Why Traders Self-Sabotage Just Before Their Next Level

Where our intention is clear and is to share information for transformation. I'm your host, Sam Dagash, aka the Mind Alchemist. And today is a very, very special episode, should I say, because it's something that's been coming into my space of awareness more and more of recent. It's a pattern, a pattern that I've had seen before with traders that I've worked with. But more importantly, I'm starting to seeing it more and more in the last, I would say, few months working with a particular type of traders, the traders that are really top-performing traders, my private VIP clients, my private VIP traders. And one thing that has come to surface is the self-sabotage. It's a topic that, you know, a lot try and break down or try and understand. And I have seen people talk about it, but really my intention with this episode is to break this down in a way that will identify the root cause. Because in my model of the world, in order to make any effective change and to really break through and break free from self-sabotage, you need to get to the root cause of the problem. So let's talk about self-sabotage. Let's first define it, right? So what is that self-sabotage we're talking about here? Self-sabotage is where you know on a deeper level within yourself that at certain times of your trading or certain levels in your trading journey, when you're looking looking to break through to a next level, there is some experience that happens, some pattern that happens, some certain types of errors and mistakes that appear that show themselves, and they sort of set you back. They create a setback, right? So we call this a setback, right? But if you have these conversations with, with yourself, or when I'm having these conversations with the traders that I work with, they always say, I don't know, man, I don't know what happens. I, I, every time I get to this level or to this amount of money or to this specific way, something goes wrong, and it's, it's almost I make these, these nonsense errors, these errors I shouldn't be making, but I make it anyway. And then I realize after it happened, like, why did I react to that emotionally? Or why did that happen, etc.? And then it's almost what we call a self-sabotage, because a big part of you, the conscious mind, knows that you're not supposed to be doing this mistake, knows that you're not supposed to be attempting or approaching this decision-making process in that manner. However, it happens anyway. And the reason it happens anyway is, remember, I always go back to the fundamentals. 95% of you as a trader is unconscious. 95% of your reactions, your habits, your behaviors is a set of unconscious programs. So when you reach a specific level or when you reach a specific experience, meaning a specific number on the screen or a specific threshold, and your unconscious mind is always going to assign meaning for that experience, right? So we always remember that internally, we are always creating meaning for every single experience that happens externally in our life. Right. And that's the same thing when it comes to trading. So when you're, when you're trading and you almost now reach a specific level, let's say you're now looking to break 6 figures, right. Or you're looking to get to that level. And a lot of times, every time you get close to that threshold, something happens. Now, is that a coincidence? No, it's not a coincidence. Why does it keep happening to me at this specific level? This specific pattern is because internally, inside the internal meaning-making process, there's something that is being triggered within you that is causing you to respond or react in that manner in a specific way, which we call self-sabotage, because it's not allowing you to break free and break through to the next level. Therefore, something within you is self-sabotaging you to stay within a specific realm, within a specific domain, if that makes sense. Okay. Okay, so let's quickly dive in. And this is a topic that, you know, it really requires hours of diving deep into it. But I'm gonna do my best in this podcast, in this mini podcast, shall I say, to at least give you guys an idea of where you need to look at and to see, you know, everyone's different. So I'm reflecting on the root causes of this. And if you are someone that you experience self-sabotage, then this is really going to help you at least start to look in the right places, right? Where— look for some evidence of where that could come from. So first and foremost, I think what's really important, and this sounds counterintuitive, but believe it or not, starting with fear of failure, right? A lot of traders are always putting that extra pressure on themselves and they're fearing failure. So when they reach a specific level, they are— there is an unconscious emotional response. I'm afraid to lose. I'm afraid that I'm gonna mess this up or eff this up, right? So what happens is the fear The fear, the emotional fear that happens within the mind and body starts to create this feedback, this loop, this experience where all of a sudden now I'm reacting differently. I'm dealing with this trade differently. I'm responding differently because the emotion, energy and motion of fear is holding you back from that experience. It's holding you back from making the right decision-making process, right? So a fearful trader that's fearful of loss or fear of failure is going to is gonna have impulsive decisions, right? There's gonna be a trigger, emotional triggers and reactions that will always override logical decision-making process. So that's number one. So ask yourself, do I fear of, am I afraid of failure? Do I have fear in my system? Do, am I a person that is afraid to fail, right? Because if you're a person that's, you have fear in failure, then you know that this is going, this could be an area that's actually creating that self-sabotage because when you get closer to a specific threshold, in your trading journey. And all of a sudden the fear ramps up because you don't wanna lose how much you've come this far, you don't wanna lose. So then there's gonna be a natural reaction internally and a natural decision-making process that is non-logical, that which we can call a self-sabotage because it's non-logical, right? It doesn't make sense. Why did I act this way? Why did I take this trade? Why did I, you know, whatever action you did that is against your process or against the way you do things, generally is coming from this element. So that's number one. Okay, so I'm summarizing this to the best of my ability with you guys. So both of you that are watching this or listening to this, I would encourage you to write notes because this is going to definitely help you in identifying self-sabotage. What's driving my self-sabotage? Okay, now this one is, is also quite interesting, and I've seen this many, many times as well, and I continue to see this in, in the, in the trading, uh, arena with my, with my clients and students for that matter, where you have a Fear, and this is also it's quite interesting. It's almost the opposite. So the fear of success. So you have fear of failure. Then you have fear of success and and self worth issue. Interesting because the way it works again internally is where do you see yourself? Where's your self image when it comes to what you believe you are worthy of? Do you believe you are worthy of becoming a millionaire trader or a multi millionaire trader? Or do you believe you are worthy of that? Right. So if we have some self-worth issues, if we have limiting beliefs around our self-worth and being good enough and being worthy because of our conditioning, then that is going to act as well as a self-sabotage root cause, a mechanism, right? Because at the end of the day, when we see that number, that big number on the screen that I'm starting to get close to, if my unconscious mind— remember the greater mind that's running the show— if it sees you that you don't belong here, It's gonna create certain self-sabotage moves to bring you back to where it thinks you deserve to be. So if you think you are, you know, on a greater level, conscious mind, everyone wants to be a millionaire trader. Everyone can see themselves as a millionaire trader, right? Because that's the desire. That's the fantasy. But internally is a different story. Do you really believe you are worthy of becoming a millionaire trader? Do you really believe that you're good enough to be a successful millionaire trader? I'm just using a million. It could be more. Right? Could be in your category, maybe just a six-figure trader. It doesn't matter. But what I'm trying to say is that there's always that threshold within the self-image, within how we see ourselves, right? So that's a very, very important indicator that that could be a mechanism or a root cause for self-sabotage. And I and I'm really pointing this out because this is something also I see very, very common where I I need to work on on a deeper level in. Shifting that perception of self around self-worth, right? One of my mentors, you know, I've had the pleasure and blessed to work with powerful, powerful mentors around the world. And one of my mentors used to say that, you know, your self-worth, your net worth is a reflection of your self-worth. And I always used to think like, well, that doesn't seem right. Like, you know, how is that? But in reality it is, right? Your net worth is a, is a direct reflection of your self-worth. So if you're— and people don't like to hear this, people, but if you really dig into the world of understanding of how it works and our energetics and our self-image and a lot of other areas that we don't have time to cover in this podcast, but ultimately what you need to remember as a trader, that a self-sabotaging mechanism that could come into play is all about Your self-worth. So if your self-worth is out of alignment, if your self-worth and self-image doesn't see yourself to be a six-figure, seven-figure trader, for example, I'm just using this as an example. Then the self-sabotage mechanism will come in and say, "Hey, you belong here," and then you will start to make the the the the the craziest errors, the the things that is not really within your decision-making process or logical way of of trading. Okay, so that's the second point that I'm bringing to your attention. Very very important for you guys to you know reflect on this because again. Everyone's different. Maybe you don't have any self-sabotage. Good for you. But I can tell you that it's a massive pattern in this space, and a lot of people are trying to figure it out or trying to know where it's coming from. Here, I'm laying it out for you guys on a deeper level. Okay. So another one is which can be sometimes an indicator or a point of awareness, a point of tracking, like you know, like a chain, like you track that you trace it back, right? Is attachments. To outcomes, right? So if we are very fixated and attached to a specific outcome, we can also face high emotional swings, right? And this creates—I will say this creates like this mental pressure where where we become you know divided in sometimes or or should I say we create an unconscious pressure on ourselves that feels like oh if I'm not hitting this I'm a failure. Right? If I'm not hitting this, then I'm then I I should be doing this, or I should be here at this stage, and it always leads to taking unnecessary risks as well. Right? So again, that unnecessary risk taking pro taking unnecessary risk taking is part of what we call self sabotage because you're taking risks that you're not supposed to be taking. You're not following your rules, whatever the rules that you have within your domain, and this is something we do very well at the Conscious Trading Academy. My business. Partner and friend David Capablanca always emphasizes on sticking to certain rules and boundaries that makes it easier for you not to be too attached to the outcome but rather be attached to the process, right? This is super important. So when you're attached to the process, then now you have a better way or mechanism of protecting yourself from falling into these loops of self-sabotage. So another one, again guys, third one to mark down is the attachment to outcomes. Are you attached to the outcomes? How emotionally attached and how much pressure are you putting in yourself to get it, make X amount by a certain time, by a certain day? Uh, you know, is that the dialogue in your mind? Is that constantly creating that pressure? Because if it is, I can tell you you're self-sabotaging yourself. Okay, um, again, and, and another one also, uh, which I'm bringing to your attention is the unrealistic expectations, right? This perfectionism, unrealistic expectations that sometimes some traders have. We got to be realistic. We got to be realistic of where you are in your journey. How many years do you have experience? Got to be realistic on the numbers and the profitability that you want to be at at the time of your journey. So if you're unrealistic and you are, you know, creating this dream world in your mind that you need to be earning this much or making this much, then you're also creating, um, uh, uh, what I call again, a mechanism that can create impulsive, uh, uh, uh, corrections and impulsive self-blame. Right. And if we want to blame ourselves because we're not where we want to be at a specific time in our journey as a trader, it doesn't matter how much experience you have. Then we're also creating this unconscious pressure on ourselves and we're creating this, um, this self-sabotaging behavior that can show itself, right? I'm not saying it's easy. I'm just simply pointing it out. I'm pointing it out that you have to be very realistic with your expectations and the things you're setting out forward for yourself. That's why clear goals is super important. Clear, realistic goals. You know, we at the Conscious Trading Academy, and even when I work privately with my Like my clients, my trader clients, my VIP clients, I'm always making sure that they have a realistic outcome as well as having more of a model of consistency than a model of profitability, right? You gotta be consistent. You gotta be consistent in what you're doing. Like, especially when you're the first 3 years, you have to develop a level of consistency rather than sizing up. Your goal should be how consistent can I be? to be profitable? How many green days can I have in a month? How's my, how's my, you know, my win rate? All of these elements coming together is— and the discipline you have will help you have more consistency in what you're doing. If you're not consistent, then there's no use you looking at the profitability because that's just going to be up, down, left, right, and then you're just going to be out of, you know, you're going to be out of breath before you even start that race. So remember that it's important to realistic outcomes on yourself and also understanding that you have to understand where you are, you know, where you are in your journey. It doesn't mean that we don't want to succeed. No, it's about consistency and it's about making sure that we have realistic expectation, right? So that's another little tip for you guys. Now finally, I would say, and this is a big one, is what I call unresolved past experiences, right? We all come through conditioning. We all go through experiences in our life. It doesn't matter where you come from, what culture, religion, society, background. There's always certain things in our past experiences that can have an impact in self-sabotage. And what I mean by that is like the relationship you have with money all the way to now, the experiences you have with financial failures or losses. What— how did that impact you? You know, it can lead to subconscious fears and, and obviously allowing history to repeat itself. So remember, we're always recreating from our past. And this is why I always emphasize on priming. Priming is such an important part of the work we do because we need to prime our mind to a future that we want and make sure that we're letting go of our past so that it's not in the way, right? It's not affecting us to— and again, self-sabotaging us and showing its face in our life, right? So again, so this is another really important pointer for you guys to look there, to, you know, investigate, to reflect. You know, most of the time with Rising Mind Podcast, especially when I do these solo podcasts, I'm always trying to do my best to allow you to think, you know, allow you to reflect, allow you to ask the right questions because if we don't ask the right questions, how do we know Right? If we don't ask the right questions, how do we know we're moving forward in the right manner and we're adjusting and changing certain things about ourselves and doing the inner work, right? As much as, as much as just it is what it is, the reality is everything has to happen within us internally, right? So again, now let me give you guys some, some best practices that I think would be extremely beneficial for you guys that can help you sort of overcome this self-sabotage in trading. So number one is that you've got to check in with your belief system, you know, recognize and reframe the limiting beliefs. Like, what beliefs do I, do I have to be true in my life when it comes to relationship with money? Or I always make mistakes. Or, you know, beliefs that you have around your performance and who you are and your self-image, your self-worth, all of that. You've got to have You got to reflect on that, and you got to rechallenge those beliefs again. You know, this is a big area of my work. You have to update those belief systems, whether you do, whether you challenge them yourself. Of course, there are neurolog transformational techniques and tools. This is why it's important to do it on a deeper level. This is why it's important to upgrade those beliefs and perceptions, so that helps you break through, break through and break free from them. Right? So beliefs super important to reflect on. Check check in on it. I said this earlier, but I'm going to repeat it again: Set clear goals that are realistic for yourself. You have to set clear goals that are realistic for yourself based on where you are in your journey, based on on on you know how much hours you've put into trading, where you are in your experience, but where you are with your with your capital, and make sure that you know you're you're you're creating a an expectation that is not putting pressure on yourself in any shape or form and any having any unrealistic expectations or attachments to outcomes. This is super, super important. So how do I overcome that? I have the set goals. I'm realistic. I know what it is that I want to achieve. I'm not greedy. I'm not trying to push it, and I'm not also underachieving. I'm just being neutral about consistency and what is it that's realistic for for me? What is that that's realistic for me that will allow— eliminate any unconscious pressures so I can just keep growing gradually? You know, I can keep getting through the thresholds gradually because that's going to help me allow— also not allow for any form of self-sabotage to come into play. I always say, you know, also, um, an important one would be, for example, practicing mindfulness, practicing making time a day where you are quieting the mind, where you're priming your mind. You know, priming again is a big, big area of all the successful traders that I've had the pleasure to speak with and the ones that I work with. All of them do this to a degree, this priming, this mental rehearsal, this calming the nervous system, emotional regulation, making sure that they are priming themselves on a day-to-day basis before starting their trading day, not just going From the bed straight to the to you know to the coffee machine straight to trade like that's just you know it's just it's just not a healthy habit. So when you prime, when you prepare yourself mentally, it's going to give you better outcomes. It's going to keep you conscious of your unconscious thoughts. You know this is why mindfulness is very powerful because mindfulness or meditation, as I say this all the time, it's it's it's the definition of it is becoming familiar with. We need to become familiar with our internal. Dialogue. We need to become familiar with this internal person inside of us, what they say, what they're doing. So we catch the unconscious thoughts. We are aware of them when they come into our space during trading, and we're not we're not we're not we're not allowing them to pull us and to self-sabotage us into a way or a place that we don't want to go. So being able to practice that is super super important, and definitely it helps. You know, it helps with. with becoming more conscious. You know, this is why we say Conscious Trading Academy is all about self-awareness. The more self-aware you are, the more you won't allow for these self-sabotaging behaviors to take from you, right? So it requires work. It requires doing what I'm saying and being more, you know, strict with yourself, you know, and getting those, those healthy habits in your life all coming into play. What you do in your private life will reflect in your trading. So bringing that and creating a symbiotic experience, which I believe will be very, very beneficial. And I've seen it become beneficial for the traders I've worked with over the years. So it's not even a matter of does it work? It's a matter of put in the work, you'll get the results. That's just the way it is, right? So, so understanding that also, another tip is obviously seeking accountability, you know, being a, you know, this is why I'm a big advocate for the mentorship program that we have at the Conscious Trading Academy, because we are holding our students accountable. We're holding our students accountable to making sure they are aware of, you know, first of all, aware of where they are and also doing the work, right? So accountability and mentorship by the right people, modeling the right people, will also help you embody what it looks like to be with someone or become someone that doesn't allow self-sabotage and the practices they do and checking in with each other. is super, super important. I always say making sure that you can, you know, receive objective feedback and have someone pick up your blind spots because remember all this that I'm talking about, a lot of it is unconscious. That's why this work is important because it only shows its ugly face in certain circumstances. Then we like wake up and like, oh, I didn't realize why I did that or this, right? So, So we don't want that to happen and then go, oh, now I need to do some work, or now I need to realize why is this happening. And then the pattern happens again and again and again, and you do nothing about it, and you stay where you are. You stay within that boundary, within that box, right? So having the right mentorship, having someone that can pick out, pick out your blind spots, that can help you through identifying the root cause and working on them on a deeper level, is obviously key. It's not It's not a secret, right? So this is really, really important. So again, guys, to recap on this podcast, self-sabotage is something that is real. It comes from various root causes. I've did my best today to at least give you guys a taste and understanding of the potential places where it could come from. And more importantly, I'm leaving you with some actionable steps to do. So listen to this podcast again if you need to. But I really recommend that you action the things I mentioned when it comes to reflecting on your beliefs, when it comes to understanding the routine that you have, practicing mindfulness, setting clear goals and realistic expectations for yourself. These are all things that will help you, really, really help you in identifying, you know, where you are and what— where's the root cause coming from. And always, we're always emphasize at the academy and even privately on journaling. Journaling is such a powerful tool to help you identify when I lose the trade, where did that come from? Uh, do I react emotionally or, you know, where is that coming from? Right. Because that is also a key indicator where you can help yourself track back. Why did I take that action? Was I afraid? Was this, was that all the root causes that I mentioned earlier? So you can start to identify sort of, um, the, the, the trace it back. I'm always about tracing it back. Right. So tracing it back back, um, and, and asking yourself these questions like, do I hold myself at a very high standard of perfection, and is that realistic? You know, where do I see myself versus where do I believe I should be versus my self-worth? All of these things combined, you know, are worth you reflecting on. So guys, I trust this podcast was somewhat informative, somewhat will give you some indicators, indicators within the Of where you are, where the self-sabotage comes from. Maybe you don't. Maybe you do experience it. If you do, I trust this will be of value. And all I'd like you guys to do in exchange for you know taking this in is please you know subscribe to the to the channel or give us a like or share this podcast with with others in your community or friends in your trading community where you feel they could also gain some you know some something. Valuable out of this conversation and out of what I've just pointed out today. But guys, until then, I want to say thank you for taking the time to listen or to watch this podcast. Much love and positive energy.