Vision boards have never worked for me.

I'm not saying that they don't work at all…they certainly work for some people.

It's all about finding what works best with your unique personality…just like with trading strategies.

But if you've tried making vision boards in the past and they didn't work for you, then I'll show you what works for me.

This is a fun form of goal setting and can help you improve your trading and your life. 

Why Vision Boards Don't Work For Me

I thought about this for awhile and I realized that vision boards don't work for me because they are one-dimensional. They don't engage enough of my senses for me to get really excited.

I found that after about of week of posting a vision board, it would fade into the background.

Even when I consciously spent time looking at it, I didn't have the same level of emotion that I had when I first posted the images.

So every vision board that I created eventually got thrown out.

Why Mind Movies are More Effective

Mind Movies are more effective because they engage more of my senses.

They can include:

• Music
• Dynamic pictures
• Videos
• Moving Text

This leads to a more emotional response to the movie and gets me excited about achieving the goals.

3 Examples of How They Worked For Me

Now that sounds great in theory.

But it's all about tangible results.

So let's take a look at a few recent concrete examples of how they worked for me.

Finding a Profitable Trading Strategy

Like most traders, I've learned many, many trading strategies over the years.

You probably have too.

I was looking to add another strategy to my portfolio of strategies and I wanted it to be a trend following strategy. So I put that into my movie.

At that point, I was already testing other trend trading strategies, but they weren't profitable in backtesting.

However, within a month, I was drawn to a trend trading strategy that tested very well and is currently in Beta Testing.

Overcoming My Mental Roadblocks

I've done a lot of work on my psychology over the years, but there were still some stubborn bugs that I just couldn't shake. I talk about them in detail here.

So at the beginning of this year, I put in my movie that I wanted to heal the traumas that are holding me back in life.

As of last month, I have resolved the issues that I wanted to resolve and I feel like a brand new person. 

Of course, there's always room for improvement. But this year has been a landmark year for me and I feel that it's because I focused on the specific ways that I wanted to change.

Manifesting an iPhone XR

I recently noticed that my phone was getting slow. So put in my mind movie that I enjoy using my new iPhone XR.

But I wanted it to come as a result of income that I wasn't expecting.

Within a month of creating the Mind Movie, one of my partners paid me with an amount that paid for the new phone, with a couple hundred bucks to spare.

This partner doesn't pay me regularly, only when I refer sales.

So that was a nice surprise.

Here's the phone…

More Proof That It Works

But I'm not the only one that this works for. Here are a few more examples of how Mind Movies have worked for others.

From Cancer Survivor to Triathlete

She was told that she would never be able to be an athlete again. But she is now training for a sprint triathlon.

Achieved “Out There” Goals

This guy got results with a stock photo.

Manifesting a $2 Bill

If you don't believe that this stuff works, start small. This woman started by wanting to manifest a $2 bill.

Here's what happened…

How to Make a Movie

You simply login to the Mind Movies website and start creating movies.

They have a ton of stock images, movies, affirmations and music that you can use. You can also upload your own or search for YouTube videos to use.

The interface is easy to use and you just drag and drop the elements that you want to add to your movies. You can add text and transitions to each scene and the software will automatically make static pictures more dynamic.

If there's a downside, the interface feels a little clunky and looks dated. But once you get the hang of it, the software works well.

When you are done, you send it to processing. That will create the movie and you can download it when it's finished.

They also give you the option to upload it to YouTube, so you can share it with others.

The best part is that you get this software for a one-time payment. No monthly fees.

Conclusion

Are Mind Movies and vision boards magic?

It can certainly feel like it.

I believe that you do attract what you focus your mind on.

But Mind Movies are also very practical…

They help you do a combination of things:

1. Set concrete goals that you can work on achieving
2. Keep you aware of opportunities in your environment
3. Get you excited to take action on your dreams

Setting goals is essential for success.

But you can't just set a goal and forget about it. You have to review your goals on a regular basis and Mind Movies are a fun and energizing way to do it.

Learn more about Mind Movies here.

Disclaimer: Some links on this page are affiliate links. We do make a commission if you purchase through these links, but it does not cost you anything extra and we only promote products and services that we wholeheartedly believe in. TradingHeroes.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The post Throw Away Your Vision Board and Use This Instead appeared first on Trading Heroes.

Looking for the best nootropics for traders? I was too, so hopefully this post will point you in the right direction.

If you saw the movie Limitless, you probably did a little Googling for a “Limitless pill” right after the movie was over.

I'll admit it…I did too.

Even a little cognitive boost would be great…right?

This is what led me to experimenting with “smart drugs” or nootropics. I started testing them out back in 2011 and have continued to try different things over the years.

I finally have enough information to share and I'll give you my complete results in this post. These aren't all of the products that I tried, but the others aren't worth mentioning because they didn't have any effect or aren't widely available.

Before I get into the reviews, remember that I'm not a doctor, so consult a medical doctor before trying nootropics. These substances could have a negative effect on your body. This is not a recommendation to use nootropics, I'm simply sharing my experiences.

Also, everyone's body chemistry is different. What works for me, may not work for you.

So you probably have to do a little experimenting. But if you are interested in supplementing your diet to increase your mental capacity, I hope that this nootropic review gets you started on the right path.

Alright, let's get into it…

Neuro-Peak

Let's start at the bottom. To be frank, Neuro-Peak was pretty rough on me.

I tried it because it's a best seller on Amazon and it has a ton of great reviews.

The recommended serving size is one capsule per day. When I took one capsule, I didn't feel anything.

I did this for about a week.

So I tried taking two per day. That gave me a headache.

Then I downshifted back to one per day.

Still nothing.

Once the bottle was finished, I decided to move on.

I did feel an effect, but it' wasn't positive.

Piracetam

I bought a big bag of this stuff on Amazon (back when they still had it available for sale). So in all fairness, maybe it wasn't the highest quality product out there.

That said, I wanted to give piracetam a try because it's probably the most-used, over-the-counter “smart drug” out there.

Many people swear by the benefits of the family of similar substances called the racetams, of which piracetam is the most well-known member.

I experimented with different dosages over a period of two months. People also recommend pairing it with choline, so I tried that too.

The end result was that I felt slightly more alert when using piracetam. But it wasn't enough of a benefit to continue taking it.

Adding choline gave me a headache at times and higher doses of piracetam alone also gave me headaches.

I rarely get headaches. So whenever something gives me a headache, I get a little freaked out and reduce the dose immediately.

You can read about some of the downsides of piracetam here. The most common negative effect seems to be brain fog, which goes away when people stop taking it.

I suspect that quite a few of these people are in the “more is better” camp, so they probably took too high of a dose.

Anyway, the bottom line is that piracetam didn't work for me.

Alpha Brain

This is another cognitive enhancer that came highly recommended, so I decided to give it a try. I took Alpha Brain for 60 days, but it didn't improve my focus or concentration.

However, there was an interesting side-effect… 

My dreams during this time were very vivid. I also slept very deeply while I was taking Alpha Brain. 

The label mentions that lucid dreaming is commonly experienced by customers, so I was not surprised.

Although Alpha Brain did not help with my focus, I believe that it can be very useful when doing dream analysis to help improve your trading.

My friend Walter Peters talks about dream analysis here. With his help, I have used this method to uncover some hidden roadblocks that were hindering my trading. Denise Shull also talks about dream analysis in her book Market Mind Games.

So while Alpha Brain didn't work for my intended purpose, I believe that it can be very useful for dream analysis. If you are doing dream analysis and are having a hard time having dreams on a regular basis, this product might help.

Neuro1

I heard about this product while reading Laird Hamilton's book, Force of Nature. He mentioned that he has a glass of this stuff daily.

So if it helps him do things like this, then I'm all ears.

This is a powder that you mix in water. After my first sip, I really wanted Neuro1 to work for me.

Why?

Because it tastes really freaking good. If you are going to test this one out, I suggest going with the watermelon flavor.

It's delicious.

That aside, I did feel a little more focused than usual. 

I used Neuro1 for a month and I felt like it does help with long-term brain health and daily focus. But it didn't have enough of an effect on me, for me to keep taking it.

If this was the first product that I tried, then I might have stuck with it.

But I already had something better…

CILTEP

The bottom line is that CILTEP is one of the best nootropics that I have used…by far.

If there is a downside to CILTEP, it's that I can get a little too focused. I'll find myself powering through my work without getting up.

By the time I know it, the work day is over. That's fantastic, but it can also make you really tired.

So I don't take CILTEP every day.

I find that two pills, every other day, is the perfect dose for me.

If I feel that I've been pushing too hard, I'll take just one pill. That means the bottle lasts about 2 months, which also makes it a great value.

It also helps with my meditation.

I take it first thing in the morning with a cup of water, before my meditation. The combination of CILTEP and the meditation session gives me an insane level of clarity during the day.

Of course, this isn't always the case. There are certain days that I won't feel 100%, for various reasons.

But on the whole, this is the best nootropic supplement that I have used.

It's all natural, and is even vegan friendly and soy free.

Get more information here.

Update: Aniracetam

I've found something that works even better for me than CILTEP, so I've switched.

Aniracetam is in the same family as piracetam, but slightly different. Apparently it's enough of a difference to work for me.

I consider it the best nootropic for me. When I take 1 capsule a day, I feel a noticeable brain boost.

This means that I'm able to concentrate for extended periods of time and I find it easier to organize my thoughts.

It's also more reliable than CILTEP, at least in my case. I feel a cognitive boost almost every time I take it.

Occasionally CILTEP won't have much of an effect on me, depending on what I ate, how much I slept the night before and other factors.

This will be the case with any supplement you take. The key is to take it consistently, so you get the benefits over time.

That said, I find aniracetam more reliable.

You can get this nootropic from different sources, so make sure that you get it from a reliable source and they aren't “cutting” it with something else.

Get more information on what I use here.

Final Thoughts on the Best Nootropics for Traders

Let's get real…

These products are not a replacement for a healthy diet, exercise, regular meditation and a good night's rest. In fact, I would argue that a regular meditation practice is all you really need to get into the right mindspace for trading.

However, if you have ADD tendencies like I do, then these cognitive enhancers can be a good way to help you sit still long enough to actually get something done.

They won't make you an instant trading genius like Bradley Cooper's character in Limitless.

But the cumulative effect of being able to focus on a regular basis, can certainly help you figure out solutions to your issues and reach your trading goals.

Based on my experience, if you are interested in getting started with the best nootropics, Neuro1, aniracetam and CILTEP would be a great place to start.

The best nootropics for you may be different because we are all built differently. 

However, before you try anything, be sure to do a lot of research and be aware of the most commonly reported downsides.

Manufacturers of these products can hide their complete ingredients list behind the blanket “proprietary blend” listing. So be sure that you are reasonably sure that a company is using safe, high-quality ingredients.

What have you tried and how well did it work? Leave a comment below and share your experience…

Disclaimer: Some links on this page are affiliate links. We do make a commission if you purchase through these links, but it does not cost you anything extra and we only promote products and services that we wholeheartedly believe in. TradingHeroes.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The post Best Nootropics For Trading: Here’s What Happened When I Tried These Five appeared first on Trading Heroes.

Today I'm going to show you an experiment that I'm currently doing with binaural beats meditation.

If you have been thinking about experimenting with binaural beats, this post will give you ideas on things to try and some reasons why you might want to try it.

I'll even include a free video that you can use for your meditation.

Here we go…

What are Binaural Beats?

In theory, binaural beats have the potential to retrain our brainwaves and put us in a state that is conducive to heightened concentration, lower anxiety and faster learning.

It basically works by feeding two different sound frequencies into each ear. The difference between the two frequencies is perceived as one frequency by the brain.

For example, if this woman was listening to a frequency of 530 Hz in her right ear and 520 Hz in her left, her brain would hear a frequency of 10 Hz, or the difference between the two.

Yeah, that's the simple version, but why make it complicated? I prefer to keep things simple. If you really want to geek out on the topic, read this.

Otherwise, that's all you need to know. Let's move on…

Does it Actually Work?

Alright, so your first question is probably going to be: does this stuff really work, or is it just a lot of hype? That really depends on who you ask and the results you want.

But there is evidence that it does work. There is also evidence that it doesn't work.

Studies Showing it Works

For example, this paper published in Anaesthesia in 2005, shows that listening to binaural beats before an operation lowered the number of patients with acute anxiety by about 50%. The report specifically says:

“Binaural beat audio has the potential to decrease acute pre-operative anxiety significantly.”

This article cites several different studies, showing that certain sustained brainwave frequencies have been shown to improve learning, creativity and more. It is published by a company that provides binaural beats recordings, so it has to be taken with a grain of salt, but there does seem to be a lot of evidence out there.

Studies Showing it Doesn't Work

On the other side of the coin, there are plenty of articles saying that it doesn't work. Just like trading systems, there will always going to be fanatics on both sides of the fence.

This podcast episode takes the negative side of the argument. They conclude that binaural beats are nothing more than calming music to listen to.

So…Does it Work or Not?

Whenever there is evidence for both sides, I find it best to just throw everything out and try it for myself. I suggest you do the same.

Nothing is going to work for all people, all the time. So give it an honest shot and find out for yourself.

Here is how you can get started…

The Binaural Beats Meditation Video

Here is a YouTube video can you can watch. It gives you both audio and video messages to help you reprogram your wealth awareness.

Yes, the reason that this video is free, is because there are a ton of popups in it. You can just ignore them and continue to use it for free.

…or you can purchase the paid version and not have to deal with the popups. Either way, you can give it a try and see how it works for you.

They have several different videos, so if you don't like this one, there may be another one that you like better. I personally bought the A Life of Luxury And Travel recording.

Conclusion

Just like in trading, there is no one-size-fits all. This may work for you and it may not.

Also, as I mentioned in the beginning, this is just a small part of the puzzle. You have to retrain your thinking and break previous thought patterns that do not suit you. You have to push past previous limitations.

But that is a topic for another post…

Another binaural beats program that I hear a lot about is Holosync and that is something that I might try in the future.

People report good results when using those recordings.

You can also get my trading meditation here.

Best of luck and I hope this helps! I'll let you know how it goes.

The post An Experiment in Binaural Beats Meditation for Trading appeared first on Trading Heroes.