I REALLY DON’T WANT TO SUCCEED

No one ever says that they don’t want to succeed! And yet, that is one of the principle motivations for making poor decisions. It is difficult for anyone to know or admit on a conscious level that he is sabotaging his espoused goals. Most of the time, we simply cannot see what is actually happening. We are so busy telling ourselves and others that we are ambitious, motivated, and hungering for success. But underneath all of the bravado can be a fearful or guilty or self-loathing child who does not believe that he can or should attain his goals.

A childhood filled with instability, poverty and want, anger and violence, or constant criticism can create in the unconscious mind of an adult trader a comfort zone that does not include images of a successful life or the attainment of his dreams.

Sometimes, however, the underlying cause of a trader’s failure to create a self-image of success can arise from a single traumatic incident in his developing years. Often, a trader has put the memory of that incident so far out of his consciousness that he does not even recall it. The loss of a competition, the breakup of a first romance, the public criticism by a teacher or authority figure—these are all potential deal breakers for anyone who is particularly vulnerable emotionally at that moment.

For a trader, one of those experiences that can undermine your image of yourself as a decision maker is a devastating loss from a trading mistake. Failure to pull the trigger ...

Get Trading on Target: How to Cultivate a Winner's State of Mind now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.