How Specific are Your Trading Goals?

December 11, 2009

Robert A. McDonald has a bold plan. As the new CEO of Procter & Gamble, he recently announced some big and challenging goals for the company.

Procter & Gamble is a 172-year-old company known in the U.S. mainly as the maker of Tide laundry detergent, Crest toothpaste, and Pampers disposable diapers.

McDonald's plan is to build on the company's growth of recent years and go for a dramatic expansion into global markets, especially into developing countries where Procter & Gamble's market share has been insignificant so far.

To accomplish that, Procter & Gamble needs to acquire roughly 548,000 new customers a day, seven days a week, for the next five years.

That's an ambitious goal, to say the least. But it's also a specific and well-defined goal, so it's provoking a burst of strategic thinking and some big action plans. And with transiting Jupiter rising toward the Midheaven of the Procter & Gamble May 5, 1905 incorporation horoscope and then moving toward and crossing the Ascendant during the five years ahead, there's a good chance that McDonald and his team will be able to reach the goal. But in any case, it will certainly be interesting to watch their efforts during the next five years.

But what about you?

What kind of goals do you have?

For that matter, are you actually setting any goals at all?

Goals are important both personally and professionally, and they are also a key part of being effective as a trader, whether or not you're using astrology in the markets.

First, what are your goals for your overall trading experience? Are you trading as a hobby, or to make a living? Are you full-time or part-time in your trading activity? Are you still working on mastering your trading skills, or are you already successful and just trying to maximize your trading income?

What are your trading goals for the next year? For the next month, or until the next Full Moon? For the next week? What are your profit objectives for the trade you're entering today?

In every case, it's crucial to be specific in formulating your goals. Pick an exact dollar amount and write it down.

If you're vague or general in your trading goals, or if you fail to write them down, your results will be vague, too. For example, "making a lot of money" doesn't connect with a specific amount, so if you want to reach that goal, you need to decide exactly how much "a lot" is.

By connecting specific monetary goals with specific time frames, you will immediately start to get big benefits. You'll be able to monitor your personal trading performance more precisely. You'll be able to evaluate your risk exposure more realistically. You'll be able to set stops more consciously.

You'll also become more confident in your trading, because your new-found clarity will help you set aside the emotional swings that inevitably lead to costly trading mistakes. And because you'll know exactly where you want to go and how soon you want to get there, you'll be better able to plan your market moves astrologically, and to profit personally from the astro-trading advantage.

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