Have you ever been struck by a bolt of lightning?
Metaphorically speaking, I’m referring to that ‘aha!’ moment, when inspiration suddenly hits you from nowhere, and gives you the wisdom and power to transform your life.
My ‘eureka’ moment occurred during the Landmark course I attended in Bangkok, Thailand, several years ago. With my friend’s encouragement, I attended the course because I thought it would make me a better person and help me get my life in order. It was a packed and intensive seminar with 300 attendees, taking place from 8am until 11pm over the course of a few days. Admittedly, I was nodding off most of the time. In fact, the attendee sitting next to me jabbed me in the ribs several times because I was snoring so loud.
But what I vividly remember was an exercise where the lecturer split the room into two halves. One hundred and fifty of us faced the other half. We were told to stand up and look at each other in the face for 10 minutes without saying a word. Breaking the brief moment of silence, the strangest things started to happen. Some cried as if they were being told a sad story or being scolded. Some laughed as if they were being told a funny joke. Some were so angry that security was called in to restrain them. And some, including myself, experienced a stress outbreak.
Afterwards, the lecturer sat us down and asked what had just happened, despite the instructions not to communicate with each other. It then dawned on me. When I sit in front of my computer, my screens don’t give me stress. It’s not the news, nor the window to my Forex world. I’m the one that is causing my own stress!
At that time, I thought I had mindset mastery. After finishing the course, I realised I only possessed mindset control. There is an important distinction between the two. Previously, I had the ability to control my emotions but only by using a counter. For example, to control my fear, I would go on a three-day holiday or get drunk and party. Just like a scene from the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, some people go to extremes by using counters like drugs, leading to substance abuse. Unfortunately, most people end up using counters to counter the counter and it becomes a vicious cycle. They will live life seeking the next counter, forgetting the initial reason they needed a counter. If I went on a three-day holiday, the trading opportunities would be gone by the time I came back. If I drank or ate too much, it would take a toll on my health.
But what if I could just switch my emotions on and off in the first place instead? I realised that the only thing standing between me and my dream life was what goes on between my ears.
The Landmark seminar opened my eyes and heart to what mindset mastery could mean for me as a trader and as a human being.
After my aha! moment, my trading substantially improved.
Life was never the same again.
Authored by Kenneth Kam
Produced by Callio Media