Chapter 14
Comfort in Pain
This story was related to me recently by a trader named Joe.
“Success makes me uncomfortable. For years I’ve been telling my family and myself that my life goal is to be a successful trader. But, the truth is that the moment I get too close to my goal, I sabotage my trading so that I can feel comfortable again. And the part that scares me the most is that the pain does not put me off. In fact, if I were to be completely honest, I’d have to say that I feel comfort in the pain.”
If Joe were the only trader who found comfort in pain, it would be an interesting anecdote. However, far too many traders feel the same internal conflict that Joe feels as soon as he begins to approach the feelings of fulfillment and satisfaction. Suddenly, he is drawn to the darker side of his life, the place that feels right to him.
One of the most powerful foes a trader must face is his own comfort in pain. What feels comfortable and secure can also be the one thing a trader must avoid. Since the natural human tendency is to go toward comfort and away from discomfort, this attraction to the feeling of pain presents a trader with a great conflict: Should he be uncomfortable by avoiding the thing (pain) that makes him feel comfort or should he feel comfort by adhering to the thing that brings him pain?
