Most everyone who has a passion for trading would like to experience exceptional results consistently. Very few, however, will do what is necessary to reach this level of success. Excellence requires a high level of trust in a strategy and in yourself and then goes one step beyond that. I think of it as the “Let go, let God” method. You see many examples of this in champion levels of sports, the performing arts and in science. While the prize of greatness is tempting, it is not for everyone. Those who not only want to conquer their technique but also are willing to conquer themselves are few.

A Diamond in the Rough

Ray came from a neighborhood on the Chicago south side where if you graduated from high school it was considered a major achievement. His parents were both factory workers who had a strong work ethic, which they passed on to their son. While this was an admirable inheritance, they also believed that you should not expect too much out of life. This protected them from disappointment.

Ray was saved from a life of being in a gang because his parents encouraged him to be active in their church. He was at a meeting with another church group from the better side of town when he met Matt. They instantly became buddies. Matt’s father was a floor trader and took both his son and Ray under his wing to teach them the trading business. Ray’s work ethic was good for Matt and Matt’s mantra that the sky was the limit was good for Ray. Eventually, they both became good floor traders. While Ray was happy with his new station in life, there was a part of him that knew that he wanted to be like the best traders.

I spoke at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange where both Matt and Ray attended. Matt made fun of what I had to say and wanted to leave, but Ray encouraged him to stay and listen. My workshop led to Ray purchasing my course and taking my Trader’s Evaluation. What we discovered was that while Ray had many attributes that would sustain good trading practices, he limited his success by some of the beliefs he inherited from his parents. I worked with Ray privately without Matt knowing about it. Ray began to show extraordinary results, which he tried to keep undercover from Matt. Several of Ray’s colleagues noticed that Ray was taking larger positions that became winners and wanted to know what the reason was for his good results. These were traders who were too busy with happy hour to come to my workshop. Ray just said that he was becoming more comfortable taking larger risk.

After taking all I had to offer, Ray called me and said that he wanted to kick it up a notch because he was still leaving money on the table. In my twenty-one year career, I have had less than twenty people who wanted to take trading to the highest level. For the next three years we worked one to two days each year. Now Ray is one of those elite traders who lives on the edge between excellence and mastery.

The Superconscious Mind

When I work with a trader privately for the first time, my main focus is on eliminating the self-sabotage that comes from past issues. If and when I see a person privately a second time, we work on any residual self-sabotage issues that come between them and their next level of success. If they are ready and willing, we take it to the next performance level by working on the superconscious mind. Part of this can entail reprogramming core values of the past such as how they see themselves as traders who are willing to accept mastery in their lives. Now, it is important to note that this is not for everyone, because this can dramatically change every part of a person’s life.
For Ray going for a state of mastery was not an issue. He did not have a wife and children and other members of his family were on board for any changes for the better he wanted to make. It did, however, affect his relationship with his friend Matt. While Matt would claim that he believed that the sky was the limit, he did not believe it for himself and he was uncomfortable that Matt had achieved it without him.

Conclusion

If trading mastery is your goal, realize that it is not a path for everyone. It takes not only being an exceptional trader but also mastering yourself.

For Adrienne’s Calendar of Events go to www.TradingOnTarget.com

ADRIENNE is considered an expert by her peers in the financial community for coaching traders, brokers, and investors to their next level of success. Her 11books on the psychology of trading have been highly praised by financial magazines.  Adrienne’s public seminars and private counseling have achieved a wide levelof recognition and popularity, as well as her television appearances and keynote addresses at major industry conferences.

Adrienne has coached some of the most successful people in the world.  What makes these great people unique?  What makes them so successful? The answers to these and other questions are explored in her seminars, books, CDs, and DVDs, which form the core of Adrienne’s Modeling Excellence work with professionals who want to reach higher levels of success.