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Monday, February 28, 2011 He Has a Track Record Ed, I wonder if you are looking for places to invest. I have a 3 year track record trading forex I am happy to show you. |
You might consider sending me a computer back-test of all the
signals your system for January and February of this year. You might also consider referencing this theoretical back-test to your actual brokerage statements to show 100% compliance in following your system. |
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Monday, February 28, 2011 Intention = Result See previous: FAQ, 2/27/11 Hi Ed, One of the cool ideas I have learned from Dr. Forrester's "Urban Dynamics" is how a symptom doesn't appear at all until it is too late under positive feedback growth. For example, if a land can support maximum of 1000 people (and symptoms of stress show up when population exceeds 600), and let's say we start with just 10 and the population doubles every 100 years, then for 500+ years there is really no problem whatsoever. But by the time we can observe the symptoms, we only have 100 year left before Armageddon. The math is straightforward and the result not surprising, but I still find it shocking when I think about it. Ed says, "An intention is a way to describe structure in terms of an associating notion about a result. Since we cannot fully know the entire structure from a local node, we can only guess our intention until we see the result." I also feel shocking when I think of your statement. It suggests that we cannot fully know the intention until we see the result. Indeed, when someone says "I intend to show up on time", he can "populate his structure with a car that works, awareness of traffic patterns, an alarm clock" and etc., but it can also be that his structure is to make a promise and fail to deliver, and likely that intention entrains a sudden snow storm, a plane delay, a traffic accident out of nowhere, or a lost wallet drama. We certainly cannot fully know until we see the result whether he actually shows up on time. When I put the two shocking thoughts above together, I get some shocking conclusion: even with the result we observe, we can't really know, can we? We see from Dr. Forrester's example that the "result" one observes for 500+ years can change all of a sudden, and by the time we are aware of the real result, it may be too late already. The clients of Bernie Madoff who has been enjoying years and years of consistent profits comes to mind. What we say about their Intention is a lot different in 2005 than in 2010, even though they have been following the exact same process all along. |
Thank you for sharing your insights. | ||||||
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Monday, February 28, 2011 Inter-Tribe Communication Dear[Name], I owe you an apology. I am embarrassed that I did not acknowledge your excellent progress until now. It feels mechanical to say “I support you” but the truth is, I do support you. Like you, I was teased about my name as a child. I was teased about both my first and last name. I really felt trapped. The nickname given me was to truncate my first name... into the nickname. Growing up, it never occurred to me to use my middle name, as my dad used the name (I am a junior). The last name ... is left to the juvenile imagination as to how many ways that one can be made fun of, and my juvenile friends were as expert as any. I’m glad you stick with your system, and trade profitably. When I came to Ed’s workshop I was in a state of shock, emotionally devastated by market losses in 2008 Bear. I was not, in fact, financially devastated, but I was wounded and so were virtually all of my clients. I suffered a major guilt complex thinking how I should’ve been quicker to move off stocks. Mutual funds I had trusted left me covered in mud as far as clients were concerned. I took on a large cash position in my own accounts (maybe 50%) and what shred of courage I had left I kept in equity markets. Ed’s workshop, and a close study of his book and related materials, transformed me, and I continue to evolve. Like you, my personal relationships have improved, and my business is on a positive track too. I am trading again, using a blend of trend following and fundamental research. My trading is profitable too. I’ve been studying NLP, and reading works of Gregory Bateson, British Anthropologist. I also read Richard Bandler and John Grinder The Structure of Magic I. These readings have given much support to what Ed and Charles are teaching in workshops. Your Rocks Process was a great help to me then, and now. I plan to return to another get together with Ed. I want to attend the Breathwork. You mention a nagging feeling of unrest, a frustration, while nevertheless noticing real progress. If you are in a Tribe, this seems a possible place to work on this, but I’m not convinced frustration is bad. We’ve learned these feeling have positive intentions. Having a trading edge by definition may involve some cutting, some unrest? A Batemen like response to your expression of unrest might be “Unrest about what?” and “Frustration about what?” What I learn is that research (Chomsky, Bateman, et al) determines linguistic models are each individual’s model of the world. The model, like a map, may or may not be complete, accurate, helpful. Three processes are identified by Bateman he says impoverish our models: Generalization, Deletion and Distortion. An impoverished model is a model that lacks the richness and variety of choice of a more complete model. If you want to learn more, you might consider reading Bateson’s Steps to an Ecology of Mind, Bandler’s Structure of Magic and related readings. When I was in the workshop with you and the others someone said knowingly “you have a system.” I did and do have a system, though I was barely aware of much of it then. Cybernetics and System Dynamics applied to analytics of mind is what these books [above] are about. I think the learning is transformational and may unlock even greater personal growth for you. This has been my experience and the price is a few bucks for the books and some hours of study and application. I could get frustrated because I registered a trading tribe and nobody comes. Then again, I have not taken steps beyond mere registration, so what is my expectancy?! Remember when Ed nailed me when I said I wanted a trading system with a certain expectancy? I came expecting to be challenged, and Ed delivered! Stick with the trends, my friend. It sounds like your trend is very positive and I continue to support you in reaching your workshop goals. All the best in your trading and strong personal growth. |
OK. | ||||||
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Monday, February 28, 2011 Static Portfolio and Curve Fitting Dear Ed, Is trend trading a static futures portfolio based on back testing akin to curve fitting? From a back-testing perspective, testing a static portfolio is relatively easier. However, I get the feeling that good results could have been on account of a well chosen example. However, attempting to construct rules for dynamic portfolio selection increases the complexity of the back testing process and increases the degrees of freedom. Would that make the dynamic portfolio selection less robust? In your opinion, does a viable system that trades a portfolio of 20 preselected futures inferior performance wise to the same system that trades say 60 futures (with same allocation to different sectors like Energy, metals, grains etc.). Thanks |
Epistemologists like to debate the relative merits of a priori
and a posteriori knowledge. If you really want to be an a posteriori purist, your back-test might also have to include some function make you aware, say ten or twenty years ago, of trading and to imbue you with desire and means with which to trade. A lot of these way cool epistemological paradoxes arise from trying to apply causal and past-future thinking into a system-now world. If you add in a propensity toward trying to be perfect, say, to please your parents, you can wind up retreating into endless math-turbation. If your intention includes actual trading, you might consider committing to a pretty good system and getting on with it. You might consider taking your feelings about <commitment> and <being perfect> to Tribe.
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Thursday, February 24, 2011 Grain Marketing Seminar Ed, I found my holy grail!!! He gets signals from macd. |
You might consider back-testing MACD. | ||||||
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Sunday, February 27, 2011 Banks Rule Ed, Why don't we simply be honest about it?. We have "A Government By For The Big Banks"? See this article. |
FAQ does not answer "why" questions. You might consider taking your feelings about <government / banking connections> to Tribe. |
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Sunday, February 27, 2011 Auckland Tribe Hi Ed, Now that I have my round Tuit, I have no more excuses, I have to get around to it. I attach my application to start a trading tribe. This document will help me link up with like minded souls in order to form a tribe here in Auckland. I am nervous of what this might entail. I fear the commitment. I realize usually I avoid commitment like the plague. I fear I am making and ass out of myself, I feel that I don't know how to run a tribe. I know that when the time comes I will deal with each of these problems in the now as they arise. I am confident I will work it out, hopefully there are other tribe members out there who will support me and I in turn can support them. We will see who turns up and what we can achieve. Thank you for your support. Kind Regards |
 Welcome Auckland ! |
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Sunday, February 27, 2011 Hot and Not Ed, I thank you for clarifying more about intention=results. I gain more clarity on how the system model works and how to use it in my life. Another huge idea was that in the system model there is no blame or guilt. I believe this is perfect for trading. We all know people that do not accept being wrong in life and there are many traders that hold on to trades that are losing money. They seem to have an issue of not wanting to be ‘wrong’. But the system model cannot be ‘wrong’, it just is. If you follow your systematic model in trading and the market is going the other way and you are losing money, you are not wrong or right, you simply get out of the trade and move on. There is no good or bad in the systems model. A tribe member is struggling with a business arrangement and needs to change things. He is concerned over how to do this without causing harm later down the road with this person. He has a goal of making decisive decisions and not backing down. Ed does a great job of showing everyone how to make a decisive decision. When you are clear on what you want it is easy to follow the path but until we are clear, it can be rough going. If people learn to make decisive good decisions from the beginning, they will not be in the position of getting out of a bad business arrangement. I am frustrated because I want to work on a hot seat but I am never feeling ‘hot’. This doesn’t mean I don’t want to improve or change things. I likely need to gain more clarity as to what I want and then becoming ‘hot’ will be the easy part |
Thank you for sharing your process. Jerry Reed pretty much sums it up in his tune, "When You're Hot, You're hot - When You're Not, You're Not." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RKIQuiXVrQ&feature=related |
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Sunday, February 27, 2011 Ed, Ed says, "You might consider taking your feelings about <taking words out of context and playing gotcha> to Tribe." Yes, you are absolutely correct, and I admit I do have the feeling of "playing gotcha". I feel somewhat silly on my part and for that I apologize. However, I do not think I am taking words out of context. As I am reading Professor Forrester's "Principles of System", just in chapter 1, I see quite a lot of examples of words or style of words (e.g. non SVO-p) that is common in the Causality/Time model. Just a couple of examples here (I capitalize certain key words): "The level depends on the accumulation PRODUCED BY the PAST flow of water but the level is not DETERMINED BY how fast water is BEING ADDED at the present instant ... Information is not DETERMINED BY the PRESENT true condition, but instead by the PAST conditions that HAVE BEEN OBSERVED, TRANSMITTED, ANALYZED and DIGESTED" (non SVO-p and an emphasis on past/present) "In an open system, PAST action does not CONTROL FUTURE action." (emphasis on control and past/future) I am not implying any right / wrong judgment here. I am merely reflecting my surprise as I am reading a book on system dynamics whose author is arguably the founding father, and yet just in one chapter I feels quite awkward because of an unusually high usage of passive tense and emphasis on past/present/future, certainly very much different from your SVO-p style that I am accustomed to even when you are discussing the subject. My a priori assumption is that Systems people would tend to see things in the systemic model, and that their language, like yours, would tend not to empathize on causality and time. In any case, I may be overly sensitive to the author and even misinterpret him. Regardless, I do find the information useful and helpful to my understanding, and I guess that is what really matters. Ed says, "Ultimately, meaning and purpose derive from the intimacy-centric and system models." Thank you, this really strikes a chord in me. |
The Forrester paragraph, in SVO-p: "The water level equals the accumulation of water flowing into the bucket; it does not equal the current rate of flow. Similarly, perception is an accumulation of information, it does not equal the current information." You might consider that Forrester and his team help design equipment for the military and for the government, not for Buddhist Monks or for folks engaging a spiritual quest - so his choice of language might be appropriate to his primary audience. I recall Forrester having trouble formulating a System Dynamic formulation for the electrical component, the inductor. I propose what I consider to be obvious; namely, Current = ∫ (potential / inductance) * dt. I recall his surprise at this notion. After the AHA, it is obvious, since, for the Capacitor, Voltage = ∫ (current) * dt / Capacitance. I wonder how he misses this formulation. I figure it might have something to do with his not keeping his thinking in the now. I also recall biting my tongue and cooling my jets at this point to avoid further inflaming the wrath of the master. A system dynamics model of an RLC circuit allows you to see how the components interact in real time to generate the solution - so you can get a gut feel for how the circuit works. Also, you can easily include saturation effects and other non-linear ties - that are intractable obstacles to deriving a frequency domain solution using the conventional calculus.
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Sunday, February 27, 2011 Connects With His Son Ed, Ed says, "You might consider taking your feelings about <asking a lot of questions as way to avoid intimacy> to Tribe." As I've told you I would, I did go into the Tribe meeting with that thought in mind, to see what the heck you are talking about. I give you the benefit of doubt and I am curious to see if there's anything to it. Admittedly, I was a bit judgmental and skeptical, but I genuinely want to give it a shot. The meeting didn't go as I thought. We didn't drum nor check-in like we always do, nor there is a formal "hot seat" session, even though I am pretty much on a "hot seat" throughout the night. Somehow, it just "begins" with a casual question from one of the member, "How are you doing with your in-laws?" From there we just go with the flow for hours and I get many AHA's. I am now aware how I might be avoiding intimacy, as I unknowingly withhold my affection from my son as a way to compensate for what I deem as "getting too much attention" from my in-laws. Once I am aware, I see the folly of it. I am also aware that my fervent desire to do "the right thing" or "do it the proper way" may actually interfere with intimacy. It reminds me of Wayne Dyer who says, "Any time there is a choice between being right and being kind, always choose the latter." These are things I wouldn't have realized without the help of the Tribe, and the amazing thing is, I haven't even told them one bit about the "avoiding intimacy" that you mention at all until the end when we check out! From the meeting, I made a couple of commitments. I remember the particular feeling that pops up during the meeting that prompts me to shedding tears. I just feel a rush of emotion that I feeling a strong desire to do it for my son, like a soldier willing and ready to die for his country if necessary, or a mother willing and ready to die for her child if danger strikes. I just feel the strong willingness and tears just roll down my cheeks. It feels good. I commit to share feelings with my son, beginning with the moment I walk into the room. Even though very often I don't feel "in the mood of talking" when I get home, I commit to spend a moment to dig deep and experience my appreciation for my son right before I walk in the house, and then to share with him my affection for him. I even find myself consciously greeting the receptionist at my office the next day with a more enthusiastic "Good morning ... !" than a lifeless and hollow "good morning" out of obligation. I also commit to step out of my comfort zone and go down to my in-laws to pick him up on Saturday. I start doing both (and even volunteer to do it this Sunday as well), and they are not as scary as I thought. I am thankful to how you comment helps me to a breakthrough, and also how the Tribe helps me to stay with the Intimacy Model. Parenthood seems to strike a chord with the members as they passionate reflect back to me, and it feels good to align with the Intimacy Model. I feel amazed at how you seem to have an uncanny ability to read between the lines and get to make the "proper" remark that prompts me to action. I am guessing you'd just say it's a lucky guess, but to have your kind of track record I believe it has to be a combination of skill and luck. I think it's a really cool skill and it's something I'd like to learn. I wonder what it takes and if it is something you can teach. I guess that's what draws me to write to FAQ. There are times I feel nervous (what you'd reply), there are times I feel you are way off the mark, but more often than not I feel I have learned something from the exchange. For that, I thank you and I appreciate. |
Thank you for sharing your process.
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Sunday, February 27, 2011 Bliss Ed, Bliss .... AHA! < smile > Thank You Ed. |
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Sunday, February 27, 2011 Intention = Result Hi Ed, Thank you and thank to your tribe member for providing an excellent example of Intention=Result in the 2/23/11 FAQ (Control and Intimacy, Intentions and Results, Being Late and Being in the Now). It is a vivid example and I feel that it is a great learning experience for me too. I appreciate your explanation on Intention=Result. As I mention in my FAQ entry last year (1/13/10, "Intentions and Results"), I too have gone through different stages before getting a better understanding of what you meant by Intention=Result. Several thoughts come to mind too: 1. I see countless of examples on the FAQ over the years, that the contributors are confusing "Intention=Result" with "Intention->Result". I wonder if it is a sign of the immense power of the Causality Model (in the sense that it has deep roots in many of us and has tremendous influence over the majority of us), or perhaps too, if it is also your intention to confuse us with ambiguous choice of words? Of course, they are not mutually exclusive nor conclusive. 2. I wonder if "I intend to break the agreement to show up by 5pm" is clearer than "I intend to be late"? As the contributor shows, the word "late" is ambiguous. From the dictionary, "late" implies that there is a proper time for him to show up (e.g. before 5pm), and so it would seem like a word generally associated with the Control Model that we see a lot in the legal system. Putting such a word in the Intention Model may be confusing. After all, whenever the person shows up, he shows up in the now, and he shows up at precisely the moment he intends to show up, no? 3. Take it a step further, I wonder even if we can properly use the word "intend" (as a verb) in SVO-p form for the Intention Model. Any time we use "intend" as a declaration (I intend to X), it is really the Causality Model, as we really mean "Consciously, I plan to X." If as you say, the intention is "the structure that connects system elements in a way that guides system behavior", then it is even more obvious that no one can really "intend" in an active/declaring sense. When someone says, "I intend to show up on time", this statement is incoherent with the Intention Model, for he is not the structure nor can he be/create the structure. He is just a piece of the element of the whole system (albeit an important piece here in determining whether to show up on time). Heck, who knows, the underlying structure could even be for him to keep declaring a commitment so that he can break it? Since we really can't tell the intention at the moment of declaring the statement other than the person has the intention to "make a declaration", it just seems inappropriate to use the word "intend" (as a verb) in SVO-p form as a declaration for the Intention Model. 4. Put in another way, when someone says "I intend ..." it is conscious, but his Intention (or underlying structure) is sub-conscious, and we can only observe what his Intention is from the Results. Mixing both in the same statement creates confusion. 5. I wonder if you share with the "late person" how you feel about someone being late / breaking an agreement. How does he feel about it and how do you receive his feelings? Once again, thank you very much for sharing. |
Thank you for sharing your thinking on Intentions = Results.
1. If you feel confusion, that is, axiomatically, your intention, and mine, too. 2. He shows up when he shows up. Lateness has to do with the relationship between the arrival time and the agreement time. 3. Propriety follows from the agreement. In the TTP sense, the verb, to intend, does not mean "to wish" or "or to promise." To intend means "to arrange the structure in such a way to favor producing a result." If you "intend" to show up on time, you populate your structure with a car that works, awareness of traffic patterns, an alarm clock, incentives, etc. People with powerful intentions tend to operate structures that get results in line with their wishes. 4. An intention is a way to describe structure in terms of an associating notion about a result. Since we cannot fully know the entire structure from a local node, we can only guess our intention until we see the result. With practice, we can come to assess and create intentions with more efficacy. 5. His feelings, during the process, initially appear to be annoyance and embarrassment. Later, he appears peaceful. |
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Saturday, February 26, 2011 How Breathwork Works Ed, Here is how Breathwork works for me. The process of Breathwork is to lie down and breath as rapidly and as fully as one can. The participant keeps this deep breathing going at a steady pace for a sustained period of time. At the same time music is played to keep the tempo of breathing going and to set the mood of the room. People doing the breathing each have a sitter whose task is to watch over the breather to keep them safe and encourage the breather to keep going. This full and deep breathing shuts down the conscious mind letting the subconscious mind express its self. The rapid breathing expels carbon out of the body and puts the body in a mild alkaline state. Psychological resistances and defenses use the mechanism of restricting the breathing so this deep breathing helps break those defenses down. Results of these sessions vary from one person to another. Some report visions of light, past life experiences, oneness with god or the universe and many other things. Some experience physical tensions in various different parts of the body. In my only Breathwork session I first experienced itching moving from one part of my body to another, then tingling in my hands and legs and finally a huge cramp in my abdomen that doubled my over so hard I rolled over on my side in the fetal position. After the cramp subsided I felt sore but very relaxed and at peace. In my minds eye through the last half of the session with my eyes closed there was light gray such as one would see looking at the sky on a winter day. I felt connected and at peace. |
Thank you for sharing your experience. | ||||||
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Saturday, February 26, 2011 WW II - Animation Ed, This sums it up very nicely. |
Thank you for the animation. | ||||||
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Saturday, February 26, 2011 Tribe Update - Snarling Dear Ed: My biggest single take way was that I need a build a structure that enables me to not trade when my rules say I should not be trading. I've had this on my mind in a vague fashion and I will make this concrete and real prior to the next meeting. Thank you for having Michael Marcus at our meeting - I got a lot out of it. The hotseat process touched on a lot of areas for me and I will need to deepen my exploration and request feedback from the group in future meetings. I've come to realize that my language and body language might result in others being snarled. For the first time I realized I was snarling my wife. I am thankful to be a part of the group. Thank you for creating TTP. |
Thank you for sharing your process.
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Sábado, 10 de Febrero, 2011 La Tendencia Es Tu Amigo (The Trend is Your Friend) Hi Ed, Read about this mega-trend today in your new state. http://blogs.chron.com/texaspolitics/archives/ 2011/02/texas_demograph.html Changes ahead ! |
Gracias para tu email. Me parece que se vienen estas cosas muy naturalmente y muy pronto. Entonces, vamos a comer tacos - y beber cerveza y bailar - y celebrar las tendencias. Aquelos que no tocan las tendencias se corre el riesgo muy grande. Mi Amigo, tu eres un hombre sin igual y siempre igual. Venga a mi finca un dia. Quizas podemos hablar vez y tomar el aire fresco y pensar sobre la yerba y las vacas.
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Friday, February 25, 2011 Government and Religion Dear Ed, I had some additional examples of possible alteration. Hinduism - In the middle of deep spiritual teachings in the Bhagavad GIta there are words that have no contextual relevance. "Then God created the caste system .... the priest class, the warrior class, the merchant class and the slaves / untouchables." This was most likely inserted by the priests as job security for themselves and their descendants. Noah's arc and the flood. If there was such a flood there would be geological evidence. One explanation that I have about is that there was a flood and Noah was a merchant transporting livestock. This story was exaggerated. I became keenly aware of these matters in Egypt where the priests used Gods to collect taxes and shared the taxes with the government. |
OK. | ||||||
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Friday, February 25, 2011 Wants a Workshop Ed, When is your next seminar any where? Regards, |
I am currently conducting a 10-session Tribe. If I sense demand for another Workshop, I might host one, say in June or July. |
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Friday, February 25, 2011 Magazine Cover Indicator Ed, Here is an example of a magazine cover signaling the end of a trend. The Economist cover for October 2, 2010, "How India's growth will outpace China's" marks the high region of the BSE Sensex Index.
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Thank you for the illustration. Note: the cover date may be the date the newsstands remove the issue from the news stands. |
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Friday, February 25, 2011 Developing His System Hi Ed! Since I read all FAQ posts I also want to contribute. Today I don´t know what to say. I am grateful for the wisdom you are giving me. I save the expressions I really like and they are quite many now. It is also very inspiring to read feedback on different Breathwork weekends and workshops. I learn a lot from these posts. I am very happy about a few new very inspiring people here in our [Country] tribe. We have actually been up and running for almost 6 years now. People come and go but I'm the constant part and I still love it! I am trying to be in my everyday life as I am in the tribe - alive, without fear and able to express myself. On my last tribe I started to sing - I got great feedback on that :-) I would like to be more successful in trading but I also like the way I'm trading now. I am very risk avert and since I tend to trade mostly stocks and got a lot of company restrictions I go for 10% yearly rather than 100% as you do. What can I say - some people are more talented than others. I like analyzing the markets so much so I will keep on doing it. It seems to me that trend following is much more suitable for commodities than stocks. I'm experimenting a lot with different tactics of buying on pull backs and taking profit but I'm not yet satisfied. My goal is - when I can present a back test with Bliss>1, then I will advertise and go for the big money. Until then I focus on analysis and keep my exposure small. Regards, |
Thank you for sharing your process. | ||||||
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Friday, February 25, 2011 Hear Ye - CFTC User Fees Ed, On February 14, 2011, President Obama unveiled his intention to begin increased funding of the CFTC, in part, through the implementation of user fees. This Client Update will summarize key aspects of Obama’s funding proposal. Since President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Act into law, regulators such as the CFTC have been calling for steep funding increases. In response to the CFTC’s requests, the Obama administration has stated that, as part of the fiscal year 2012 budget, it intends to impose $117 million in user fees to fund the CFTC’s non-enforcement related activities. The $117 million in user fees would be just a fraction of the $308 million funding increase for the CFTC that the Obama administration has requested. This intended allocation represents an 82% increase over the CFTC's actual budget for fiscal 2010. With the proposed budget increase, Obama proposes to add 316 people to the CFTC, representing a staff increase of more than 60%. Obama’s budget, however, has been proposed in the context of huge national budget deficits and an empowered Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives calling for deep spending cuts. According to House Ways and Means Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., “The president’s budget appears to be long on rhetoric and lean on spending cuts.” In fact, even Republican CFTC Commissioner Scott O'Malia called the user fee proposal an “unauthorized and uncollectable tax to offset $117 million in new spending.” Futures Industry Association President John M. Damgard added that, “The imposition of user fees would significantly reduce the efficiency of the regulated futures market and greatly increase the cost of hedging financial and commodity price risk.” Finally, CME Group Inc. Executive Chairman Terry Duffy said a plan to allow U.S. futures regulators to charge user fees would harm U.S. exchanges trying to compete globally. Duffy remarked that the proposal "could put us at the biggest disadvantage we've ever seen." In light of increasing governmental interest in user fee financing across various regulated industries, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) has developed a framework for examining user fee design characteristics that may influence the effectiveness of user fees. According to various industry reports generated by the GAO, such as reviewing the user fee program implemented by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the results of agency user fee programs are often mixed. As a result, with respect to Obama’s proposed user fees on the commodities and forex industry, much examination needs to be conducted by both the CFTC and the industry at large to determine whether the user fee proposal will actually accomplish the goals that it seeks and create a net benefit for the industry as a whole. |
Thank you for the heads-up. | ||||||
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Friday, February 25, 2011 Austin Tribe Report Intentions = Results Hi Ed, I got a lot out of the discussion about intentions = results. In this email I would like to relay the contents of my new understanding. I see how my structure is setup to feel trapped and helpless which naturally results to smoldering in my stomach. I realize that if it weren't flying that made me feel trapped and helpless that it would be something else because those feelings flow as a result of my structure/intention and the world is there to fulfill my intentions. So if it wasn't flying something else would magically appear because it simply must naturally flow this way as a result of my structure. I like your analogy concerning structure about a boulder on top of a hill and a house at the bottom. The laws of nature say that if the boulder gets dislodged it will naturally roll down the hill and if the house is in the boulders path it will naturally destroy the house. In this situation the structure is the laws of nature and the physical location of the boulder and the house. The results naturally follow from the structure and circumstances. I realized that my structure(intention) and the results I am getting in life is not a conscious choice. I believe my structure was learned unconsciously as a child. So the results I get as a adult flow naturally from the structure that was solidified during my youth. I believe the characteristics/layout/design of my structure had a lot to do with my parents and the situation I found myself in as a kid. I also realized that presently I could continue to get the same painful results from the structure my unconscious is operating comfortably within circa my youth or consciously change the characteristics of the structure and then stand back and watch different results flow from the new structure(intentions). I believe changing my structure is not a easy matter but can be done with conscious commitment. So right now I would like to recognize my structure as feeling trapped and helpless in painful circumstances which result in smoldering in my stomach to a structure of freedom and power which leads to right livelihood. Thank you, |
Thank you for sharing your process and your insights on Intentions = Results. | ||||||
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Friday, February 25, 2011 If Ed, This, by Kipling, reminds me of the intimacy-centric relationship model. --- If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with triumph and disaster And treat those two imposters just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on"; If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run - Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son! ~Rudyard Kipling |
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Thursday, February 24, 2011 Breathwork Application Ed, * I have workshop experience. * I have read Adventure of Self Discovery * I commit to full participation and reporting on FAQ * I commit to working hard with little or no rest How Breathwork Works… The main objective of Holotropic Breathwork therapy is to “activate the unconscious, to unblock the energy bound in emotional and psychosomatic symptoms, and to convert the stationary balance of this energy into a stream of experience” (166). In activating the psyche and inducing no ordinary states of conscious, Breathwork uses the spontaneous healing activity of the human psyche to transform emotional symptoms into experiences. Inducing a non-ordinary state is accomplished by increasing the rate breathing or hyperventilating while being aware of ones inner process and trusting in the intrinsic wisdom of the body. The breather is surrendering and allowing themselves to be in a vulnerable position. It is important that the environment is safe and supportive. The sitter is helping create this environment by reminding the breather to breathe and “supporting the experiential process with full trust in its healing nature, without trying to change it” (167). Music is also used the Breathwork process. The breather is to surrender to the music, go with the flow and respond to the spontaneity. The Breathwork process amplifies and manifests tensions and blockages, then brings them to “a culmination point, resolution and release” (183). The process is not logical. It requires one to trust in the wisdom and spontaneous healing potential of the psyche. It is best to be prepared for surprises. What I intend to Accomplish… I intend to be more potent both in the bedroom and in the business world. Life is so good and I am tired of dealing with this over and over again. I have taken about six very productive hot seats (couple rocks processes) working to experience my sexual impotence. They have had a huge positive impact on all areas of my life (even the bedroom), yet I run into a brick wall in the bedroom. While I may miss having such a good gateway to productive hot seats, I am ready and intend to move on to different challenges and accept that this has served me well. I intend to learn more about the trading tribe process and to use that knowledge to be a better tribe leader of the [City] Tribe. I intend to enjoy everyone’s company and to be an excellent receiver, sitter, and tribe member. Thanks again for your support. I am a better father, husband, friend and business partner since the workshop a little over a year ago. Really, thank you. |
Welcome to the Breathwork. | ||||||
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Thursday, February 24, 2011 2:17 PM Falling Dollar Ed,
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Hmmm ... that might be a pretty good way to get a hundred in a pinch. | ||||||
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Thursday, February 24, 2011 An Example of the Intimacy Model in a Concentration Camp Ed, The story of Fr. Maximillian Kolbe, a Polish Catholic priest who with four monasty companions was imprisoned at Auschwitz. When a prisoner went missing (his body was later found stuffed into a latrine), the Nazi guards selected ten prisoners to death as a reprisal - they would be sent to a strarvation hut where they would slowly die. One of the men selected exclaimed in grief at the prospects for his family if he were to be killed, and Fr. Kolbe volunteered to receive the man's punishment in his place. He and four other prisoners took too long to die, and the guards needed the cell for other purposes, so a Polish trustee injected them with lethal doses of carbolic acid. The man Fr. Kolbe saved survived, and lived to the age of 95. Kolbe was beatified a Saint by Pope John Paul II. http://www.auschwitz.dk/kolbe.htm |
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Control and Intimacy Intentions and Results Being Late and Being in the Now Ed, In the 2 weeks after the previous tribe meeting I have many feelings that are stewing in the pot. In the week after the last tribe meeting I receive an email from my father…a late happy birthday wish. My birthday is in January. I notice the email is written in all caps, in red and he signs the email as he always signs all of his business correspondence with his first initial, middle name and last name. Even though the content of the letter contains many seemingly pleasant items regarding his remembrance of my birth and life I get the general impression of anger and disrespect. I sent an email in response thanking him for sharing his feelings and I ask how he feels about writing in all caps, in red and signing a birthday wish to his son using the corporate correspondence format. I receive a response that denies the email was sent in that format and signed in that way. I forward the email back to him. I get no response. I ask if I can share my feelings….I get no response. I thank him for sharing his feelings and let it go. It is always my fathers protocol to shutdown and walk away…to not allow me to share my feelings…especially if there is any hint that perhaps he made an error. I have a conversation later with my mother regarding my feelings about being in the middle of her relationship with my father. I share a lot of feelings about violation of personal property rights and her role in keeping me in the middle of their relationship. I receive several more emails later from my father and I notice his thoughts are not very coherent. I arrive at the tribe meeting a few minutes past the start time. I think about this on the way as I am sitting in traffic…I feel the general impression that I will arrive with perhaps a few minutes to spare or will be a few minutes late. I am aware of the protocol to announce to each tribe member that “it is my intention to be late” and for each tribe member to respond that “it is my intention to have you here late”. I think about intentions equals results on the way. I recall the following scene in my mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti5OaadrS9I I have the feeling it is my intention to arrive precisely when I arrive. I have the general feeling that the term “late” somehow suggests that I arrive later than I intended. Ed states that I address each tribe member with the statement that “it is my intention to be late”. I do not connect with this so I substitute the phrase that “it is my intention to arrive exactly at the moment I arrive”. It certainly must be my intention since that is the moment I arrive. Each tribe member is to respond that “it is my intention to have you here late”. I notice some tribe members respond in this way and some respond that it is their intention that I arrive the moment that I arrive. I work my way around the circle and come to Ed. Ed confronts my statement and suggests it does not address the agreement to be at the meeting at 5 pm. I state I feel that this feels like a judgment. He states it is a judgment…that I acknowledgement an agreement not met. I continue and change the language to “it is my intention to be late” and Ed responds “it is my intention to have you here late”. This still feels confusing to me. I make a commitment to be at the meeting at 5pm and I arrive a few minutes past. It is obviously my intention to arrive when I arrive. If it is Ed’s and the tribes intention that I arrive when I arrive then how does the term “late” apply? The intention seems to nullify the commitment. I wonder when it is Ed’s and the tribe’s intention that I arrive in the moment that I arrive. Does the intention develop 6 months ago or at the conception of each tribe member or does that intention come from negative time to infinity? It seems if it is their intention that I arrive the moment that I arrive and they define it as “late” that it is their intention before I made the commitment and the judgment is the substance of their intentions and not mine. My general feeling is that intention do not always equal results in our world. In a perfectly free system where everything and everybody are free to interact with one another there will obviously be times when “s--- happens” and inadvertent results occur. This is actually the price of complete freedom. If intentions always equaled results there would be some component of the “control model” involved. The refining or evaluating of intentions in relation to the results one seeks seems to me to be the process of increasing the odds of getting the results rather than that being automatic in some sense. A striving for perfection but understanding that perfection is impossible in complex free interactions. I notice feelings also from this process that relate to feelings of abandonment. The rule that I grow up with is if you are not outside when your father is ready then you will be left. That applied to things like school and church. I think there were times he left a few minutes early to make the point. I remember running outside ready for school and dad being maybe 10-20 yards down the driveway (he could obviously see me) and driving right off. In conversations later in the evening after this my mother would chide him with “you could see him running after the car and you drove away anyway” and she would complain about having to take me to school in her nightgown. Anyway, I come to the tribe meeting having the flu for a week or so and a terrible cough. I take a dose of cough syrup before the meeting. I notice later that this medication changes my feelings…I feel agitated and angry when I take this cough medicine. A tribe member introduces information about feelings in reference to the position of the Catholic Church…in particular anger and lust. I develop some interesting ideas from the conversation…an epiphany of sorts. |
Thank you for sharing your process.
For example, if you pluck a banjo string, you get an extremely pleasing twang sound. In the causal model we have: The pluck --> the twang. In the system model we have: The elements of the banjo, including the neck, the head and the string form a structure (the intention) that entrains a banjo-like vibration (the result). Note: The causal model does not explain how come we don't get the extremely pleasing twang sound when we pluck a banana. ----- When you come to accept that you have an intention to break you agreement to be on time, you might then see your intention as a structural legacy of your early childhood games with your mother and father in the matter of the ride to school. If you use the causal model to decouple intention from result, you can neatly avoid taking responsibility, engaging further process and/or working further through the pattern. |
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Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Control and Intimacy Dear Austin Tribe Series Members, I spend significant time contemplating the control model and the intimacy model. I think I see where certain endeavors are conducive to the control model and certain ones work more productively with an intimacy model. I see where my reality has been largely driven by control model thinking – my father’s remarkable abilities, my school, my country. In essence most everything. I never attended church long enough for an intimacy model to be embraced in my pattern of behavior. I see the lack in my ability to embrace and practice an intimacy based behavior retards my connection in relations to others. Now, I look for opportunities to compliment others and to build their capability. I try to look the other way, even when I feel they are disrespecting me. I see very few are meaning disrespect towards me, they are actually trying to satisfy their own actualization and are having difficulties. These difficulties get communicated to the world in less than ideal ways. Rather than try to force them to be a different way to satisfy my needs of respect, I try to accept them as is. I look forward to the next meeting and having the opportunity to continue practicing this new manner and building my capability. Thank you Sincerely, |
Thank you for sharing your process. | ||||||
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Wants a Workshop Dear Ed, Thank for the info and I find your website very useful and very refreshing -however I missed the Dec 2010 workshop in Texas. I do hope there will be another one this 2011. As for the purchase of your book - we can only pay by pay pal? We can also pay by US check? Would the book be delivery to International Address? Again, thank you. regards, |
For information of Workshops and Books, see the Resources link, above. | ||||||
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Fear of Toast Good Morning, My flight to Austin is tomorrow and I want to report I woke at 6:47 this morning from a dream that I was inside a big stainless steal toaster. I must have been cooking inside because when the toaster dinged I shot out and was all burned up. I thought, geez I really don't want to get all burned up that would really hurt. Then I noticed my mind wanted to ignore the situation, but instead of doing that I thought about the flights coming up and the chance that I might get "toasted". By doing this and allowing my conscious mind to acknowledge the possibility the strong smoldering feeling in my stomach and throat eased up. Perhaps consciously acknowledging the warning from my unconscious caused my unconscious to feel like it communicated the warning. I don't really understand how my unconscious can have a "mind" of its own, and this separate mind can be satisfied when I consciously acknowledge it, but that seems to be the situation. I think if I consciously deny the conversation between my unconscious and conscious mind then my unconscious resorts to making my stomach actually feel like its smoldering and dreams of being in a shiny stainless steel toaster. Its fascinating that this is happening inside me completely beyond my control. I guess the unconscious part is not under my control but it is trying to look out for my best interest and keep me alive. Thing is it doesn't use language at all so it has to resort to feelings and visual metaphors(like the dream of me standing in a huge stainless steel toaster). So maybe I can use the intimacy model with my unconscious and just say "thank you for communicating your feelings, would you like to tell me more?" All I need to do to is listen" and acknowledge the feels and admit to the real dangers my unconscious is trying to warn me about. Acknowledging and accepting the message seems to make the unconscious happy, but it doesn't preclude me from taking the action anyways. Thanks, |
Thank you for sharing your process. You might consider parsing the elements in your dream per this method. My existence as the toaster is [ ... ]. My existence as the toast is [ ... ]. My existence as my mind is [ ... ]. Toast, toasters and toasting may have different meanings. For example, see: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/2412/ a-man-and-a-toaster-from-mattbraddock
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011 Why Not Ed, Why do you not answer why questions? Pretty much every good question is a why question. Sincerely, |
Why questions generally invoke the causal model and the
control-centric model. Why questions can be demanding and disrespectful and can scold without establishing rapport. I wonder how you can tell whether or not a question is a good one. |
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011 ATR Dear Ed, I hope this email finds you well. This is my system with some changes I made, it is a work in progress but I am pretty happy about making it a lot simpler, no matter how many fancy rules i try to add, nothing seems to increase the performance in a robust way. You mentioned that it was possible to reach an agreement regarding your mentorship. I wonder if you mind me getting to Austin a little earlier so we can discuss the mentoring, your software and my system. I have noticed that after the tribe meeting we tend to be very tired and it is not the best time. Thank you. My best ----- There is an initial stop of 3 ATR and a trailing stop of 5 ATR. The initial stop is a hard stop, so the trailing stop would only apply when the price is better than the original stop. |
Thank you for sharing your process. You might consider defining what you would like to accomplish. You might notice that in cases where a market shows lower prices with increasing volatility, your protective stop might decrease. |
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Monday, February 21, 2011 Questions about Questions Ed, Ed says, "You might consider taking your feelings about <asking a lot of questions as way to avoid intimacy> to Tribe." Your comment triggers something in me and I feel the urge to tell you how I feel about questions. I love questions. I wish I ask more questions when I was young. I have a belief that it is better to look like a fool for five minutes than to be an actual fool forever. If there are thing I don't understand, ask. Ask people who may know. Maybe they do, maybe they don't, but unless I ask I would never find out. I love the curious questioner Socrates that Plato depicts in his writings. I thought questions are stimulating and fascinating. I love how great teachers answer the students with a question rather than giving out the model answer. I think those are beautiful moments. I love asking myself questions too. I think they are great tools for self-reflection. When I notice I have a certain feeling, I wonder what triggers it to surface. I find that very often through questions I gain clarity. I get a thrill when I get an answer that just "clicks." I recall vividly when I ask you about seeking for an answer (FAQ, 10/26/08, Seeking and Attaining). I remember when I read your answer, I feel delighted, happy, as in finding a missing piece, or resolving a part of a Sudoku game which allows me to move on further. I also find your answer to my question on causality (FAQ, 8/22/07, Causality) so funny that I have a grin on my face as I read the caption of the picture. For these, I owe you a big thank you. Recently I have some deep thoughts about the role and "purpose" of education. I wonder, what do I intend to accomplish when I send my son to school? After some thoughts, I get an answer in my mind, and I am quite happy with it. I don't think it is "THE" answer (nor if there is one), but it just resonates with me. In fact, I am so happy that I start writing about the topic. As I write, I thought about seeking more insight too from wise people like you, from educators, from students, from parents, or from anyone who cares about education. Hence I write to ask you. I feel disappointed at your response at first. For crying out loud, you are the one who run a "FAQ" forum. I suppose the Q stands for Question. I thought questions are the appropriate mode of communication and that you would welcome questions. I feel being unreasonably ridiculed. I feel being treated unfairly. There is certainly not the "click" feeling I usually get when I connect with a response. Yet I feel that I would like to give you the benefit of doubts. There are other times I feel the same way from you, and in some occasion I do find myself learning something from the exchange. So I commit to take my feelings about <asking a lot of questions as way to avoid intimacy> to my next Tribe meeting. Right now, I feel utterly absurd, for I don't even know how questions has anything to do with intimacy. On the other hand, given your track record, what if there is some truth to it? I feel a bit unease that maybe precisely I have no awareness of it on a conscious level that's why it is so genius. In any case, I feel curious enough and I'd like to find out, and so I make the commitment to actually give it a shot. Lastly, I also feel like saying Thank You. Without your response I wouldn't realize how I feel about questions. This actually feels funny to me, because I actually genuinely feel like to thank you, even though when I started replying I was more upset and never thought of saying "thank you" other than maybe out of an insincere politeness. Now, I feel glad and surprised about how much I actually feel about questions. |
Thank you for sharing your process. | ||||||
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Monday, February 21, 2011 From Day Trading to Calm Dear Ed: I had a very interesting week. The prior week I had huge outsize gains. I knew from the past that I should take this week off as I have had an history of give back. So I planned to go skiing. However, the weather prevented that from happening. I did not have back up plans to do something else (which I have added since then). So I traded and gave back a big chunk of my gains every day Tue - Fri. Every day I knew I should not be trading but could not stop, as I felt I could get back the prior days drawdowns, which again I knew is an incorrect view of the trading process. I felt trapped and hypnotized. During this time I was feeling emotional pain and for the first time I was staying present to the pain. In the past I would take a nap and wake up when the pain was gone. By Friday, I had one of the worst draw downs for the week in recent times and I exited almost all positions. After that the pain intensified but I kept present. This went on for several hours. After the pain subsided, my blocks disappeared. I had been blocked on getting organized, completing my trading plan, doing more fundamental research. I used to do much of this pre 2008, but since then I had become an erratic, frantic trader. I realized that I had a big drawdown from Nov 2007 to Feb 2008 where I gave back gains from 2006-2007, but then went unconscious and started overtrading. At this point, I have gotten a lot of projects accomplished that were blocked and I am feeling a sense of calm that I did not. My trades since yesterday are no longer frantic and coming from a fear of missing out, but instead coming from executing my rules. I look forward to finding out where this journey takes me. The new found ability to experience pain is resulting in a catharsis and clearing matters where sheer effort and willpower did not make a difference. Thank you for creating the TTP process. |
Thank you for sharing your process.
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Monday, February 21, 2011 Mentorship Hello Mr. Seykota, Just wanted to let you know that my Masters program acceptance did not go through so I am available for a while. I was wondering if you knew of anyone who I could work with in trading so I can improve. If it is still possible, I would be happy to work with you. thanks, Ravi |
Thank you for your offer. You might consider defining what you wish to accomplish. |
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Monday, February 21, 2011 Tribe Meeting Follow Up - Setting the Heat Dear Ed, At the February 10 meeting of the Austin Tribe you ask each member to stand and describe the progress he has made on his goal. After each person presents, you ask the other tribe members to issue a passing or failing grade to the presenting tribe member. After I present my progress, only about half of the tribe passes my progress. At first I feel irritation and embarrassment. Then I feel a sense of profound disorientation. As the tribe meeting progresses I notice two groups of people. There are tribe members who know exactly what they want, and are taking concrete steps toward achieving their goals. Everything seems to be flowing easily for the people in this group. Then there are tribe members who seem unclear about their goals. They do not know what they want, and their lack of progress is evidence of their uncertainty. For the people in this group, I see struggle, endless rumination, and stagnation. As the meeting progresses I see that I fall into the latter group. Though in some sense I feel as though I am making progress in other areas - such as exercising greater personal sovereignty in my business relationships - at the end of the day I am making scant progress toward my goal of increasing my portfolio heat. That is the essential truth which I accept. I return home for the tribe meeting with a greater commitment to complete my goal and increase my portfolio heat. However, as soon as I return home I receive an communication from an important business associate about a problem I am attempting to resolve. For several days I focus exclusively on this problem and ignore my goal of increasing my heat. As the weekend approaches I feel my anger build. I do not want to stay in this place. I want to become a more free and powerful person. I put the business issue to the side and focus on increasing my portfolio heat. Over a two-day period I resume work on my portfolio selection. I also work to finalize my system settings. Feelings of uncertainty and frustration arise, as before, but this time a sense of clarity (along with some anger) seems to lift me forward. What I previously struggle with for months I complete over this two-day period. On Sunday I increase my portfolio heat by 50% and begin trading at this level the following day. For the remainder of the tribe series I commit to following my system at the higher portfolio heat settings. I also commit to keeping a log of my trading in order to monitor the feelings which arise. I thank you and the rest of the tribe for supporting my process. Onward and upward. ----- PS. I like this poem. We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best. And he whose heart beats quickest lives the longest: Lives in one hour more than in years do some Whose fat blood sleeps as it slips along their veins. We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths -- Philip James Bailey |
Thank you for sharing your process. If you find yourself opposing your feelings, say in the matter of setting heat, you might consider taking your feelings about heat to Tribe. Your "subconscious" might have some wisdom to share with you. |
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Monday, February 21, 2011 Purpose of Asking Questions Ed, Ed says, The notion of "the purpose" follows from the control-centric model, in which people define one "correct" purpose and then impose it on others. (FAQ, 2/15/11, Education) I've been reading on system dynamics ("Principles of Systems by Jay Forrester and Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows). Both of which talk about the purpose of a system. For example, in Meadow's book, she talks about Leverage Points (places to intervene in a system), and higher up on the list at number three is the Purpose of the System (pg. 161). Forrester also talks about how the purpose of the system determines whether it is an open or a feedback system (pg. 1-6). So is system dynamics a study that follows from the control-centric model, especially when it studies things like leverage points where we look for places to INTERVENE so as to achieve a desired result? |
Thank you for sharing your process. You might consider taking your feelings about <taking words out of context and playing gotcha> to Tribe. Ultimately, meaning and purpose derive from the intimacy-centric and system models.
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Monday, February 21, 2011 TTP Breathwork Critical Mass Hi Ed, Do we have the "critical mass" yet for the Breathwork? If so, can you pls let me know if I may also pollinate with the Austin Tribe in their April 7th meeting? Pls advise so that I can start making travel arrangement, thanks. |
Check the Breathwork link, at Resources, above. | ||||||
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Monday, February 21, 2011 Intimacy Model in Concentration Camp Hi Ed, Reading Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, I can't help but put myself in his shoe and wonder what I would do in his position. How can I apply the Intimacy Model in the Nazi Concentration Camp? Do I tell the Nazi soldiers how humiliated I feel, yet when they seem to enjoy their superiority over us POWs? Do I tell them that I feel tired and exhausted? They seem to respond by beating me up more so that "I can stop being lazy and get to work." As I write this, I feel telling them that I feel very sad that no one seems to care about my life or death, and I can even hear them laugh and say, "Yeah, no one gives a damn to whether you are dead or alive." Followed by another hard kick in the stomach. Ouch. |
Thank you for sharing your process. In his book, he describes his connections with others, particularly other prisoners. I wonder if you can notice ways in which your current existence has elements that are similar to those in a concentration camp.
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Monday, February 21, 2011 Sales Calls & Connecting Dear Ed, I re-read your response to my FAQ post a couple of times. “In the control-centric relationship model, we try to say and do the "right thing" to get the client to say yes.” I have a AHA as I notice one of my key issues. My pattern of applying the “polite model” in order to get people to like and accept me is control centric! I try to control how others feel about me rather than being myself and letting others decide for themselves whether they like me and want to do business with me. Thank you for this insight. |
Thank you for sharing your process. |
