in a trade constantly ask yourself if anything "has tohappen." Obviously, you want the market to go in your direction; however,what I want you to do is monitor how you feel, your Level of commitment towhat has to happen. Remember there is a big difference in perspective between"what is happening” and something that "has to happen.” If you find that yourcommitment levels are rising, keep on telling yourself that it is all right foranything to happen because you are confident in your ability to respondappropriately to whatever does happen.
Ask yourself what can't happen? What can't the market do? When youfind yourself rationalizing the market's behavior to support your position,you are operating in the realm of illusion and setting yourself up for apainful forced awareness. Remember the market can do anything, even takeyour profits away if you allow it. Always take something out of the marketswhen you find yourself in a winning trade.
A question to ask yourself is if you are prepared to give yourself moneytoday. If the answer doesn't come back a resounding yes, then find outwhy before you trade. If you can't reconcile the issue or set it aside, thenyou would be better off not trading, until you do. If you are determined to
182trade anyway, at the very least make a substantial reduction in the numberof contracts you normally trade.
When you find yourself focused on the monetary value of a trade insteadof the structure of the market (i.e., what the trade is worth to you in dollarterms, dreams, goals, and so forth instead of what the market is telling youabout its potential to move in any given direction) then assume you aredistorting or avoiding certain information and either don't put the trade onor take what you have off until you become more objective.
183CHAPTER 17Final Note
Even after you have learned all of the skills set forth in this book, at somepoint in time it will probably occur to you that your trading is simply afeedback mechanism to tell you how much you like yourself in any givenmoment. After you have learned to trust yourself to always act in your bestinterests, the only thing that will hold you back is your degree of self-valuation. That is, you will give yourself an amount of money that directlycorresponds with what you believe you deserve based on some value systemyou acquired at some point in your life. The more positive you feel aboutyourself, the more abundance that will naturally flow your way as a by-product of these positive feelings. So, in essence, to give yourself moremoney as a trader you need to identify, change or decharge anything in yourmental environment that doesn't contribute to the highest degree of self-valuation that is possible. What's possible? Stay focused on what you need tolearn, do the work that is necessary, and your belief in what is possible willnaturally expand as a function of your willingness to adapt.
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