Trading is an emotionally charged endeavor. Traders are constantly experiencing both positive and negative feelings. When we make money we feel great and when we lose money we feel crappy.
Today I watched this video of a very good trader from SMB Capital taking steps to turn a negative experience into the motivation to become even better.
He talks about his conversation with Dr. Brett Steenbarger whose book The Daily Trading Coach I keep by my side on my trading desk. It just so happened that I was reading lesson 62 on chapter 7 where he explains how behavioral coaching is about reinforcing good patterns as well as removing the reinforcement of bad patters.
Use your journal to help you identify both good and bad patterns by writing down the most painful and rewarding emotions during your trading. And review your entries regularly so that, once the feelings are gone and you are more objective, you can begin setting goals for removing or reinforcing the target patterns.
