Mastering Challenges in Your Stock Market Investing
We know that there is no easy quick-fix to developing wealth.
How many of you who are in salaried employment moved straight from no experience to a position of seniority and expertise in whatever field you chose to work in.
Chances are that path was slow, you may well have had to study either formally in an education institution or through a period of on the job training and supervision.
There were undoubtedly times when you hit problems...
problems with learning the next skill that seemed so difficult, problems on the job when unexpected things occurred that were new experiences for you, and perhaps times when you had to deal with difficult situations.
Although often tough, these situations will have contributed to your growth as an employee, gave you invaluable experiences that you could draw on in the future and potentially created the opportunity for promotion and reward.
Why then should your investing journey be any different? Why do some expect wealth to drop easily into their lap? The reality is that most people will not become wealthy because they will either perceive that starting that the journey is too difficult (or in other words too much of a problem).
The majority that do overcome that first set of problems and actually start soon give up when faced with new problems and realise that perhaps it is not the quick fix that they seem to feel is their right, subsequently give up and go onto the next doomed scheme which again will be short lived in duration when problems occur.
'Problems', as we term them, are a fact of life, necessary for growth of us as individuals, communities and the human race in its entirety.
Every new invention, life-saving drug, life-changing discovery has occurred because someone, somewhere, sometime identified a problem and chose to find a solution.
Problems may serve a protective function to highlight things we need to know or do, and the reality of it all in simple terms is that the only time you will no longer have 'problems' is when you are feeding worms and no longer on this mortal coil.
So on to taking the context of problem management and applying key concepts to your trading.
What may constitute a trading problem? The obvious is a trade that has gone wrong way resulting a capital loss, this may be over a number of trades.
Often this is too simplistic.
In broader terms i would like to suggest that a trading problem is not only the above but rather anything that effects your ability to have a plan, trade a plan or reviewing your plan in the way you KNOW you should do.
Any deficit, in any of these three areas can result in a capital loss.
Invariably it is this rather than a hunt for the holy grail of technical indicator to add to your game that will make a difference on a sustained basis.
Let us start with probably the number one key issue, that of your attitude to trading problems.
There are essentially one of two camps you will fall in.
Firstly you can perceive problems that occur in your trading as a threat of, or actual, loss of something important, something to beat yourself about or worse attach the blame to others.
Perhaps you see these problems as a threat to your competence becoming fearful of continuing to invest, devastating not just your capital, but more damaging going forward, your trading self-esteem.
The second, and one could strongly suggest, more constructive way to look at trading problems is to develop an attitude of that mentioned earlier, to see it as necessary for your trading growth, an indication that something could and should be better in your trading game if you want sustained success.
Examples of such could be identifying a gap in knowledge or the way you organise yourself when trading, or simply the need to follow through on a trading plan you have developed.
The attitude here is one of building your trading 'muscle' so you can remain strong and do the right thing in any market.
The law of natural selection is based on the survival of the fittest.
Applying that concept to your trading should you not strive be as fit as possible? Of course this makes sense and here's the fact, it is experiencing, identifying and addressing problems that will provide you with that trading fitness to not only survive, as many traders wont, but also thrive on a sustained basis.
I have a close friend who i play football with on a weekend.
This guy is incredibly fit, with the enviable sculptured frame.
I asked him how did he develop the 'look', fitness, confidence and stamina that allows him to perform at such a high level on the pitch.
He outlined his regime of daily nutrition and fitness regime suggesting that he has developed over a substantial period of time having to work hard pushing weights and exercising through his previous resistance levels.
Without going into too much detail the key word I figured is the concept of pushing through resistance, without this he would not have developed the muscle and stamina that he has today.
So bringing this analogy back to your trading practice, seeing problems that you encounter in your trading practice as resistance that you MUST push against and conquer, to build your trading decision-making muscle seems logically the only way you can move to the next level of success.
Think for a moment in terms of where you have come from to date as a trader.
Things you once saw as problematic, perhaps a concept you found difficult to grasp, may now no longer be a problem.
What was probably difficult for you before, is now easy, as you have pushed against the resistance initially created by the problem.
The only reason you were to get to a place of mastering that problem was an attitude that enabled you to push through.
That attitude in turn enabled you to make good choices and adopt the behaviours necessary to develop sufficient trading muscle to overcome any barrier that our first group of individuals would never have achieved.
With this weight of evidence behind this concept here is a five step approach to dealing with those trading problems and develop decision-making muscles to serve you for a lifetime of trading.
It is of course right to acknowledge that there is a problem so perhaps 20% of your focus should be on this (we will talk about this next) but at least 80% of your focus should be on how you can use this problem to find a solution that you will be able this time AND in even similar circumstance going forward.
This is how you will develop real trading POWER.
See the meaning of the problem as a necessary even if it is a little painful financially) as way you can grow..
forever.
Remind yourself of how breaking through previous problems have served you well and how good it feels to master something you once found hard.
You may have to change your language to put your mind in the right place to deal with it.
Although I have and will continue to use the word 'problem', to use the term challenge may be helpful.
The way you talk about a loss may also be worth exploring.
We know that keeping any loss in any trade small in terms of dollars is the path to sustained success.
Hence this is a good trade! If a loss isn't small you could use something like 'a trade that i could have improved on' rather than a devastating loss (or whatever internal language you currently use).
To help you here is a suggestion.
Separate a page into 2 columns.
In the first write the current language you are using, internally or as you describe the trade to others.
In the second write the alternative that will serve you better.
Ask yourself some good questions, rather than why does this keep happening to me (and by the way if this is your question then chances are it will keep happening to you), ask yourself how can i use this situation to become a better trader.
Again you need to avoid behaviours that will not serve you.
To bury your head in the sand, hope the situation will go away, is likely to result in not only a potential extension of your capital loss in this trade but also is likely to occur again and again.
You MUST take responsibility, be accurate in your assessment of what has happened and the extent of the problem and see it for what it could become if you choose not to address it NOW.
This will give you the right platform for effectively managing your situation
What emotions do you let run riot? what is your posture like? Do these contribute to good decisions moving forward to address the problem? If like many these don't then changing your 'state' is essential.
Producing a good personal 'state' for trading involves:
Stephen Covey (7 habits of highly effective people) discusses the need to realign daily with your goals...
this is no different in your trading context.
d.
Hunt the problem To breakthrough your current problem and to provide you with the strength to ensure you can anticipate and deal with similar situations in the future you need to vigorously and with what the scientific community call rigor ALL potential solutions.
Then and only then can you move forward with your plan A, and of course if plan A doesn't work to give you your breakthrough then developing a list of potential solutions should give you a Plan B ready to try immediately.
It may be an attitudinal, behavioural or educational solution or even perhaps a combination solution of a number of different actions.
e.
Develop certainty for the future Developing certainty is a necessity to make optimum decisions on a sustained basis.
The POWER created by knowing exactly what to do when faced with a problem is key to positive outcomes in your trading career.
If you can learn to successfully deal with trading problems how good will it make you feel to KNOW that whatever happens in your trading career you KNOW what to do! The position of POWER, EXCITEMENT and POSITIVE OUTLOOK that being in this place is surely worth choosing to take ACTION.
How many of you who are in salaried employment moved straight from no experience to a position of seniority and expertise in whatever field you chose to work in.
Chances are that path was slow, you may well have had to study either formally in an education institution or through a period of on the job training and supervision.
There were undoubtedly times when you hit problems...
problems with learning the next skill that seemed so difficult, problems on the job when unexpected things occurred that were new experiences for you, and perhaps times when you had to deal with difficult situations.
Although often tough, these situations will have contributed to your growth as an employee, gave you invaluable experiences that you could draw on in the future and potentially created the opportunity for promotion and reward.
Why then should your investing journey be any different? Why do some expect wealth to drop easily into their lap? The reality is that most people will not become wealthy because they will either perceive that starting that the journey is too difficult (or in other words too much of a problem).
The majority that do overcome that first set of problems and actually start soon give up when faced with new problems and realise that perhaps it is not the quick fix that they seem to feel is their right, subsequently give up and go onto the next doomed scheme which again will be short lived in duration when problems occur.
'Problems', as we term them, are a fact of life, necessary for growth of us as individuals, communities and the human race in its entirety.
Every new invention, life-saving drug, life-changing discovery has occurred because someone, somewhere, sometime identified a problem and chose to find a solution.
Problems may serve a protective function to highlight things we need to know or do, and the reality of it all in simple terms is that the only time you will no longer have 'problems' is when you are feeding worms and no longer on this mortal coil.
So on to taking the context of problem management and applying key concepts to your trading.
What may constitute a trading problem? The obvious is a trade that has gone wrong way resulting a capital loss, this may be over a number of trades.
Often this is too simplistic.
In broader terms i would like to suggest that a trading problem is not only the above but rather anything that effects your ability to have a plan, trade a plan or reviewing your plan in the way you KNOW you should do.
Any deficit, in any of these three areas can result in a capital loss.
Invariably it is this rather than a hunt for the holy grail of technical indicator to add to your game that will make a difference on a sustained basis.
Let us start with probably the number one key issue, that of your attitude to trading problems.
There are essentially one of two camps you will fall in.
Firstly you can perceive problems that occur in your trading as a threat of, or actual, loss of something important, something to beat yourself about or worse attach the blame to others.
Perhaps you see these problems as a threat to your competence becoming fearful of continuing to invest, devastating not just your capital, but more damaging going forward, your trading self-esteem.
The second, and one could strongly suggest, more constructive way to look at trading problems is to develop an attitude of that mentioned earlier, to see it as necessary for your trading growth, an indication that something could and should be better in your trading game if you want sustained success.
Examples of such could be identifying a gap in knowledge or the way you organise yourself when trading, or simply the need to follow through on a trading plan you have developed.
The attitude here is one of building your trading 'muscle' so you can remain strong and do the right thing in any market.
The law of natural selection is based on the survival of the fittest.
Applying that concept to your trading should you not strive be as fit as possible? Of course this makes sense and here's the fact, it is experiencing, identifying and addressing problems that will provide you with that trading fitness to not only survive, as many traders wont, but also thrive on a sustained basis.
I have a close friend who i play football with on a weekend.
This guy is incredibly fit, with the enviable sculptured frame.
I asked him how did he develop the 'look', fitness, confidence and stamina that allows him to perform at such a high level on the pitch.
He outlined his regime of daily nutrition and fitness regime suggesting that he has developed over a substantial period of time having to work hard pushing weights and exercising through his previous resistance levels.
Without going into too much detail the key word I figured is the concept of pushing through resistance, without this he would not have developed the muscle and stamina that he has today.
So bringing this analogy back to your trading practice, seeing problems that you encounter in your trading practice as resistance that you MUST push against and conquer, to build your trading decision-making muscle seems logically the only way you can move to the next level of success.
Think for a moment in terms of where you have come from to date as a trader.
Things you once saw as problematic, perhaps a concept you found difficult to grasp, may now no longer be a problem.
What was probably difficult for you before, is now easy, as you have pushed against the resistance initially created by the problem.
The only reason you were to get to a place of mastering that problem was an attitude that enabled you to push through.
That attitude in turn enabled you to make good choices and adopt the behaviours necessary to develop sufficient trading muscle to overcome any barrier that our first group of individuals would never have achieved.
With this weight of evidence behind this concept here is a five step approach to dealing with those trading problems and develop decision-making muscles to serve you for a lifetime of trading.
- Examine the meaning you are attaching to problems in your trading practice.
It is of course right to acknowledge that there is a problem so perhaps 20% of your focus should be on this (we will talk about this next) but at least 80% of your focus should be on how you can use this problem to find a solution that you will be able this time AND in even similar circumstance going forward.
This is how you will develop real trading POWER.
See the meaning of the problem as a necessary even if it is a little painful financially) as way you can grow..
forever.
Remind yourself of how breaking through previous problems have served you well and how good it feels to master something you once found hard.
You may have to change your language to put your mind in the right place to deal with it.
Although I have and will continue to use the word 'problem', to use the term challenge may be helpful.
The way you talk about a loss may also be worth exploring.
We know that keeping any loss in any trade small in terms of dollars is the path to sustained success.
Hence this is a good trade! If a loss isn't small you could use something like 'a trade that i could have improved on' rather than a devastating loss (or whatever internal language you currently use).
To help you here is a suggestion.
Separate a page into 2 columns.
In the first write the current language you are using, internally or as you describe the trade to others.
In the second write the alternative that will serve you better.
Ask yourself some good questions, rather than why does this keep happening to me (and by the way if this is your question then chances are it will keep happening to you), ask yourself how can i use this situation to become a better trader.
- Develop trading honesty
Again you need to avoid behaviours that will not serve you.
To bury your head in the sand, hope the situation will go away, is likely to result in not only a potential extension of your capital loss in this trade but also is likely to occur again and again.
You MUST take responsibility, be accurate in your assessment of what has happened and the extent of the problem and see it for what it could become if you choose not to address it NOW.
This will give you the right platform for effectively managing your situation
- Review your trading state
What emotions do you let run riot? what is your posture like? Do these contribute to good decisions moving forward to address the problem? If like many these don't then changing your 'state' is essential.
Producing a good personal 'state' for trading involves:
- being aligned with purpose,
- trading according to your plan
- and a determination and discipline to follow through on any actions you need to take.
Stephen Covey (7 habits of highly effective people) discusses the need to realign daily with your goals...
this is no different in your trading context.
d.
Hunt the problem To breakthrough your current problem and to provide you with the strength to ensure you can anticipate and deal with similar situations in the future you need to vigorously and with what the scientific community call rigor ALL potential solutions.
Then and only then can you move forward with your plan A, and of course if plan A doesn't work to give you your breakthrough then developing a list of potential solutions should give you a Plan B ready to try immediately.
It may be an attitudinal, behavioural or educational solution or even perhaps a combination solution of a number of different actions.
e.
Develop certainty for the future Developing certainty is a necessity to make optimum decisions on a sustained basis.
The POWER created by knowing exactly what to do when faced with a problem is key to positive outcomes in your trading career.
- It will enable you to celebrate on a sustained basis your progress and successes.
There is no greater motivator going forward than success.
Additionally knowing that you have successfully dealt with one problem, the experience of working through it irrespective of the pain will undoubtedly serve you in terms of process when different problems arise in the future. - It will enable you to express gratitude.
Many authors these days in the personal development field discuss the positive mindset the ability to be thankful for what you have and who you are.
A reminder of this through expressing gratitude helps to create the belief systems and self-esteem that means that you are developing strength as a trader on a continuous basis. - Serve as a reminder about key landmarks, and more importantly the trading purposes you have already been able to tick off as achieved.
This is where you will draw strength from when you set more adventurous trading purposes for your future. - Enable you to recognise problems as something to use rather than something to fear
If you can learn to successfully deal with trading problems how good will it make you feel to KNOW that whatever happens in your trading career you KNOW what to do! The position of POWER, EXCITEMENT and POSITIVE OUTLOOK that being in this place is surely worth choosing to take ACTION.
