Self-Care: The Key to Consistent Trading Performance

Hi, Brian McAvoy here with Inside Out Trading. Today we're going to talk about probably the most important thing you can do for your trading. So I kid you not, it's not an exaggeration. This really is. If you want your trading to be consistently profitable, if you want to be making the most from your trading and not leaving money on the table, pay attention, because this really is probably the most important thing, arguably the most important thing that you can do for your trading. What we're talking about here, and I learned this long time ago, and I'm really glad that I did it. And the lesson came from a very difficult situation that I was working through and what I'd learned. And I don't remember where I learned it from. I wish I could because I'd love to be able to give them credit for it. But really what I learned was during that time, it was a personal issue that I was working through. And what the wisdom was that was given to me was, no matter what your situation, if it's important that you get through this, especially if you're dealing with something rough, maybe you're going through a divorce or you got some other personal crisis, you just got laid off from your job, whatever, what you don't want to do is just get into your head and get lost, maybe turn to the bottle, start taking drugs, doing stupid things that are not good for you. He said, really what you want to do during those times is make sure that you take really good care of yourself. Because if you're going through a tough time, say you're going through a divorce, you really want to take good care of yourself because you're going to need to bring your best self to get through it. And if you're turning to the bottle, drinking and that kind of stuff, you're only hurting yourself and making the situation worse and more difficult to get through. But if you focus on taking good care of yourself, then that's what's going to help you get through it. And I found that to be true years later when I was going through a divorce. It paid off big time. And I've kept that wisdom always in my back pocket. And for traders, this can be a very challenging and very stressful occupation. This is a performance occupation. You have to show up and bring your A game that's highly competitive. It's you against literally the rest of the world. All the millions of other traders are out there, the institutional traders, the banks, brokers. Everybody's fighting for the same, same profits and monies that are there and so you're in competition with everybody. And you really need to be bringing your A game, not just having a good system, but you need to be bringing your best self. And that starts with self care. Making sure that you have good routines for bedtime and your evening routine is going to dictate your morning. It really will if you think about it. If you stay up late, you're eating junk food, watching TV or drinking or whatever, that's not going to make for a good morning. But if you eat a good meal in the evening, you're keeping yourself hydrated, you get to bed at a decent time, a consistent time, and you get a good night's sleep and you get up at a consistent time and you're giving your body what it needs. So you're taking care of your nutritional needs and you're just plain taking good care of yourself. That's going to let you bring your best self to your trading. And so that's really crucial. It really is. Because if you're, if you're coming to your trading and you're not taking good care of yourself, you're not eating well, you're not eating enough, you're not getting all the vitamins that you need and I'm getting good rest, you're not taking care of yourself hydration wise, that's not going to lend itself to consistently profitable trading and really maximizing your profits and avoiding leaving money on the table. It's when you're not taking good care of yourself that you're more likely to make mistakes. Mistakes that cost, mistakes that regret, mistakes that increase your self doubt and beat down your confidence and your self esteem. So you want to bring your best self and the best way to do that is to make sure that you're taking good care of yourself. So you want to make sure, like I said, you're getting exercise on a regular basis. Your body needs to move so you get regular exercise. Eat well, make sure that you're paying attention to your nutrition, you're, that you're getting your vitamins, all your vitamins that you need. You're getting enough calories, you're getting enough protein, you're giving your body what it needs to be at its best. And mentally. Yes, have a good evening routine. One thing I heard Alex Ramosi say a while back, I totally loved it. He said most people don't need a morning alarm to get out of bed. They need a bedtime alarm to make sure they're getting in bed at a consistent time. And I found that to be really True, that's a good wisdom. So having a good evening routine, a good morning routine, so that your day starts off well, and like I said, just generally taking good care of yourself. And that's if you'll do that, you're giving yourself one of the best advantages you can have because you're at the center of your trading. Everything depends on you. And if you're bringing your best to your trading, cool, you're giving yourself every advantage you can. From this perspective of you being the trader, you're giving yourself the best odds of being successful. And if you're not taking good care of yourself, if you're not paying attention to this, if you neglect this, there's going to be a high price to pay. Very likely you might get lucky, you might be able to trade profitably, not taking good care of yourself. But why, why put, why leave it to chance? Why push your luck? Take good care of yourself. If nothing else, you'll feel better. When things are rough, not all days go well. And when you're taking good care of yourself, you get to those rough days better. And the good days, you'll really be able to seize the opportunities that presented to you and really maximize your profit from your trading, not leave money on the table. That's one of the most aggravating things about trading, is when you make mistakes, you miss opportunities, and you leave money out there that you shouldn't be making, you should be making. So taking care of yourself, if nothing else, you'll just plain feel better, period. Regardless of what else goes on, you'll be taking good care of yourself. So I hope this has been helpful. If it has, give me a like down below. Let YouTube know that this is worthwhile video so that maybe show it to some other traders. Subscribe to my channel. These are the kind of videos that I produce. How to be a good trader, how to be successful, how to maximize your profits. And if you subscribe, then you'll get notified when I publish the videos. And of course, share with your friends. If you have friends who trade, you like them, you want them to do well, share it with them. And it really, really. Here's the other thing. If you want to talk to somebody, if you're having some issues, some struggles with your trading, you'd like to talk to somebody who understands what you're going through and family, they may care, they may be supportive, but they don't always know what you're dealing with. If you'd like to talk to somebody who does know what you're dealing with, we can sort out what's creating the difficulties for you. Put together a plan on getting you past the difficulties and on to good, productive, profitable trading. Swing by insideouttrading.com the yeah, right here. Insideouttrading.com and book a call with me. There's a link at the top of the page. Just book a call with Brian, book a call with me. We'll talk about what's going on with you, how to work, work past your issues, best path forward, and again get you on a profitable trade. So again, I hope this has been helpful. We'll talk to you soon. Cheers.