Frustration

I've noticed a curious development as I take my daily walks through the neighborhood: impatient drivers. Despite the reduced traffic, these cars are driving faster between stop signs and rolling through intersections often receiving blaring horns from oncoming traffic. It made me see the broader cascading effect of emotional stress. Specifically, I could see how frustration is manifesting in aggressive behavior.

Frustration is not getting what we want. It is presented in all facets of our lives and very prevalent these days when we have restrictions on physical interaction. Others might react to our frustration with an unhelpful, "be more patient." But managing frustration starts long before any individual impulse irks us. It must be practiced and I was fortunate to be able to have many repetitions while trading.

Frustration is a well-known entity to any trader. Not getting filled, just getting stopped, missing the train; these are all circumstances that bring out frustration. But then there are the habits that also bring about frustration: not adhering to stops, trying to pick tops/bottoms, or getting elicited into going the wrong way.

Frustration is not getting what I want, and what I wanted were the results. However, as a trader what made me successful is not a single good trade or a good week, but rather a constellation of good habits working together to ensure consistent results over the long-term.

Therefore, a shift from results to process was required. To start on the path required a commitment that I wanted something more than a good trade to feel good that day. It requires me wanting a deeper understanding of trading and to love the process. I shifted from wanting an outcome to being curious.

To help let go of the want for immediate results, I instead celebrated the progress I made in adhering to my process. It was hard to pry my attention from the wins and losses. But when I did, I gained so much insight that aided my process. When I documented how I was approaching the markets, I created more awareness of tendencies and habits that fed into the results. This all came from shifting my focus.

Frustration can be a powerful reminder to come back to the process. It is easy to be frustrated when focused on what we are not getting. The trick is to recognize all that we already have and be curious how we can better achieve what we want. You can't be angry and curious at the same time. But, it takes time to develop the habit. To save yourself the spiked blood pressure and screeching tires of road rage, start that practice in any way you can. The nice thing is practicing in one facet of your life reflects back into the rest of them.