Janice Dorn, MD, PhD
Neuropsychological Trading Coach
Janice Dorn, M.D., Ph.D., has been a full-time futures trader since 1994. Doctor Janice holds an M.D. in psychiatry and is board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry. She holds a Ph.D. in brain anatomy. A graduate of Coach University, she is a pioneer market psychiatrist and financial neurobehaviorist. Doctor Janice has written over 500 articles on the financial markets and coached over 600 traders worldwide. She is the Global Risk Strategist for Ingenieux Wealth Management Group, Sydney, Australia.
|
We must pay respect to water and feel love and gratitude and receive vibrations with a positive attitude…Because both you and I are water…Masaru Emoto, from the book "The True Power of Water"
I have always been fascinated by water and the role it plays in our lives. Seventy percent of the adult body is composed of water. A fertilized egg is 96% water, and a newborn in 80% water. In essence, we live our lives in and of water. Likewise, I am transfixed by the majesty of waterfalls, and I have traveled long distances over unknown and often treacherous terrain to find them.
In the mid-seventies, I took a totally forgettable and quite perilous five-hour bus ride from the flatlands of Ethiopia into the mountains where I would, at long last, see one of the most beautiful and unforgettable spectacles on Earth: the Blue Nile Falls. The Ethiopians call this Tisissat, meaning "the water that smokes." It was the most breathtaking sight I experienced in the whole of Africa. The water was over half a mile in breadth, fell in a single sheet and could not be seen because of the amazing amount of thick haze that spewed forth from the falls. I stood mesmerized and transported to another world–as if somehow I was part of this raging force of nature and could run headlong into it and float upward in the clouds that were rising from it.
Where did this come from? How did this happen, and where was it going? The source of the Blue Nile is Lake Tana. This is a quiet, calm lake that flows through Ethiopia and the Sudan. As I stood there watching this atomic mushroom cloud explode all around me, I imagined the innocence of Lake Tana–meandering softly mile after mile. Then it reaches the falls and suddenly, perhaps in a minute or less, transforms itself into a violent cascade that crashes and tumbles down the steep rocks. It churns, wrenches, becomes violent and unpredictable, except for the fact that it is falling–falling very hard, raging and steaming all the way down to the bottom. Once it gets there, it again becomes quiet and peaceful, turning into the river that flows onward to its next destination.
What, then, is the true nature of this water? Is it calm, peaceful, meandering and quiet? Is it violent, eruptive and powerful? Is it chaotic and complex, or quiet and simple?
As in the markets, the nature of the water depends on the conditions it encounters. The water does not know what is going to happen, but it adapts to any conditions it encounters.
As traders, we are advised to benefit from the lessons of Tisissat and all waters. In fact, we have a definite advantage over the waters, which are subject to instantaneous changes. We have control over how we act in the markets. We can control our behavior as traders, even though the waters around us are raging.
Yes, of course, there are going to be unexpected conditions that may send us over the falls, or make us feel like we are hurling downward into the abyss below. This is the nature of uncertainty, and we must be prepared for this. We prepare by training, studying and staying with our plan. We prepare by practicing consistency, by keeping a clear head and by strengthening ourselves daily. Great traders expect the best and prepare for the worst. If, one day, they find themselves in the midst of a sudden state of change where they may be carried downward with the raging water, they know that this is just temporary. Calm will return, and they will survive and prosper.
All of this is in the context of staying with the flow of the markets and your own trading sensibilities. Your mood right now is just that: It is about how you are feeling in this moment. In the next moment, it could be entirely different. The characteristics of water may change, but water is water. Within a complex adaptive system such as the human body or the financial markets, there are always going to be ups, downs and all-arounds. It is the task of the trader and investor to stay steady, to understand that now is not the time to change state and try to become something or someone else. Now is the time to stay the course and prepare yourself mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually for what lies ahead. When you think that all is lost and you are falling into the abyss, remember the lessons from water.
Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear, and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions, and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream...Lao Tzu
Until Next Time,
Good Trading and Brain On!
Janice Dorn, M.D., Ph.D.
janice@thetradingdoctor.com
P.S.—Take a sneak peek at my new book, Personal Responsibility: The Power of You, published in January, 2008, at www.personalresponsibilitybook.com .
|
