The Only Thing Stronger Than Fear in Trading
You don’t need to eliminate fear—you need to anchor yourself to something that matters more.
Why do I keep doing the one thing I promised myself I wouldn’t do?
Every trader asks themselves this eventually.
You know exactly what you're supposed to do: wait, go away, play your edge.
And yet, in the moment, it slips—and you spiral.
It’s not a knowledge problem.
It’s not a strategy problem.
It’s a human problem.
Because fear’s not going away. But there’s something that can outpower them.
And no, it’s not more discipline.
What your body remembers, your logic can't override.
You’ll never get rid of fear. Or temptation. Or the urge to break your rules when it feels like this time is different.
That part of you that fears losing, fears missing out, fears failing—is not going away.
The work isn’t to extinguish fear. As long as trading matters to you, you’ll feel fear—just like you fear losing anything you deeply value.
The work is to stand next to it with something stronger. Something heavier. Something that reminds you: This matters more.
Think of it like this:
You might fear public speaking, but your desire to inspire others pushes you onto the stage.
You might fear failure, but your commitment to becoming someone you’re proud of makes you try anyway.
You might fear losing money, but your drive to become a disciplined trader gets you to follow your strategy.
Fear only wins when there’s nothing stronger to hold on to.
And that’s why, when your motivation is weak or vague (“I just want to make money and be free”), fear devours you.
Because money—and the fantasy of trading from a beach with a piña colada—isn’t real enough to anchor you when things go wrong.
In this post, you’ll learn:
Why fear and temptation don’t respond to logic
The 5 types of motivation, and which ones hold up under pressure
And how to anchor your process to something emotionally powerful, not logic!
Let’s dive in.