From the head Sicko..
I have been totally flattened by flu recently, so have not been trading or updating. Today is my first day with a little energy, so I have been trying to catch up a bit on emails and site updates..
I am still too sick to trade, but I thought I would use a little energy that I have this morning to talk about self diagnosing mental state. When this flu first hit me, (Still waiting for the swine test to come back)I was to sick to care with high fevers and debilitating symptoms. I went to the doctor, and they sent me home with tamiflu and some antibiotics to take care of the infection.
After years of looking inwardly and asking “are you objective and stable?”, I felt an immediate shift in mental state when the tamiflu started. Inappropriate anger and depressive feelings that I attributed at first to being in bed in flu misery for a week. I was NOT going to “trade angry” as I have seen first hand in my clients the awesome power for destruction that this can bring. The brain will convince you that all kinds of stupid moves are needed to “get even”
But as I could see again, I looked up the side effects of Tamiflu and found that this is a psychoactive drug with a history of depression and even suicide among its recipients.
We are a nation of prescribed druggies. Being able to know when your mind is unaltered and clear is CRITICAL to long term success as a trader. Look at your feelings and keep a journal of “spikes” if emotional mistakes are a problem for you in your trading. I had an experience once in my one on one consulting practice where a client came to me looking for better consistency. Upon analyzing his trades I found that all his “stupid” losses were in the morning. (Usually before 10:30) I dug and dug and figured out that this gent took several prescriptions in the morning, then washed breakfast down with 16oz of coffee, then drank a red bull at his desk. His brain was so loaded with mind altering chemicals it was no wonder his judgment was inconsistent. This discovery saved him tens of thousands in errors and poor choices. How much are you giving back when there is no need?
Look inward…How are your emotions and thought processes? Is today a day to be trading? That simple question can have a HUGE impact on your returns…It is worth spending some time on!
