red lotus
breaks through
the ice
blooming in winter
–Terry Chitwood
Many traders live in their heads, embracing their intellect at the expense of their feelings. Encasing their emotions in ice, they view trading and life coldly, relying on reason instead of heart, becoming human computers who lost their souls.
Dance
How can they find souls they don’t know they lost? They can listen to the sound of one toe tapping, and start to dance. Spontaneous dance could restore soul.
Trance
The market dances, moving in a rhythm that hypnotizes traders, putting them in a trance which takes them out of their cognitive orientation. Worshipping the intellect can sometimes be a short-lived phenomenon. Life opposes it.
Wholeness
Passion enflames the soul, burning through the ice, lighting the dark, waking traders up. Giving up the straightjacket of dispassion, traders need to learn to bring all of themselves into their trading. Emotions can motivate, moving traders to adjust their risk, taking certain trades and avoiding others. Feelings can smell bad trades and help you avoid them.
Joy
Splitting off parts of yourself to attempt to bring more trading success can backfire, leaving you burned-out and broke. Accepting all the parts of yourself and involving them in the trade can make the difference between winning and losing – and, more importantly, between joy and frustration.
Photo Credit: Stock photo by holwichaikawee.