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Why Perfectionism is Killing Your Trading

Education
FX:EURUSD   Euro / U.S. Dollar
Do you have a tendency to perfectionism?
So, the biggest question is, do you have a tendency toward perfectionism?
"Perfectionists are people whose standards are very high and out of reach; they are people who are strenuous, involuntary, and unstoppable in their pursuit of an unattainable goal and who evaluate their own worth solely in terms of effectiveness and accomplishment of the task at hand."

Does this sound like you?
Perfectionists suffer from setting excessively high standards, fear of failure, procrastination, never being satisfied with their successes and can become emotionally unstable if their standards are not met, which can often be the case in trading; they fear competition, are not trainable, are meticulous in their way of thinking, being overly self-critical and intolerant of mistakes, and can also be prone to high levels of fear of possible failure.

Fear of loss, hesitation, fear of pulling the trigger, falling into extreme frustration or anger when your trading strategy fails or when you miss an entry point, or if you are extremely self-critical of your forex trading activity, can be evidence that you are prone to perfectionism.
One way to test you for a tendency toward perfectionism is to have the words "have to" in your vocabulary or thinking.

7 ways to overcome the tendency toward perfectionism

So, if you have some tendency toward perfectionism, what can you do?

1️⃣ One of the most useful things and important principles to remember is that humans are prone to make mistakes (that they are imperfect) and therefore you, as a forex trader, are also prone to make mistakes (that you are also imperfect). Following this as one of your trading beliefs, as part of your mental map, can be very helpful in that it will keep your reactions to events more realistic and less emotionally intense.

2️⃣ Since you are operating in an imperfect and uncertain environment, it is crucial for you to learn to think in terms of probabilities. Interestingly, research in behavioral finance has consistently shown that people are not so effective at drawing conclusions or thinking probabilistically, which is a skill that many people will need to develop in themselves. Mark Douglas (author of Zone Trading) writes, "every trade has a probabilistic outcome that does not preclude the possibility of loss. A shift in thinking from the concept of perfection to the concept of probability will help shape trading behaviors that improve the quality of trades and response to events.

3️⃣ Try to do your best to strive for excellence rather than obsessing over being the best; set a goal to become a good trader (but not the best in the world) and focus on it. Focus on learning and improving, including understanding, you accept mistakes and learn from them.

4️⃣ Focus on your trading process, not just the outcome. By focusing on your trading process, you fence yourself off from some of the anxiety and frustration that occurs when you are too attached to your results. Try to focus on how well you're trading, not just how much money you've made or lost.

5️⃣ Train yourself to take on the challenge of trading and find enjoyment in what you do. The process of having fun along with learning is the foundation of effectiveness. By accepting this, you will also allow yourself to look at the ups and downs of trading from a different angle, and this rethinking of the situation will give you a different perception of these events, with less frustration and emotional turmoil.

6️⃣ It is important to note that being able to see forex losses and drawdowns as learning opportunities is not self-judgmental. One of the disadvantages of the perfectionist can be his negative reaction to mistakes, missteps, and his inability to learn from them. Mistakes provide us with ample opportunities to learn and improve performance, but only when we actually perceive them as such.

7️⃣ Finally, it is important to learn to accept that your personal fortune is not your own capital that you are a worthy individual regardless of your trading performance at any given time. On a fundamental and profound level, this is a key belief for optimal human functioning, a sense of happiness, and successful trading.

✅ Conclusion
You won't win every trade. And that's perfectly normal. Remember that it's inherently human to make mistakes in an uncertain environment a world of perfection is out of reach; we live in a probabilistic world.

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