Stock Doc: Motivational Catalysts for the Trader

In a volatile market, traders and investors alike endure daily fluctuations between emotional highs and lows. Facing this reality each morning can be a numbing experience that, over time, can lead to burnout and emotional exhaustion.

A long week of bad trading days can make you feel like you've gone one round with Mike Tyson in a back alley. However, a great week can leave you experiencing emotional highs that border on euphoria. These extreme mood elevations may leave you feeling exhausted, as if you've just come off the highs and lows of a three-day gambling jaunt to Las Vegas.

For many professionals, the taxing nature of working in a high-stress job, in conjunction with the ups and downs of investing, creates a daily battle to maintain positive momentum in their lives.

"Jon" is a hedge fund portfolio manager who came to me for performance coaching amidst a bad month of trading. He reported that he couldn't get out of bed in the morning and felt powerless to break out of this long streak of failure. He was emotionally tapped out and began questioning his future with the firm.

Jon mentioned that he has always been very critical of himself for mistakes and that he always compared his success with that of his colleagues. The prospect of going to work each day was growing increasingly more difficult for him.