10 Signs of Perfectionism In Trading
Is perfectionism killing your trading results?
Listen to the audio version of this newsletter at the end of the post.
In this week’s newsletter:
How is perfectionism slowly killing your trading results;
The perfectionist's common trading mistakes;
Find out if you’re a perfectionist trader by knowing the 10 signs;
2 simple technical tips to not let perfectionism affect your trading;
3 action plans to quit perfectionism in trading and feel good enough;
Task of the week.
There’s a big difference between achieving your full potential as a trader and striving for perfection.
Perfectionism is not aiming for excellence. It’s not about healthy achievement, growth, or internal motivation. Perfectionism is a defensive mechanism to minimize guilt, shame, and criticism.
Consider your inner dialogue after a mistake, loss, or missed trade. Would you say those things to a friend? Be honest. How do you think your friend would feel?
Take a moment to answer…
If you're thinking, "Absolutely not; it would be inappropriate and unkind. I wouldn't treat anyone that way," then… why are you doing it to yourself?
It’s very likely that you suffer from perfectionism. And yes, I say “suffer”. There's a dark side to perfectionism that doesn’t get much attention in our society. It’s seen as an honorable trait but it’s just self-destructive simply because perfect is unreal and unattainable.
So today, I want to explore the dark side of perfectionism and how it negatively impacts trading execution.