The whole concept of self help is making your trading career miserable. Let’s change that.

This has been a topic that has been on my mind quite a bit, and I want to begin with saying that self-help “it’s not necessarily a bad thing”.

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However, the motivation and insights you gain from self-help books need to be directed properly in your trading activities, and your day to day life.

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The problem with self-help in trading.

We both know the countless amount of self-help books or guides we have bought, expecting them to change our lives. We have all joined numerous groups/discords - sharing an abundance of books we haven’t even read ourselves.

We end being trapped in this vicious cycle where we read for good intentions, but end up continuing just to feel good about ourselves.

This is what I like to call “mental masturbation“

It is these quick releases of dopamine kicks, feeling good about yourself being you are “reading about improving“ - without actually improving yourself.

To make it click - Reading to feel good about yourself, to feel like you are actually improving that is.

It is no different in trading, we are faced with this roadblock, and decide to then enter the paradigm of self-development to attempt to succumb this problem, this blockage. This is purely due to our nature of collecting these hits of dopamine instead of enforcing a long period of endurance - without dopamine rushes.

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Help versus improvement - what are the differences?

We rely on external factors to help us, to motivate us. It becomes this general practice where all we do is seek motivation.

Now this is where partial truths come to play - as Goggin’s says “ fuck your motivation, all you need is discipline”

It may be true, but it stems deeper than just discipline, but let’s get into that later.

The motivation we get is useful if you know how to evaluate it, this is done in three steps:

• We become motivated - using this as our initial momentum for our discipline
• We are given a concept that can help improve us, change us
• We are taught how to implement that concept to improve and change us

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Now here is the catch - IMPLEMENTATION → IMPROVEMENT

That’s the big difference between the two; help acts as motivation, which is temporary - short lived. It is unsustainable. Whereas improvement is the actual implementation of these self-help concepts.

→ In trading

Traders often seek external sources of motivation to guide their actions and strategies. This reliance can manifest in various forms, such as following market gurus, subscribing to trading signals, or being swayed by market news. The general practice becomes one of seeking motivation, hoping it will lead to success

So lets re-imagine those three bullit points now applied to trading:

1. Initial Motivation: Use initial excitement as momentum for trading discipline.
2. Conceptual Insight: Learn and evaluate trading strategies and principles.
3. Consistent Application: Implement strategies consistently to achieve continuous improvement.

So in short - it is the disciplined implementation of sound strategies and concepts that leads to long-term success and improvement. This transition from seeking motivation to cultivating discipline and continuous learning is crucial in navigating the complexities.
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What catches you off guard.

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Not everything you do with good heart will actually help you - It is not created equal.

You have to accept the fact that not every concept will work for you. You and I are different, we are wired differently, and all have our own unique ways.

With every concept, you must try it out yourself, stick to it as it’s designed to, and then see whether or not it works for you. I see this in trading/exercise/mindset so many times. Individuals failing to stick to habits/trading styles/gym routines and then “calling quits“ ; bashing that "self help” just because it didn’t work for them.

Moral of that side - Don’t give up. Don’t just try it for a day, decide it sucks, and move onto the next concept. Learn, implement and reflect. If you don’t you will be in a continuous hindrance with yourself, which catches you off guard.
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Awareness and experience.

Let’s circle back and tie it all together. True improvement comes from being aware that there is something that can be improved. “always room for improvement“ - which we hear so often. This improvement is then solidified, and implement as you take action. Experience. Exposure to the problem.

You are given a guide, a concept. This means you are aware of a problem you have or a solution you don’t have yet.

You then follow the steps to implement that improvement - experience. After a given amount of time, you either moved further away from an issue, or got closer to implement a solution.

If remained stagnant in that position, your awareness will kick in again. Continuous cycle of improvement.

Any of these concepts merely act as a boost of your awareness. They are not the solution yourself - the implementation of them, in conjunction with your bettered awareness is what will grant the changes you desire.
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→ In trading

Show me any good trader which you aspire to be like the doesn’t have the eagerness to continuously improve their life - Natural tinkers, endless pursuit in the game. There is no such thing as a plateau in this space. You are constantly adapting, and improving

Quoted by Dan Koe;

Your business will suffer if you don’t improve yourself as your business grows.

Your relationships will suffer if you don’t improve yourself as they grow.

Your health will suffer if you aren’t aware of the hidden problems it is causing.

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