Trading Psychology  |  JAN 1998

The Happy Trader by Adrienne Laris Toghraie

The Happy Trader by Adrienne Laris Toghraie What does happiness have to do with being a successful trader? Nothing, it seems. In fact, for most traders, successful trading and happiness may actually be in perpetual conflict. Over the years, I have worked with many successful traders. Many of them were miserable, and only a handful of them were genuinely happy. Yet nearly all of the traders I have ever interviewed said they wanted happiness as their ultimate goal in life, while very few of them had actually achieved it. Why is it so unusual to find a trader who is both successful and happy? What is it about trading that makes it so difficult to sustain happiness? Is it possible to have it all? Traders can find a way to bring together their two primary goals of being successful and being happy. This seemingly impossible achievement is made even more significant for traders by the fact that under the right conditions, happiness will not only support successful trading but promote it as well. The few happy and successful traders I have known learned how to balance their trading psychology so they could have it all. And we can learn from their experiences.

by Adrienne Laris Toghraie