April 1949. The war in Europe has been over barely four years. Rationing and other austerity measures are still in force, but I am oblivious to it all, and anyway, today is a special day. It is my fifth birthday. It is a bright crisp morning on the farm in rural Northumberland where we live, and in the meadow at the back of the house, my Dad is busy assembling a rubberband powered flying model aeroplane – my birthday present.

With the rubber band ‘motor’ fully wound, Dad launches the little model into the air.

Wow! I was so excited to see my little aeroplane fly, and even though I had never seen a real aeroplane, or even knew that such things existed (remember, this is rural Northumberland), in that moment, something stirred deep in my soul and I knew there and then that I wanted to fly.

And so a seed was sown, which was to lie dormant for many years. Fast forward 35 years. Having gained my Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL) some 15 years earlier and spent many hours enjoying the ultimate freedom of flight, my circumstances took a dramatic turn for the worse, and I was obliged to give up my beloved flying, but there and then, I vowed and declared that it would not be the end of my flying, and that one day I would fly again.

From time to time, I would eagerly share my aspirations and hopes of returning to flying with family and friends, but knowing my circumstances, most were patronising in the extreme and just dismissed the idea out of hand, so I quickly learned to confide only in like minded people who could share my vision and encourage me towards my goal.
During the ensuing years, I kept myself up to date with what was going on in the world of aviation by reading anything I could lay my hands on, and by talking to other pilots whenever the opportunity arose.

On those occasions when at night, sleep eluded me, I would imagine myself at the airfield that I had known so well for so long, getting my aeroplane out of the hangar, readying it for flight and carrying out the pre-fight checks, alternately watching myself as if from a distance. Checks complete, I would imagine myself climbing into the cockpit, and strapping myself in. Then, slowly and methodically, with no detail omitted, I would go through the pre-start checks. Engine started, I would rehearse the well learned ritual of pre-take off checks, before taxying out to the take-off point. Final checks complete, I open the throttle and, although it is only in my imagination, I can hear and feel the familiar experience of take-off and sense the elation as I slip the surly bonds of earth once more.

I fly three circuits with touch and go landings, rehearsing the skills and checks required each time. All too soon, it is time to land and return my aeroplane to the hangar, once again, rehearsing every detail of the procedure in my mind. In my imagination, the experience is so real, I can even smell the pungent aroma of aviation spirit in my nostrils, and, as I walk away from the hangar, sleep overcomes me.


Fast forward another 19 years. My circumstances have changed once again. This time for the better, and I am now in a position to consider revalidating my PPL. After a lengthy discussion with a Flying Instructor at my local flying club, a very amiable Frenchman named Bernard, it is established what is necessary to revalidate my licence and a couple of weeks later I am at the flying club eager and ready for my first real flight in 19 years.


Bernard gives me the keys to the aeroplane that we will be flying today and tells me to go out to the aeroplane and carry out the pre-flight checks and he will join me shortly. As I start to walk around the aeroplane, the pre-flight procedures come flooding back to me as if it was only yesterday when I last flew, and by the time Bernard has joined me, I am strapped in and have already familiarised with the cockpit layout and have rehearsed the pre-start checks in my mind..


After one circuit and a touch and go landing Bernard questions me on how long it is since I last flew. And even though I have already told him that I have not flown for 19 years, it seems he can’t quite believe it and tells me so. On the third circuit, Bernard tells me to land and let him out. I am to fly solo for the first time in 19 years! “Make sure you fly for no less than an hour” Bernard says to me, firmly adding “and when you get back to the clubhouse I want to see your log book!”


Later, having spent a considerable amount of time going through my log book with a fine tooth comb, Bernard wanted to know how I had managed to retain my flying skills at such a level without actually having flown for so many years. I told him about the many sleepless nights when, in my mind’s eye, I would fly circuits, rehearsing all the checks and skills required in every detail. He smiled approvingly and with a knowing nod of the head, said to me “Well done! Used wisely, visualisation is a powerful tool”, and then rather more light heartedly, “don’t be late tomorrow, we’ve a lot to get through”.


In a nutshell, after a break of 19 years, I revalidated my licence in record time over a long weekend, Friday to Monday inclusive, including my solo cross country navigation test, my skills test and retaking all the theory exams (although I later found out that I didn’t need to retake my theory exams – Bernard just wanted to see if I could do it!)
What has this to do with Forex?

Well, since I consider Forex traders to be amongst the most astute, intelligent and sharpest people on the planet, you will have put two and two together by now. Used correctly, your imagination is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. If you want to achieve something badly enough, make it real. Visualise it in the present! Smell it! Feel it! Live it! Bring your hopes and dreams into the present in your mind’s eye.


I came to Forex in a roundabout way. Having dabbled in stocks, without much success, in the mid-1980’s I purchased a course on commodity trading. Now this was in the days before the internet, and I had to subscribe to a weekly charting service by post and each day, using the Financial Times, I would manually update the charts of those commodities in which I was interested. I had a modicum of success, but nothing to write home about.
In due course of time, I found an internet based charting service which enabled me to follow a broader range of markets, including currency futures, which I found more profitable, but trading the daily charts, I often found that I would have to wait weeks for a trading opportunity. To cut a long story short, the charting service that I was using suddenly disappeared without trace and, not being able to find a replacement, I gave up on financial trading temporarily.


Some time later I received a mailshot offering a course on trading Forex. It seemed to offer much of the commodity trading experience, but with markets that were open 24 hours, more opportunities to trade, and a free charting package called Metatrader. I was hooked. As expensive as it was, I purchased the course, sure in the knowledge that I would recoup its four figure purchase price in one or two trades, as promised! (You know where this is going don’t you). The course taught me the basics of support and resistance, moving averages and candle formations, and I thought I knew it all. After all, I had enjoyed a modicum of success in trading commodities, and after two (yes, only two) successful trades on a demo account, I went live! Well, you’ve probably guessed by now, I blew the account in less than a month, at which point I took a step back and decided that I needed a proper Forex education before going any further and vowed not to trade again, even on a demo account, until I had acquired adequate knowledge.


I read everything I could find on the internet about trading Forex, some good (Baby Pips is an excellent resource), some bad, but mostly mediocre. I forget now how I came across it, but I ended up purchasing a copy of Dean’s LMT trading system. It offered ‘set and forget’ trading, which seemed to be exactly what I needed. However, the reality was somewhat different. Anyway, it was Dean who introduced me to Forex Mentor Pro (FXMP).


Although I have been a member of Forexmentorpro.com for two years now, I have yet to be profitable. In broad terms, I have broken even over the two years, so at least I haven’t lost money – the first rule of Forex, yes! This may be due, in part, to the fact that my day to day job is very demanding, often resulting in 12-13 hour working days, so I am only able to trade very rarely and have not yet the confidence to place forward orders. In fact sometimes I don’t even have time to read the blogs in full!

However, another seed has been sown, and if I keep it watered and nurtured in the fertile garden of FXMP, I am sure that Forex can, and will in due course, provide me with a job quitting income and financial security in retirement.
Now, when sleep eludes me, I imagine myself at my computer, sometimes, as once before, watching myself as if from a distance, placing trades and watching them move into profit, rehearsing the skills that I have learnt through FXMP.

I watch my account balance grow, and see my future success as if it is in the present, as it surely will be one day. And on those rare occasions when I share my dreams of Forex success, I make sure that I do so only with those whom I know to be positively minded and who can offer support and encouragement.
May 2012 be a rewarding and successful year for all of us.

Best wishes
Mike