Trading on Target: How to Cultivate a Winner's State of Mind

WHY NOT MAKE A TURNAROUND DECISION?

If the mere act of making a decision to turn around a situation can start the ball rolling in the right direction that very same day, there should be a veritable stampede to be the first in line to make that life-altering decision. But, as far as I can see, there is no stampede. The problem is that the very people most in need of making a decision are the very ones least likely to do so. Why? If you find yourself unable or unwilling to make a decision to create a needed or wanted change in your life, perhaps you will see yourself in one or more of the following issues.

“It’s hopeless.”

When things look especially bad, many traders are so overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness that the very act of making a decision to turn the situation around is beyond their capacity to act. They lack the will because they no longer believe that they have the power to influence the outcome. Call it a failure of imagination, if you will. But, it also comes from a lack of perspective. When we are so close to a situation, we tend to be only aware of the problems, the failures, the obstacles, the pain, the loss, and the inevitable catastrophic end. If we can pull back and gain perspective, we may be able to see that the situation still has escape routes, solutions, or even opportunities embedded in it.

There is an old saying: When you get nervous, you get stupid! When people are filled with anxiety and fear, they are no longer able to access their creative intelligence. ...