Embracing Discomfort: The Key to Trading Success

I have lost more money from closing trades early than I ever lost by being stopped out. Closing early means you limit yourself to what your emotions will grant you, not what the stock market has to offer. "Outside your comfort zone" is an expression you’ve all heard, but have you ever thought about what it truly means? Most of the things in life that limit us or get in our way are things that bring us comfort. So in trading, closing early brings me short-term comfort.

Following a plan to completion means rejecting actions that make you comfortable. You are outside your comfort zone. A trading plan has to take you out of your comfort zone; otherwise, you wouldn’t need a plan to guide you through the uncomfortable parts of trading. In trading and in life, if it feels comfortable, it’s likely holding you back. Self-discipline is the ability to be uncomfortable.

Your brain and subconscious are designed to remove pain and seek comfort. Your subconscious has no long-term planning ability—it reacts to immediate pain in a way that makes you want to restore comfort. It’s not designed to help you with long-term goals. Discomfort comes from the subconscious trying to get you to do something that might not be in your best interest but will offset the pain you feel now. Trading is uncomfortable, and embracing that discomfort is the only way forward.