Forex trading can be lucrative. It can generate a nice source of additional monthly income. It is quite accessible and fairly easy to start.

Almost everyone must be retired by now then! If everything above is true, why do so many people "struggle" with forex trading? Why do you spend so much time on forex trading without any success? Why do only "other" people make money and your own foreign currency trading systems only produce a diminishing account balance with every trade?

Let's take a step back quickly to get some perspective. Many people fail at currency trading because of the following very simple reasons: 

• They do not view forex trading as a business;
• They are ignorant;
• They do not educate themselves enough before starting to trade on live account;
• They rely on what other people say and do; and
• They do not use proper foreign currency trading systems for trading.

There are many other reasons, but these are some of the more common mistakes people make when starting out with foreign currency trading. The very fact that it is so easy to open a trading account and get started is sometimes the very obstacle why people are not successful.

People tend to work the "process to start trading" much more than the "how to trade properly" aspect of forex trading. They start off with a bang and want to see profits streaming in quickly, but the concept of "sustainable profitable trading" does not even feature in their strategy. Education is crucially important when considering forex trading AS A BUSINESS (full- or part-time). So is choosing the best strategy or product amongst the many foreign currency trading systems.

There are manual and automated systems for currency trading and each has its pros and cons. The fact remains that one should use proper foreign currency trading systems to have any chance at being successful. Choose a system that fits your trading style and circumstances and which also matches your trading goals and aspirations. You can only do this once you have set your trading goal and understand what you want to achieve.

My advice is to get started with a proper forex trading plan setting out your strategy and what you want to achieve - this might take a few weeks of your time as you want to do proper research. You then want to do as much research as possible as to which systems fit in with your plan. Then test those systems thoroughly before committing any capital to live trading.

View foreign currency trading a proper business for your best chance to succeed! You wouldn't just open a shop in the nearest shopping mall without doing proper research, would you? So why treat forex trading any differently. Foreign currency trading systems are a crucial element of an overall forex trading plan and strategy.