Don't Give In To The Death Wish

The death wish is resignation, fatalism, dejection, despair — in the face of "luck" repeatedly turning against us. The death wish is admitting defeat and shrugging our shoulders and throwing up our hands (generally after a string of losses) and not caring from then on whether we win or lose. The death wish is throwing money into the pot fatalistically, to punish ourselves. It is saying, "I might as well keep throwing my money away at this point, because it doesn't matter anymore."

The problem with the death wish is that it removes the brain's analytical, decision-making function from the equation. It also tends to magnify disasters. It takes a bad situation and kicks it up to the next level. It also misses opportunities, because its attention is so focused on the great sadness of its plight.

It may even miss the turn-around point — when things start changing and going the other way and getting better — so intent is it on making an airtight case concerning the sadness of its plight.

Try not to give in to the death wish. If a disaster starts to unfold, try as much as possible to keep it under control, not exaggerate it further. Try to salvage something from the trade. Scale back your involvement, or simply get out of the trade. Go for a walk. Go watch something on TV. Go do anything that helps clear your mind.