The Power of Affirmations

"The possibilities of thought training are infinite, its consequences eternal, and yet few take the pains to direct their thinking into channels that will do them good, but instead leave all to chance." Brice Marden

You wouldn't leave your trading to chance. Why leave your thinking about trading to chance? How you think about trading effects what you do with your trading, and what you do effects your results.

Any thought put in your mind and revisited regularly develops an energy and independent reality that will-has to-manifest in your life. Why leave it to chance? Some of us automatically think in ways that support our trading. Others of us do not. But we can all take conscious control of our thoughts and ultimately our destiny. How to think effectively about your trading is the subject of this column and of my book, Exceptional Trading: The Mind Game.

An affirmation is a statement made in the present about the future as if it had already occurred in the past. More simply put, an affirmation is a simple statement about what you want to occur stated as if it is already true. It's a statement made in the present tense. You affirm your hopes and dreams. You affirm the opposite of your fears.

You want to keep the affirmation based in the present, because if you put it in the future, it remains in the future. "Next month I'll turn my trading around" stays out there in the future. Now is when you need to turn the trading around.

Affirmations can be repeated to yourself silently or aloud. You can record them and play them, or write them and read them. You can say them to yourself as you go to sleep and when you wake up in the morning. You can say them while you drive or while you wait in a bank line or as you watch the market or manage a trade. You can affirm your trading while you run or work out.

You don't have to believe the truth of the affirmation in order for it to take effect. Sufficient repetition breeds acceptance. Unless, of course, you mismatch yourself strongly every time you say it.

If you strongly don't believe the affirmation, you could phrase it as a process statement. Change "I am a consistent trader" to "I am becoming a consistent trader". "I am consistently profitable" becomes "I am becoming more consistently profitable". The process is more believable than the current reality.

You can bypass the mismatch by turning the affirmation into a question. "In what ways am I becoming a consistent trader?" The question presumes the truth of the affirmation, and lets it slip in.

We think in language. The words we say fill our minds and crowd out other thoughts. You may say to me, "It's just words." But I will answer you, "Words have power."

A word encompasses an idea. Ideas are stronger than will power. By reiterating ideas, they become a part of us and impact our beliefs and actions.

You want to keep your affirmations positive. Say "Now I make money trading" and experience what it feels like. Compare that with saying "Don't lose money". Immediately you begin to imagine losing money, and you begin to feel bad. Thought mixed with emotion attracts its essence.

You want to keep your affirmations short. Don't get lost in convoluted sentences and paragraphs. A simple sentence ten words or less will do it. "I follow my trading rules." "When I get a valid signal, I take it easily." "I let my profits run." "I cut my losses." "I act on time right on time." "I focus clearly on market action." "I want what the market wants." "I can handle anything that happens."

You can also use simple words: "Courageous." "Consistent." "Winner." "Confident." "Trusting." "Clear minded." "Detached." "Patient." "Effective." Who are you talking about? You, of course, the affirmer, are the person you're talking about. The "I am" is understood.

When you affirm, you are filling your mind with certain thoughts. With repetition these ideas seep down into your subconscious mind. By affirming good trading principles, you get your subconscious mind alligned with your desire to trade your verified methodology. Your will power is under the direction of your conscious mind, but for it to take effect smoothly and efficiently, it must be in harmony with the ideas already rooted in the subconscious. Affirmations are one way to create that harmony.

What if you could unify and clarify your ideas about yourself as an effective and profitable trader? What if you could affirm your way to trading success?