Who is ready for a smarter, more strategic approach to trading that will grow your portfolio? We all are! Are you also ready to overcome the four fears of trading? The answer, of course, is yes – especially if you want to achieve big things.
While a positive outlook is always good, it’s important to remember that there is one thing that is very difficult to change – your emotions. Try as you might to check your emotions at the door, there is often too much going on to be devoid of emotions. When money is on the line, fear and greed sneak in. We are ALL wired this way – there is no escaping it. But if you can manage your emotions, you will become the best trader possible.
Four Fears of Trading
And that’s where the four fears of trading come in. The late Mark Douglas outlined the different stages we all suffer from when trading (and actually, in life) in his book “Trading in the Zone.” The four fears are Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), Fear of Loss, Fear of Being Wrong and Fear of Letting a Win Turn into a Loss. Conquering these fears is incredibly difficult but managing them is a must.
I’ll cover all four fears of trading in two separate blog posts. Let’s take a look at the first two.
The Fear of Missing Out
The emotion of regret stings more than anything, especially when others around you are winning. Nothing is more painful than sitting on the sidelines and missing out on the excitement. “I am supposed to be in the game – why am I not in the game?” Fear of losing is so overwhelming that you freeze, totally paralyzed, afraid that you’ll be late to the party.
We have all felt this way! When markets are running higher, you want to kick yourself for missing out – especially when it seems too obvious.
The Fear of Loss
You mourn the loss of loved ones, crushed relationships, and losing sports teams with different degrees of pain. In trading, you mourn the loss of precious capital and fear taking risks in the future. As humans, we abhor pain, and a loss will only bring on more of it.
But losses are part of the game and once you accept that, you can rise above this fear. The key is moving on and not reflecting on the loss for too long. There is always another trade around the corner – so take it!
In part two, we’ll wrap up our discussion of the four fears of trading when we look at the fear of being wrong and the fear of letting a win turn into a loss. Read now.
This article was updated on May 11, 2023.
