This is the seventh installment of the On Professionalism thread series. The previous installment thread can be found here: Support and Guidance for Tribal Minds - Part 1 The index and first installment can be found here: On Professionalism In the previous installment of this thread series, I highlighted the downside of tribal-communal thinking. Now for the upside: "What's that? There's an upside to tribal-communal thinking? I almost forgot after all the negatives..." YES! There is! You're going to need support. Trading, if you're doing it right, can be lonely. Most of your close friends or people you grew up with aren't going to be traders, so it's hard for them to relate with you when you're talking about your work while at social gatherings. It's still healthy to feel the desire of being included and understood after all, so we should find an outlet for this when it comes to trading. Start using places like this very forum as a constructive and positive place to share ideas and talk about trading in general. Perhaps keep a journal online so others can relate with your experiences too and comment on them. Connect with people who are like-minded online, since the vastness of the internet can bridge any geographical distance between you and like minded individuals. And, if you live in a city large enough, you might even find local traders meetup groups you can join. (And please, always conduct yourself in a constructive and positive fashion when you post online or partake in any anonymous means of communication.. if you can't keep cool talking to other traders how will you ever expect to keep cool during a bad trade? It all comes back to discipline, and keeping control over your emotions is something you need to exercise at all times if you ever want to count on that skill when you really need it during a stressful trade.) ** In the previous installment, I marked two asterisks (**) when I said there was one exception to the family/friends rule. One of the single most important people you should converse with about your trading is your spouse or partner. They might not have much of an understanding but they, of all people, need to support you emotionally and they can't begin to do this if they don't understand exactly what you do