Getting Through Difficult Times

Life has a way of dealing out difficult moments and times during a trader's career that affects his trading results. It is not only these unforeseen moments that a trader has to deal with, but it is also unresolved issues of the past. These issues lead to mistakes, inconsistencies and missed opportunities in trading. Even if a trader contingency plans for everything that can go wrong with a strategy for the right action to take in those circumstances, it does not mean that he will adhere to his plan when those circumstances arrive. Traders must be vigilant in recognizing when they are not getting the result they should be getting out of their strategy and what is happening in their lives. Here are some examples:

· Any interruption in the routine of a day

· Significant people in a trader's life becoming ill

· People in a trader's life who are emotionally upset or withdrawn

· Changes in the markets

· Major news events

· Memories of past traumas

Any of these situations can pull you off your trading game and start to create conditioning that goes against your strategy and your profits. Once you recognize any of these situations, look at your contingency plan for what you should do in each situation. For example:

· Take the day/week off or longer until the problem is resolved and it does not affect you emotionally

· Go to the gym

· Face the situation head on

· Seek coaching or counseling

· Revisit your business plan

· Simulate trading until you are back on track

· Go back to basics and trade only an hour a day and take minimum risk until your confidence returns

· Let significant people in your life know how they can help you

· Take more time in the day to sleep and relax

Falling and getting back in the saddle

Carl was a professional trader who was consistent in his profits for three years until his wife decided to work. Carl's wife Sheila decided she would get involved in a multi-level marketing business. At first Carl was very supportive, especially since Sheila had him convinced that she would only be working a few hours a day. Over a period of time she began to run two meetings a day and three a day on weekends in their home.

Sheila's stress and ambition continued to grow as her business grew. The household became a warehouse where people were coming in and out of their home all hours of the day. Even though Carl was in another part of their home, he could hear noise that would interrupt the calm atmosphere that he relied on for his consistent results. Fights led Carl to rent an office out of his home. This process was disturbing to his trading, his marriage and his home life. Within a year after Sheila started her business, she asked for a divorce and for Carl to move out. He did not realize that Sheila was unhappy in the marriage even before she started her career and was looking for an opportunity to feel independent.

Carl attended my Top Performance Seminar to regain his good conditioning and then did private work with me to clear out all of the losses of his life. As difficult as his home situation was for Carl, he is back on track with his trading and a new supportive wife.

While it looks like Sheila was the downfall of the marriage, it was actually Carl who created the problem. His unresolved issues of the past dealing with abandonment created a situation where he was shutting Sheila out of his life.

Conclusion

Sabotage issues can appear in many forms. It is important to recognize and resolve them. Be the trader who is proactive in taking care of any issue that comes up before you have to do a complete overhaul of your life and your trading.

Adrienne Toghraie coaches traders and investors to their next level of success by helping them overcome their self-imposed limitations. She has been a keynote speaker since 1989, author of 13 books, and owner of TradingOnTarget.com