I've got a lot of my own personal rules in trading, but I think there are three important ones I've learned over the last year:

1) It's my money, and only I pull the trigger. I can't blame anyone or any organization for my decision to buy a stock.

2) It's my patience (or lack of it) that usually gets me into trouble. I recently lost tremendous gains in AXL, OSCI, CTIC due to my lack of patience.

3) It's my risk factor, and only I know what I can afford to lose. If you are in hysterics all the time, you need to find a new hobby or job.

I think we all have to understand that this is summertime, which is historically the worst time for stocks. We can possibly take smaller gains and be happy, or wait for larger gains and wait awhile (and sometimes it will be a long while). I have a goal, and I will achieve it, despite my frustration at times.