The Traditional Doctrine
I read a statement online a few years ago that stuck with me: “normal does not succeed”. At first, it seemed bizarre, but later I grasped its logic. In this context, “normal” doesn’t refer to a person’s biological state but rather to their mental state. More specifically, it refers to a person’s thought habits, stereotypical beliefs, and automatic behaviours.
The traditional educational system prepares us for this same “normal”. Maybe what we think is normal wouldn’t seem that way if our upbringing had been different. Our perception of normality is largely shaped by the standardised way we’re taught to think. It’s the result of mental conditioning. “Normal” encompasses everything we don’t question, from mindlessly scrolling social media to consuming junk food or even being stuck in a monotonous rat race. If we aren’t mindful of our daily activities and behavioural patterns, we won’t know whether they’re good or bad. Without awareness, there’s no way to break free from the indoctrination of standard thought.
Let’s be clear. Have we ever been taught to think big and aim high? I doubt it. Sure, we’re told that we can achieve anything if we put our minds to it. But have we been shown how or why? Probably not. Did anyone teach us the right psychological approach to map out a proper roadmap and navigate through life’s complexities? Unlikely. And this list of missed lessons goes on.
It doesn’t matter if you’re an athlete, a dentist, or a trader. If your mindset isn’t intact, you’ll struggle to reach your goals – assuming you’ve set any at all. Without the right mental approach, you’ll find it difficult to push forward.
Since we’re discussing financial markets, let’s talk about trading briefly. As we’ve said before, trading is the hardest way to make the easiest money. Think about it: you can earn an enormous amount of money from the comfort of your home by simply clicking a few buttons on a screen. You don’t need to carry heavy loads or perform physical labor. But all of this depends on making rational decisions consistently over the long term, which is where it gets tough.
We’re not programmed to handle loss. From childhood, the encouragement we often hear is, “You have to be the best at everything”. It sounds like good advice, but it’s flawed. Why? Because it ignores the long-term success that can’t be achieved without setbacks. The system conditions us to believe in “no losses, only wins”.
In trading, if you operate by the “no losses, only wins” mindset, you’ll struggle to succeed. In markets, avoiding losses is a fantasy. Many factors beyond our control can move the market, and we’ll experience losses because of it. When I talk about losses, I don’t mean losing 100% of your capital; I’m referring to losing 1% – just one egg out of a hundred if you have proper risk management.
Beyond the win/loss mindset, we’ve also never been taught to do something extraordinary and different from the masses. Coming from a post-communist country, explaining how you can make money from financial markets to older generations is often met with skepticism. Plus, in high school or college, most of us weren’t exposed to opportunities related to trading or investing. The system has always promoted the corporate lifestyle and the “9-to-5” mindset, with a common path that looks like this:
- Finish school
- Go to college
- Find a job
- Live that way indefinitely
These factors deeply influence our lives. If you want to improve, both in the market and in life, you need to make mental shifts. You need to learn how to think bigger, embrace change, stay composed, and be ready for the challenges that lie ahead. Henceforth, we are introducing the concept of the re-wired subconscious mind.
Man on an Island
Saying something is easy; doing it is hard. But with continued practice and repetition, things become easier than they seem. The saying, “90% of things happen in your head and have no real-life importance”, holds a lot of truth. Taking control of our mental state is much harder than exerting physical effort.
Let me give you an example. Imagine someone struggling with alcohol addiction. To help, you place them on an island (with their consent) where there’s no access to alcohol. Your goal is to keep them there for a month, hoping it will help them quit. After a month, our hero returns home. But as soon as they see the shelf where they stored their favorite drinks, meet the people they used to drink with, and face familiar situations that triggered their drinking, they relapse. The one-month detox on the island was merely a temporary break.
So, what’s the real issue here? There are several psychological factors at play, but let’s take a simple approach. Suppose our hero truly wanted to quit drinking due to health issues or uncontrollable aggression. Removing him from alcohol seemed like a logical solution. On the island, he subconsciously knows alcohol is unavailable, so he forgets about seeking it. Throughout the month, he experiences urges but nothing overwhelming. Thanks to his initial willpower, the new environment, and the inaccessibility of alcohol, he starts developing new habits and mental patterns.
But why does he go back to his old ways as soon as he returns home? The answer lies in the interplay between the physical and mental realms.
Physically, alcohol was inaccessible on the island. But mentally, the situation is more complex. Once he returns to his normal life, he’s exposed to the same triggers that reignite his old habit. The behaviour is deeply ingrained in his mind. He has developed a strong mental association with alcohol, and now, with easy access to it again, there’s nothing stopping him from falling back into his routine. This ties into the idea of mental entanglement, as we discussed earlier.
Now, you might wonder how this example relates to the traditional mindset we’re programmed with from childhood. The common denominator is the concept of automation. Just as the hero’s drinking habit became a lifestyle, the stories, beliefs, and stereotypes we’re exposed to from a young age get embedded in our subconscious and shape our perception of “normal”.
There’s only one solution – notion of the re-wired subconscious mind.
Inhibiting a Radical Change within Self
Simply put, if you don’t like something, change it – if you can. When it comes to our own bodies and minds, we have control. We can make changes through understanding, repetition, and patience.
Let me share an example from my own life. For years, I struggled with mastering the psychological aspect of trading. Trust me, it was a difficult journey. I couldn’t handle the idea of losing. Watching the price move against my bias on the screen was unbearable. I couldn’t sit on my hands for days or weeks waiting for opportunities to develop. I overthought every tiny detail. And the list goes on.
That was until a specific moment when I realised I needed a radical change. I understood that with the mindset I had, progress was impossible. So, I took action. I became more mindful of my actions, behaviours, and tendencies in the market and in everyday life.
As mentioned earlier, I had trouble accepting losses and setbacks. So, I learned the power of acknowledgment. I accepted that losses and drawdowns are inevitable. Only through a long-term perspective and patience can you achieve and maintain consistent profitability. I also learned that over-analysing leads to paralysis and that simplicity is a virtue. In short, I understood what needed to change.
That was the first step. The second step was consistency. Bruce Lee said something like, “Fear not the man who practices 10,000 kicks once; fear the man who practices one kick 10,000 times”. After gaining the right psychological insights, I made sure to stay mindful in my daily activities to avoid falling back into old habits. Let me clarify: I never had issues with the technical side of trading. The only challenge was the psychological aspect.
The third, and most important, element was time. After understanding what needed to change and staying consistent, I remained patient, allowing my new mindset to solidify and find harmony over time.
If we look at the example of the man stranded on the island to quit drinking, we can apply the same 3-step approach that could lead towards developing the re-wired subconscious mind: understanding, repetition, and patience. First, he needs to understand that drinking is a powerful habit for him. Physically removing himself from alcohol is a great start. This blends two key tools – physical and mental self-discipline. Then, by avoiding the habit and staying mindful of the dangers of overconsumption, he can develop a fresh mental state through repetition. Finally, with consistency in acknowledging and reinforcing these changes, his new habits will eventually become second nature over time
Culmination
Much like the power of the re-wired subconscious mind in quitting old habits and forming new ones, you can use the power of your mind to break free from stereotypes and develop a more sustainable mindset. Whether in the market or in everyday endeavours, using your inner strength to craft a practical roadmap is one of the most efficient tools for achieving long-term success.
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula. What works for me might not work as well for you, and vice versa. The key is to find your unique approach through experimentation, trial and error, optimisation, and repetition. In any aspect of life, it’s essential to stay mindful and adaptable to what’s unfolding and shape the most effective game plan for yourself.
Our purpose through this paper was to note down on common stereotypical tendencies and automated behaviours ingrained into our brain, and orchestrate how the re-wired subconscious mind could be of tremendous aid.
