Many models of cognitive functioning like to use computer analogies.  That can be okay, but has limited utility when you’re actually trying to change something about yourself. The computer model makes sense on some levels, but it is just an analogy, not reality.

Most traders want a quick, easy way to deal with or manage their psychological issues. But the problem is that we are not computers, we don’t run on software. We can’t just un-install the old program and install a new program. In other words, it’s not as simple as listening to a CD with subliminal messages and/or reciting affirmations.  Techniques like affirmations,  even NLP, work best if one has attended to emotional issues first.  If it were as simple as following a few easy steps or doing a certain technique a certain way, then there would be many more consistently profitable traders.

Many of the traders who come to me for assistance have already tried things like NLP or affirmations.  For sustainable personal change that is durable across situations it requires that we first acknowledge and understand how we feel, then we give ourselves the opportunity to adapt our thinking, and with that we finally have the potential to change how we “do” things. The “doing” part may seem like the hardest, but in practice it comes fairly naturally when we learn about our emotions and our thought patterns and create an internal structure for behaving differently. The road to becoming a more disciplined or better trader requires a focus on all three areas: emotions, thinking, and behavior.

And it takes a unique type of inner work to overcome challenges in the mental, emotional, psychological, behavioral (whatever you want to call it) part of your life. The reality is that the inner work that is required is much harder than the outer work (e.g. looking at charts), and it’s also a bit different for each person depending on your unique psychological baggage.

One footnote or caveat that many may not realize, if you’re experiencing a major life stressor (e.g. death of a loved one, marriage ending, major health issue, etc), it’s best to consider taking time off, because some stressors simply need time before one can actively work to resolve them psychologically.