Rise to the Occasion

Trading is a challenging profession. Many seek out success, but few make it. The markets don't always cooperate with your plans. You can trade all day, and work hard at it, but you can still end up losing money. Thinking of the big picture helps ease the pressure. You can calmly think, "What's there to worry about? It's just one trade among many. It's just one day. There are many more days to trade." Thinking of the bigger picture is a great thinking strategy that you can use to calm down. It's also useful to realize that you can't control everything. All you can do is persist in the face of uncertainty and hope for the best. You may not win all the time, but you deserve to win, and you should trade as if you are a winner.

All you can do is bravely try to overcome obstacles and trade as if you deserved to win. That isn't to say that you should give up and assume you couldn't win. Indeed, trading to win is far from that. You must work so diligently that regardless of the outcome, you will feel at peace knowing that you did your best.

Ever heard the phrase, "Winning is the only thing"? Winning is important, but ironically, it can't be "the only thing." A more apt saying for success is, "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game." If you trade with resolution and discipline, you'll be more likely to achieve success. You must respect trading and the markets. You can't impose your will onto the markets. The markets will do whatever they want. You must be ready to accept what the markets have to offer you. It's vital to enjoy the process of trading. It's intellectually challenging. You can use your creative abilities to identify trading opportunities, and feel a sense of accomplishment by solving difficult problems. Sometimes you'll win, but many times you will lose. But each trading opportunity has a little something to teach you about yourself, the markets, and trading. It may be just a little thing, like how you can accept taking a loss after a fluke ruined a perfectly good trade.

Enjoy the process of trading. Fight hard; try to overcome every obstacle. But do it because you love it, not because you need to win. If you can step away from the idea that winning is all that matters, you'll be able to control your emotions. When you encounter a setback, you won't experience self-doubt or inadequacy. Instead, you will actively and creatively think about what you can do next. What is the next step you can take to bring you closer to your goals? It's hard to do. In modern society we are driven to win, but ironically, the people who actually win in the long run aren't consumed with winning. They are consumed with the process of trading, honing their skills, and gaining a sense of peace knowing that they have worked to the best of their abilities. They feel satisfied just knowing that they have put in a noble effort.