Leveraging Your Competitive Nature in Trading
5 Ways to Channel Your Competitive Nature into Trading Success
Even on the toughest days, when the odds are stacked against you, true competitors find a way to push through.
Think about Michael Jordan in his iconic "Flu Game"—despite being severely ill, he pushed his body to the limit and delivered a game-winning performance.
That same fire, that hunger to win, is what drives many traders coming from competitive backgrounds like sports, business, and even high-stakes professions like law.
In sports, athletes have more control over the variables. They can push through pain, adjust their strategy on the fly, and still come out on top.
Traders bring that same mindset to the markets, thinking, “I will not give up; I will end the day in green.” But that doesn’t usually work as well as it did for Michael Jordan. Why? Well, the markets don’t respond to willpower the way athletic performance does.
So, does this mean you have to dial back your competitive nature to be a better trader?
Not at all.
The problem isn’t your competitive spirit—it’s how you're using it.
Our focus goes to the goals we set for ourselves.
For traders, that is the intention set before each session:
If you come in wanting to end the day in green, you’ll struggle to cope well with loss.
If you come in wanting to give your best execution regardless of the session’s result, you’ll cope well with winning, losing, breaking even, or even taking no trades for that day at all.
Being highly competitive can be both the best and the most toxic trait in trading. When you learn how to channel that energy the right way, it drives outstanding trading performance. I’ve seen it with many of my clients, with Corey from last Saturday’s webinar being a great example.
In this post, I’m going to show you five powerful ways to leverage your competitive nature in trading—so you can utilize it in a way that both fulfills you and enhances performance.
Ready?
Let’s dive in!