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

WINNING ON A LOSING PATH

Amir was one of those traders who blocked his negative feelings. Eventually, he had a stroke that crippled his ability to earn money. He lost all of his assets, including his wife and children. Having neglected his family, he failed to accrue any emotional collateral with them. Although he had provided them with a comfortable life materially, he had lived his life like a bachelor, rarely participating in family activities. To those who knew him casually, Amir appeared to be a happy person. But, those closest to him would describe him as a very intense man.

Amir learned to repress negative feelings early. His father pushed him away as a child when he was crying and told Amir’s mother that she was not allowed to comfort him. Later, Amir witnessed the brutal murder of his father by someone who did not agree with his religious beliefs. Remembering what his father taught him, Amir did not shed a tear. When his mother could not support all three of her children, she sent Amir to live with his uncle in the United States. After graduating from college, Amir worked in his uncle’s factory. Then, a family friend who managed a hedge fund introduced him to trading.

In his professional life, Amir continued to be an expert at blocking negative feelings. This enabled him to follow the trading rules his friend taught him without experiencing negative feelings when the system went into a drawdown. And while he was successful, initially, as a money-making trader, his blocked ...