The Hot Seat: Adapt or BurnSo, you've found yourself squarely in the hot seat.
Welcome to the Trading Trail, Dorothy—except this isn’t Kansas, and you’re lightyears from home.
This is new terrain, uncharted and merciless. In prior episodes, I barely skimmed over the dark side of trading—the facets of your psyche that stealthily pilot your decisions. Perhaps it left you sighing, unsure of where to begin. Let's change that today.
Consider this a no-frills exposé into the abyss—the countless unseen facets of your being that dictate your behavior on autopilot. As traders, many scream manipulation as markets sway violently against their carefully plotted plans. Yet, all the market truly does is wield a figurative hot pogo stick, jabbing precisely where your weak points lie—not maliciously, but with unerring precision.
Let’s be honest.
Western Hollywood scripts spoon-feed us formulaic redemption arcs. Fifteen minutes in, the hero lands their mission. Fifteen minutes before the credits roll, the final showdown begins.
Tomato, tomahto—it’s predictable fluff.
But real life doesn’t stick to screenplay rules. It’s jagged, it’s raw, and the narrative rarely ties up neatly. If you’re seeking depth, you won’t find it in blockbuster tropes—you’ll find it by doxxing your own dark side.
That’s right—exposing the facets of yourself you don’t even realize exist. It’s intense, it’s uncomfortable, but it’s transformative.
Here's a quick roll call of scenarios you might recognize:
- You close your trade prematurely due to impatience and wavering conviction.
- You've DCA'd your account into oblivion, clutching blind hope from a TA analysis you were too stubborn to question—aka Disney goggles.
- Revenge trading—you've been there, too. We all have.
Here’s the brutal truth: every “loss” is nothing more than the market holding up a mirror to your imbalances. Every poke, every jab, is a lesson about you.
Your job isn’t to whine about manipulation, but to analyze yourself. Figure out where you are falling short, because the longer you deny your flaws, the deeper that pogo stick sears into your psyche. Embrace the battlefield; don’t cower. The market is your adversary, yes—but it’s also your greatest teacher.
Now, the million-dollar question—where do you begin?
Start by delving into the layers of yourself.
Explore tools like the Myers-Briggs personality test—it’s one type of gateway to understanding your cognitive tendencies.
Answer impulsively, not meticulously, to ensure untainted results.
Once you unearth your MBTI type, dive deeper. YouTube has a treasure trove of creators offering insights, and here’s a quirky trick: pay attention to the memes that resonate with your dark humor—if it makes you laugh, it may hold clues to your personality type.
Go further. Unearth whether you align with alpha, beta, gamma, or sigma archetypes. And don’t cheat—being an alpha isn’t necessary for trading success. Honesty is paramount. The market will sniff out dishonesty like a bloodhound.
Are you a Heyoka empath? Research it thoroughly, as such individuals often absorb and act under external influences. Understanding this facet could shield your portfolio from emotional sway.
Perhaps astrology speaks to you.
If it does, approach it with sophistication—understanding your sun, moon, and ascendant sign is merely scratching the surface.
True mastery lies in uncovering the full depth of your natal chart through the myriad systems that exist.
Trading and astrology, though seemingly worlds apart, share a startling resemblance: both rely heavily on indicators, and both are prone to human inconsistency.
Ultimately, explore yourself as though you’re reconstructing a high-performance machine.
What happens when your rev limiter is in the red, the tires gripping the pavement at 144mph—do you fishtail with control or spin into oblivion?
That’s trading in its essence, but you’re motionless in a chair, adrenaline pumping, palms sweating.
The goal?
Serenity.
No matter whether you rake in gains or cut losses, your micro-expression remains unchanged—
neutral and poised. Not numb or robotic, but wholesome and unshakeable.
When you embrace this awareness, you transform. You shed skin like a serpent, emerging sharp, agile, and complete.
Suddenly, the market loses its fangs.
You dodge the pogo stick like a lethal machine, executing trades with finesse.
You stop being a victim, instead becoming a warrior.
The market ceases to intimidate, recognizing you as an equal contender.
There are countless tools to learn more about yourself. Skip the IQ tests—this isn’t about being book-smart.
Explore psychological tests, data intake styles, and sensory preferences.
What works for others may not work for you, and that’s okay. Clarity is the key.
And before you dive in each day, try the Human Benchmark website—a simple way to check your mental acuity.
If you’re off your game, sleep.
The trade can wait.
Finally, ponder the Dark Triad—a concept that brushes against psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. It’s not just a speculative theory—it exists all around us.
Are you one?
Are you dealing with one?
Knowing yourself will sharpen your moral compass and guide your decisions in the battlefield.
Trading isn’t just a skill.
It’s an intimate confrontation with your entire self—the good, the bad, and the shadowy. And like any great narrative, the real depth doesn’t come from shortcuts—it comes from the untamed, unvarnished truth.
Craft
