! Do more of that." A childhood memory emerges.

I'm 7 or 8. It's winter. Crispy white show covers the ground. It is below zero degrees Fahrenheit. I'm wearing a fur coat.

The coat is a hand-me-down from my older sister. It's a girl's coat. It's too narrow at the shoulders, too wide at the hips and the buttons are on the left. Ed asks, "How does it feel to be wearing a girl's jacket?" I say, "It feels like I'm in the wrong place."

I start crying. The shame and the feeling of being the least important person in my family are overwhelming. Every day I go to school wearing this symbol of second-classness. I can feel the sensation of the coat pressing my shoulders together. I'm stooping. I'm in the wrong place.

Ed suggests I role-play confronting my mother about the hand-me-down. I practice saying "I want my own jacket," "I want to wear a man's jacket." "I want my own stuff. "I want stuff that fits me." After a while, Ed asks me to do the form again. I put my fingers together and say, "I'm in the wrong place." The intensity is gone. The drama is gone. I say, "I'm in the wrong place" like I might say, "the sky is blue." I smile. Ed asks, "do you have any new resources for your issue?" I say, "Yes. My new resource is the freedom to feel if my jacket (glove, career) fits me or if I'm in the wrong skin (or place)."

The next day, my wife, daughter and I attend Ed's birthday party. It feels like a family reunion. There are children and grandchildren running around, streamers, balloons and silly string. I get to meet the wives and children of people I know from Tribe. It feels like reconnecting with cousins. I notice feeling like I'm in the right place. I feel like I'm wearing my own jacket.

Ed, I know what I want to do. I want to be your partner in developing trading software, and I want to learn trading from you.

The Big Blow Out

Thank you for sharing your process and insights and for documenting the meeting.

I wonder if you can send me a draft of the trading-software agreement you would like to have with me.

Aug 11, 2016

Winning by Losing

Dear Mr. Seykota:

Sometimes losing is the best form of winning.

I have been obsessed with the stock market for over 20 years. In total, I have “lost” more than I have made in the market.

However, my financial losses have provided me with the richest education I could ever imagine.

I have not only learned about financial and technical analysis but also: Decision Theory, Game Theory, Chaotic and Complex Systems, Gambling Theory, Probability Theory, Machine Learning, The Deep Learning Algorithm, the Kelly Criteria, Behavioral Economics, Trend Following, Portfolio Money Management, Risk, Uncertainty, Information Theory, and many other topics. I have read hundreds of books that have enriched my life immensely. So, ironically, I couldn’t be happier that I lost so much.

I view the stock market as a fascinatingly complex puzzle with many different solutions. I currently use a computer algorithm based on what I believe to be the chaotic / fractal nature of market behavior (i.e. trend following).

“Win or lose, everybody gets what they want out of the market. Some people seem to like to lose, so they win by losing money.”
-Ed Seykota

There is a deep beauty and complexity in this statement. I cannot tell you the enjoyment I have experienced thinking about this quote over the years. Fascinating. And for that, I thank you.

Thank you for sharing your process.

You might consider the possibility of traders who simultaneously acquire knowledge and also trade successfully.

You might consider taking your feelings about <winning> and <losing> to Tribe.

The Win-Lose Switch

People set it
pretty much
where they like it.

http://www.glogster.com/glog/6n2q073656psnu9gisvmna0.html

Aug 11, 2016

Austin Tribe Report - Learning to Like Himself

Ed,

In this Tribe Meeting, I continue to work on relationship issues.

Over the past several months, I come to see that I cannot find salvation in the incessant search for an ideal mate. Nor can I find it in the occasional relationship - since I tend to attract relationships in which I have to try to get the other person to like me.

During the series of Tribe meetings and especially during the role playing I see the futility of the way I set things up. I also see a lot of my situation rests on the premise of me not liking myself very much.

To get through it, I have to learn to like myself first, and then share the real me with others, with all my pros and cons, and then let them sort it out if they like me or not. If they like me and I like them, we might have a match - on some real level.

Not liking myself much, I have to pretend and adopt a false image and manipulate people. This sets up the game in which I have to continue to try to get them to like me. This leads, ultimately and inevitably to separation, disappointment and various other forms of pain.

I find myself lately not worrying so much about pleasing people or trying to manipulate them or even worrying what they think of me. I now find myself avoiding people who don't like me - rather than attracting them into the chase game. I mostly keep my focus on doing things that I like to do - and putting it out there about what I like to do.

This really does work much better. I don't have to pretend or mislead people - and I wind up getting what I want - and with people who actually do like me.

I wish to thank my Tribe and many friends for helping me get through some pretty deep childhood programming and on to some great new ways of thinking and acting.

Thank you for sharing your process and insights.

Aug 11, 2016

Austin Tribe Report - Converting Panic

Ed,

The meeting starts at 11:00AM, Aug 6, 2016. We start with drumming. During the check in feelings circle. I tell the tribe I feel scared, nervous.

I have 3 issues to report to tribe, but I can’t recall the last one. So I report two. The first issue is that I don’t have the courage to bring up and talk about an issue between me and my best friends. 4 years ago my best friend starts to reject me for unknown reason. I call him to ask what happens, he says there’s nothing. But I can feel he is keeping distance from me. We use to be very close for decades and we grow up together, go to junior high, high together in the same class. I visited my bestie last month, two families get together in Seattle and he is our tour guide. Couple times I try to ask him about this but I am afraid he will be upset.

The second issue I have is that my son and I setup an office at home to work together on system design. My wife then comes in and tell me to move our desk to another room. I complain she always try to interfere and control me and I get emotional. My wife asks me why I lost my composition so easily and where my TTP training is.

I have a third issue to report but some how I can’t recall.

Ed points out that my both issue share the same rock, which relates to the fear of confrontation.

A member reports he has an issue when seeing his son leaves his shoe at the door and the shoe lace not tied. We start to role play this. I play his son and take off my shoes, and untie the shoe lace and make it frayed. The member gets into forms and recall when he was young, once his Dad tells him he need to tidy up the room before he can go out to play with other kids. Ed points out if his dad lays out clear agreement between them on what kind of condition he can go out to play. The hot seat says no.

So we role play this childhood situation. I play the one of the other kids playing out side his house. We play baseball. I am in the moment to play and forget to watch what happens between hot seat and his dad. I believe hot seat is using intimacy centric method to communicate feelings and find out clear agreement when he can play. Later Ed tell us(the kids play outside) to come back.

Then Ed asks hot seat if he want to relive the shoelace drama. Hot seat says yes. Then I play his son again. I leave my shoes in the middle of the room again and dad comes and ask me to fix it. Ed then ask me to confront him. I try to do it but feel intimidated. Ed ask me how I feel about it. I realize it’s my turn now and get into forms. I tell tribe I feel I am very small and he is powerful and scary. Tribe cheers and help me get into more forms. I start to feel humiliated when everybody is looking at me, and I am punished in public. I feel chilly and sadness, horrified. I start to see my mom. I recall when I was kid, I once went out fishing with my friend. My mom follows me and catch me on the bank of the river and brings me back and chastise me with broom stick.

We start to role play this. One member plays my dad who turns his back to me in this situation. Two members play my sisters and the member who plays dad now plays my mother. She picks up a stick and hit me and makes me kneel. She scolds me with my mother language while she beats me. Suddenly out of nowhere I start to cry. The feeling comes like flood. I feel powerless and sad. I suddenly realize that this feeling has been with me all the time for 4 decades, every day, every minutes and next door to me and I am not aware. When I check in feeling in the start to tribe, I thought I was afraid of Ed. Actually it’s the feeling related to this very incident.

Ed ask me how if I want to confront my mom. I raise my head and ask my mom if she wants to tell me how she feels. She says she feels up set. I thank her for telling me how she feels and ask her to tell me. She says I should finish my homework before I play. I thank her for telling me the agreement. and tell her that I don’t want to break rules and don’t want to be hit.

Ed then ask my sister if she want to speak out her feelings to mom. She says yes. She shares that she fears mom too. She often sees that we the other kids get beaten by mom and she try to avoid it by doing more chores. It reminds me that I did the same when I see my sisters get hit.

I feel pains on my knee and tell my mom my pain. She asks how the pain is. I say the floor is hard. She tells me I can stand up now.

The Ed asks my dad if he wants to confront this situation and share his feelings about the clear agreement. At the start of the tribe meeting, the member who plays my dad checks in an issue. He wants to trust his wife/girlfriend to manage his money and spending. But he can’t keep the agreement and keeps break agreement. He wants to be able to trust. Ed asks him how he feels if he sells his house, sells everything and find somebody at the corner and give his money to that person and tell that person “I trust you.” Ed says many people don’t trust Bernard Madoff.

He gets in to forms and feel small. Tribe cheers him to do more. He recalls something in his childhood. But he seems to stuck some where. Somehow we don’t have role play in this process.

During his process, I feel uneasy I am leaving my shoes on the floor and worry if it makes others feel inconvenient. But I don’t know if we still need them to be there. I pick them up and put them on. The first hot seat tells the tribe he feels relief when seeing me doing that. Later Ed asks him if he want to work on his issue with the shoes with his dad, he says yes. So I take off the shoes again and put it in the middle. The hot seat and his father both carry the shoes aside. Them we release the shoes from their role.

We run four processes in one process. Ed says this is an experiment he wants to do. He ask everybody to release everybody else from their role(s). We do a circle to release roles once for all.

During checkout, Ed says this is the most out of control process. Somebody says this process sprouts everywhere, and somebody says it’s like a pop corn effect. I share that this process is like a mix of systematic approach and discretionary decisions. Ed use his discretion to decide who is on hot seat and what process to run, and each process still follows a format. It reminds members the systematic trading and discretion on the portfolio selection. Ed tells the tribe he feels the similar feelings of managing this macro process and managing a portfolio, or life itself.

After the break, we run another process. Ed asks two members to role play a situation, an engineer is not happy about his career path and wants to share his feelings with his manager. During first few rounds, the hot seat express his desire to take more responsibilities in the company. He start to talk about business issue. Ed ask him to get to the feelings behind all the business. He eventually find the feelings of not knowing what he wants, as an engineer reaching his mid age. Ed suggests that he might share his feeling of not knowing what he wants.

He gets into forms and tribe cheers. He starts to cry and tell the tribe that when he was a kid, his mom gives him a lady’s fur coat which belongs to his sister. It’s cold outside and he has to wear it. He feel the feeling of in the wrong coat, or the wrong role in life general. A member plays his mom and he practice sharing his feeling about this coat with his mom.

During the checkout, I share with the member that I have the exactly the same experience when I was young. My family is poor and I am the youngest, with two older sisters. I always have to pick up their clothes and feel embarrassed about it. I thank the member for sharing his process and benefit all members.

After releasing roles and start relax, I suddenly surprise my tribe with my screaming of “I forgot the cake!”. Tomorrow is Ed’s birthday and I volunteer to bring a cake to the party. I checked with the store in the morning before meeting and it will be ready in the afternoon. They don’t open tomorrow so in the morning I start to feel a little nervous if something goes wrong I am going to ruin the party. Everybody will hate me. I ask Ed if I can go for it’s almost 6:00PM and they close at 6:00PM. Ed tells me he is not attached to the cake and I called the store and clear that they can wait for me until 6:30PM.

I start to realize my pattern of catastrophic panic. My wife complains recently and points out such pattern, whenever I forget something, e.g. can’t find my key, I often suddenly act very panic, and make everybody nervous. This is exactly the 3rd issue I want to report to the tribe when the meeting starts. Somehow it gets away and I can’t recall during the circle of issues check in. But the under Fred network somehow makes an opportunity for it to manifest by disturbing the meeting with my rock.

I realize my patten and start to work on it, during the rest of meeting, I acknowledge my feeling of urgency and intentionally talk slowly and act slowly, be delicate not to affect other people sharing their checkout thoughts and feelings, be composed and following the meeting system and stay until the meeting adjourns. During the driving to the cake store, once my iPhone over heat and GPS stop working, I find myself be aware of my feelings of fear and focus attention on the road. I stopped at every stop sign. I experience feelings of wanting to get there ASAP, see the positive intention of it. I am a trader, I accept the feeling of giving up control, allow the things to happen and follow the system.

It’s a great meeting with tons of stuff. I get a lot out of it. I thank you for having me in the meeting and thank you for your continuous effort to help people in their personal growth.

Thanks,

Thank you for sharing your process and insights and for documenting the meeting.

In this meeting, I sense many people ready to go and decide to run an experimental variation of the Rocks Process.

I allow several rocks processes to proceed simultaneously in what you might call a popcorn process, in which one drama sets off another - or maybe you might call it a crabgrass process, in which subterranean tentacles extend throughout the room and support the appearance of inter-relating thickets.

Typically, I close one Rocks Process before starting another. In this meeting I keep the first process open while allowing a second one to start, and then a third one, and so forth, until most everyone in the room has a role in several dramas simultaneously.

Now this can get a bit confusing if I try to keep track of all the critical incidents playing out simultaneously.

If, rather, I focus on the underlying rocks and how they attract each other, I can see the various rocks interacting with each other in a kind of dance of magnets.

In any event, I sense I cannot possibly manage all these processes at once, so I just trust the process and let things go way out of control, and apply process reminders very sparingly.

In particular, we have:
- a Tribe member trying to set boundaries between family members in the family business,
- another trying to deal with his anger about a son who fails to put his shoes away,
- another trying to win recognition, a promotion and a staff at his place of employment,
- another wanting to lose weight and stay true to his religion,
- another wanting to re-establish trust in his marriage after infidelity,
- another wanting to re-establish a friendship, with a former best friend
- another wanting to lose weight, attract a relationship and get more money
- another dealing with fear of rejection (and)
- another trying to attract and maintain a supportive and loving relationship.

At the end, things calm down and some common themes emerge, including:
- the importance of intimacy-centric relating
- the importance of having clear agreements,
- the importance telling the truth (and)
- the importance of building trust.

All in all, the process seems lively and engaging for all and, seems to leave everyone with new insights, new ways of behaving and a desire to implement the new learnings.

Aug 11, 2016

Decline of USA

Ed,

Please see this article

As I read it, I shake my head, clench my lips and teeth.

My frustration grows as I think about people caring more about playing Pokemon Go and taking selfies than they do about the serious issues we face in America.

Happy early Birthday.

Thank you for sharing your process and for sending me the link.

I come to similar conclusions in my book, Govopoly in the 39th Day - particularly in the matters of growth of regulation and debt and the decline of productivity.

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