A Matter of Trust (Part I)

We are born very much dependent on our parents for our survival and therefore we learn to trust totally in those who take care of us; but as we grow we must also learn to distrust those who may cause us harm. We must slowly unlearn blind trust and replace it with judgement; in this way we learn to trust in ourselves and how to choose others to trust.

Trust is an intimate feeling it demands total faith and it demands giving as well as receiving. Who we choose to trust and when depends on experience as well as intuition, and how well we are able to use those in conjunction is important because usually we only have split seconds to decide.

I was just thrown into such a situation while sailing last Friday when strong winds, in an area aptly named hurricane gulch, decided to whip up giving us a strong challenge to stay on course. I was at the helm, the captain on the sails and it took quick maneuvering, jibing and total trust in each other. He only knew that I have sailed before not that I could handle such a situation, and I had better evidence of his abilities as he grew up sailing, so immediate trust had to play an important role. We were never really in danger, but we had to coordinate jibing well enough together in order to stay that way.

Much is the same in some calls, when one is at the helm of one, trust has to be a player. The progress of a call can seem on course when something comes to create a whip, do you keep at the helm, maneuver or let the storm take over. The answer depends on the trust you have in your call, the experience you have trading a stock and intuition to keep you from loss. Today I made a short call on MA below 308 late afternoon, experience told me it would need to close a gap down and against the days evidence, I was expecting between 304-302 and said as much. Yet it kept being whipped about by the battle of the short and longs until finally the bulls gave in and let it drop my desired points almost hitting 302. It gives one satisfaction when the trust placed in ourselves proves itself rightly guided. Yet I won't deny that it gives me greater satisfaction when I'm trusted by others, but it's not without peril. (to be continued)