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Trading in a Higher Psychological Sphere
Top-notch traders trade in a higher
psychological sphere. Trading is a peak experience where
everything seems to click. Winning traders trade in the
zone. They reach a psychological state that is
inherently rewarding. The more you can reach this higher
psychological sphere, the more profitable you will trade
in the long run.
How does one
trade in a higher psychological sphere? It's vital that
you satisfy lower order needs, such as a need for
self-esteem or recognition, so that you can focus on
satisfying higher order psychological needs, such as
self-actualization and self-fulfillment. For example,
when trying to satisfy a need for self-esteem or
recognition, one may think that becoming a success will
help him or her feel safe, secure, and loved. This
belief can cause major problems when trading, for a
variety of reasons. First, placing too much emphasis on
the outcome is bound to be distracting. Second,
believing all your needs will be satisfied through
trading will likely increase your fear, anxiety, and
tension. Third, these unpleasant and distracting
emotions will tend to interfere with your accurate
assessment of market conditions and disrupt any
clear-headed decision making, hurting your performance
and creating a vicious circle of defeat.
What motivates
your trading? Do you trade to satisfy social and
emotional needs? Do you trade primarily to increase your
feelings of safety and security? How do you remedy the
situation if you are trying to satisfy these lower-order
needs? To remedy this, consider satisfying your safety
and security needs in other ways. For example, you could
set lower standards for your lifestyle. Trying to
maintain a rich, luxurious lifestyle will almost
certainly interfere with your trading success. Most
successful traders report they have settled into a
lifestyle that does not depend very much, if at all, on
their trading success.
Other social
needs that may interfere with your trading performance,
and should be addressed outside of trading, include the
desire for friendship, affection, and love. Some
individuals believe that trading is going to improve
their ability to form satisfying relationships. For
example, many people believe that if they had enough
money, their relationships would be far more satisfying.
Although this seems reasonable, it is a fallacy. Wealthy
people are no better at gaining love and affection than
poor people. If you are hoping that your relationships
will improve when you make more money through trading,
you are mistaken. It's a far better approach to limit
your trading activity and take other steps to develop
more satisfying relationships.
You may also
trade because you desire recognition, appreciation,
prestige, and status. It's true that some individuals
may give additional respect to those who have a lot of
money, but not everyone cares. In addition, needing
others' respect can be very difficult and disappointing.
In the end, the road to happiness and success involves
having respect for yourself. If you are hoping that you
will somehow gain respect through making a bunch of
winning trades, you will almost certainly be
disappointed, and this drive for respect and continuing
disappointment will interfere with a higher sphere of
existence.
Transforming the
trading experience into an optimal experience may not be
easy, but it's something that the most profitable
traders have achieved and sustain. Make sure that your
social and emotional needs are satisfied outside of
trading, and that you are able to focus intensely on the
trading experience itself. If you can do so, you'll find
trading interesting, enjoyable and engaging, and trade
in a higher psychological sphere.
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