It’s that time again … Everyone wants predictions for 2021. They want to know what stocks I’m watching, what sector will be hot, or what patterns I think will be in play. That’s the wrong mindset, and mindset matters.
This year is different…
The future is difficult to estimate or predict. We can always look forward to the vaccine and the pandemic ending. We can hope everything will get back to normal…
But the reality is, that’s all probably already priced in to the market. The U.S. stock market bounced a ton off its lows and the dollar is falling.
Plus, in many ways, what I’m watching in 2021 are the same things I watched in 2020. And it will most likely be the same in 2022, 2023, and 2024. I’ve been doing this for 20+ years, and it’s the same patterns again and again.
So for 2021, I’m doing this a different way…
I want to create more millionaire students. For that to happen, everyone reading this — and as many students as possible — needs a mindset shift.
The cold, harsh reality is that most traders lose money. So it’s time for a little tough love.
I refuse to just go along with the crowd for clicks or because it’s popular.
Right now, every financial website, so-called guru, and pundit will do it … They’ll publish their list of hot sectors, stocks, and patterns to watch.
You’re gonna see headlines like this…
Table of Contents
5 Biotech Stocks to Watch in 2021
Or…
4 Hot OTC Stocks to Buy in 2021
Or…
10 Sizzlin’ Hot Penny Stocks for 2021
Or…
3 Stocks Under $2.50 To Buy on Robinhood in 2021
It all sounds fun, right?
Many newbies will get excited reading these headlines. Their greed glands will go into overdrive. They’ll froth at the mouth thinking they’re getting in on the ground floor of the next big thing.
Frankly, it’s all a bunch of BS.
People create lists like that to get clicks. The reality is, 99.9% of the guessing games will be wrong. Almost none of the predictions will come true. But watch out if someone guesses something right, because you’ll never hear the end of it.
All the more reason to stop paying attention to pundits. Not to mention the so-called teachers who refuse to share every trade.
So here’s #1 on my list of four things to change for 2021…
Stop Thinking Like Someone Who Usually Loses
How do you do that? Your mindset matters. So first, you have to recognize how losers think. What’s the loser mentality?
Losers…
- Think they don’t have to study hard.
- Follow alerts into trades.
- Think they don’t have to focus on the process.
- Don’t believe it’s necessary to learn the patterns.
- Focus on how much money they can make.
- Think the rules don’t apply to them. (I trade using these rules.)
- Listen to the promoters who say, “This one’s going to the moon.” And they…
- Believe in the companies.
It's GOOD to expect the absolute worst from every company & stock you trade as there's a 99.9% likelihood that the management will do something to screw it up, whether due to incompetence, drug usage or just flat out fraud. Stay cynical/try to help those who don't get it/be safe!
— Timothy Sykes (@timothysykes) December 8, 2020
There’s a simple fix…
How to Get the Millionaire Mindset
To stop thinking like a loser, you have to start thinking like someone who usually wins. Or at least someone who knows how to win and lose as a trader.
If you win more than you lose, and your average loss is smaller than your average win…
It’s statistically impossible NOT to grow your account.
Want to know how Jack Kellogg became my latest student to pass $1 million in trading profits?* He studied, worked at it, practiced, and made mistakes.
(*Jack’s results are not typical. Individual results will vary. Most traders lose money. My top students and I have the benefit of many years of hard work and dedication. Trading is inherently risky. Always do your due diligence and never risk more than you can afford to lose.)
Jack put every ounce of energy he had into becoming a better trader.
Read that last sentence again. Read it out loud three times.
Stop the Naive, Newbie BS
You can look yourself in the mirror right now and say, “That’s it! I’ve had enough. I’m gonna do whatever it takes to learn how to trade and grow my account. I’m gonna put every ounce of energy into becoming a better trader.”
Notice there’s nothing in your little talk with yourself about money. STOP THINKING ABOUT THE MONEY. Every time you focus on money instead of the process, you do yourself a big disservice.
YOU choose your future & it's directly based on your mindset/work ethic. I'll help speed up your learning curve given what I've learned the hard way over 20+ years, but I don't make the trades/do the studying for you, YOU must put in the nonstop effort/see the marathon through!
— Timothy Sykes (@timothysykes) December 9, 2020
Do Yourself a Solid
I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy. It’s not. You’re going to have to work harder at this than you’ve ever worked before. You have to do what you can today, this week, this month…
To set yourself up for one, two, or three years from now.
NEVER stop learning, NEVER stop obsessing & trying to improve your trading process. This is NOT an exact science & it's always hardest in the beginning as newbies are playing catch up in this game that has been played for decades before they even thought about becoming a trader!
— Timothy Sykes (@timothysykes) December 8, 2020
Jack Kellogg didn’t make much in his first two years of trading. It wasn’t until his third year, after studying his butt off and gaining experience that he started to see big results. But I want to make one thing very clear…
2020 was a special year for traders. Volatility was through the roof. I’m not trying to downplay Jack’s incredible success. Actually, it’s a perfect example of how trading is counterintuitive. Jack is finally getting out of the market what he put into learning to trade.*
By studying so hard and gaining valuable experience, Jack was ready for the crazy 2020 market. That’s how he went from roughly $160K in total profits at the end of 2019 to over $1.5 million*. And most of his trades are small wins or losses. But he sets himself up for potential big wins.
How does he do it?
Hear What Jack Kellogg Has to Say Before You Start Trading
Here’s the blog link I promised in the video: “How To Make $200,000 In One Day With Penny Stocks.” Read it. Bookmark it. Study it. It’s the pattern that keeps on giving.
Back to how Jack set himself up to capitalize on opportunities in 2020 … And more importantly, how can YOU do it?
3 Trading Tips for 2021
Again, you’re gonna see listicles everywhere in the coming days and weeks. My advice: be very wary of what you read. Anyone claiming to know the next hot stock or sector is full of BS. That’s why I’ll focus on tips you can actually use to change your life in any kind of market.
Just remember it’s up to you. I can give you ideas, share strategies, and show you how this game works. But I can’t do the work for you.
2021 Trading Tip #1: Grow Your Knowledge Account
Even if you’re not trading, you can at least grow your knowledge account. As I always say, you have two accounts: your profit account and your knowledge account. You have to grow your knowledge account first.
This is the time to study hard. Not a little. Not “I’m gonna take it easy today because the market is slow…”
STOP!
This is the time to get off your butt and study. Forget about Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. Forget about video games. They’ll still be there when you have time to waste again. Right now, you don’t.
The market is awesome if you'e prepared, or overwhelming/confusing if you're unprepared so you tell me which you prefer: studying your butt off daily to learn the best rules/patterns/setups or playing video games/watching Netflix & never putting in the time to truly hustle/grind!
— Timothy Sykes (@timothysykes) December 9, 2020
Study. Study hard.
You want to get rich from trading stocks? Earn it. There’s so much opportunity in the market right now. But you have to prepare. Most traders don’t. That’s why most traders lose money.
If you’re not trading yet, study harder. If you’re trading small, study harder and keep trading small. Just remember to follow rule #1 and cut losses quickly. If you’ve been trading for a while and you already know what works for you…
Study harder, track ALL your trades, and test new setups. Put every ounce of your available energy into becoming a better trader.
It’s not rocket science, and it won’t take forever. But you must put in the time and effort now to set yourself up for the future.
This is the time to learn and to trade. The market’s hot. Who knows how long it will last? This is the time to push it…
2021 Trading Tip #2: Push It in a Fast Market
This is a fast market, not a slow market. So now is the time to push it.
That doesn’t mean it’s time to throw risk management out the window. It also doesn’t mean you should trade big before you’re ready. Or take dumb trades because you can’t control your greed glands.
Right now there’s so much in play it’s crazy — weed stocks, electric vehicle stocks, and solar stocks…
The pandemic is still affecting the markets, too. We’re seeing vaccine stocks, mask stocks, hand sanitizer stocks…
There are just so many plays. Even when there’s a slow day, it’s like the market’s taking a collective breath to prepare for the next day of crazy.
From November 30 to December 2, I had three $20,000-plus days … in a row!* That’s never happened before. I’ve had big days and big trades in my career. But not day after day. I don’t bring up the numbers to brag. Frankly, it’s exhausting.
I bring up the numbers to drive home the point that this is a special time to be a trader. And if you’re not already trading or already profiting, that’s OK. Take advantage of this special market to STUDY.
2021 Trading Tip #3: Adjust Your Mindset
All that matters is that you have the right mindset. And almost nobody has the right mindset. Everybody’s asking, “What’s gonna be popular in 2021?”
Screw that!
Adjust your mindset to focus on the process. Whether you’re trading or studying, focus on the process. I can’t help you if you think this is a get-rich-quick scheme. And I can’t help if you just want hot picks or to follow alerts. Or any of that other newbie BS.
I want to be the mentor to you that I never had. But you must be willing to show up every day and work at it. You must be willing to lose. (We all take losses.) But they don’t have to be big losses. In fact, they shouldn’t be big losses.
So shift your mindset. Mindset matters MORE than anything else.
Be willing to trade small. Another top student, Kyle Williams, figured it out when he was first starting. He traded so small that the losses wouldn’t matter. Sometimes he only traded 100 shares. His only focus was on learning to trade and to become a better trader.
My question for you in 2021 is…
How Bad Do You Want It?
Get ready for the next three posts in this series. Again, this year I refuse to play the “Let’s get clicks!” game. I want YOU to be successful.
Your Trading Education Resources
I’ll keep this brief. Traders ask me all the time: “How do I do it? Where should I start?”
A lot depends on you. What’s your level of commitment, and how much time are you willing to invest?
FREE Penny Stock Guide
If you’re brand new and want to learn more about penny stocks start here.
30-Day Bootcamp
If you want all the basics in one place, start with the 30-Day Bootcamp. I recorded the Bootcamp with top student Matthew Monaco in 2020. (Matt’s now over $500,000 in total trading profits during his trading career .*)
Monthly Plans on Profit.ly
If you want monthly plans, including Pennystocking Silver and TimAlerts, go here.
Trading Challenge
And if you’re ready to take a deep dive like all the top students I named in this post did, apply for my Trading Challenge here.
Tools for Traders, By Traders
Do yourself a favor and use StocksToTrade. Add StocksToTrade Breaking News Chat to your subscription. The new Breaking News Chat add-on feature was a game-changer for me in 2020.
(Disclosure: I helped develop StocksToTrade and I’m a major investor.)
Next in This Series…
It’s one of the most dangerous things you could ever do as a trader. The good news is, your brain is hard-wired specifically to avoid it.
Look out for “4 Things to Watch in 2021 — Part 2.” Coming soon.
What do you think of 4 Things to Watch in 2021 — Part 1: Mindset Matters? If you get it, comment below with ‘mindset matters in 2021.’ Comment either way, I love to hear from all my readers!
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