If you find yourself jumping between one idea to another all the time…
Or starting to make progress and then just stopping…
Chucking it to “Shiny Object Syndrome”...
This message will help you understand why this happens, and how to reverse it.
You see…
There are those who bet narrow and heavy…
And those who bet small and scattered…
Betting narrow and heavy is more scary on the outset…
But it’s a far safer strategy long-term when it comes to starting a business.
Let me explain…
This tendency we have to keep stopping…
To keep changing directions…
We chalk it up to shiny object syndrome…
I believe that that’s rarely the case.
Most often, we change direction because sticking with one thing is SCARY.
And so we jump between business ideas, books, courses, webinars…
The constant pursuit is driven by fear that what we’re betting on right now may not work out…
And that something else out there may have better odds.
So we keep switching.
Small and scattered efforts almost always yield small and scattered results.
The trick is to figure out what’s important, and bet heavy…
Spend the time and effort mastering what actually matters.
So what should you bet heavy on?
Every factor in your life, past and present, falls under one of two categories…
1- Contributing factors.
2- Determining factors.
Let’s define both real quick…
Contributing factors are things that may influence the ease, difficulty, or probability of achieving certain outcomes.
Determining factors, are just that. The factors that ultimately determine what outcome is achieved.
Imagine a big whiteboard, with a dividing line straight down the middle.
On the left, a big bold headline reads “Contributing factors”…
On the right.. “Determining factors”…
You can take any aspect of your life…
Write it on a Post-it note…
And choose to place it on either side of the board.
Here are some examples factors… you decide where each belongs…
- I’ve never worked for myself before, so not sure about this self-directed bit
- I never went to college, so maybe I’m not smart enough for this
- I’ve got a family with little children, trading is a game for 20-year-olds with nothing to risk.
- I failed so many times in the past.
- I just don’t have the patience or mindset to be a trader
We all have different factors in our lives… positive and negative.
It’s not the presence of these factors that matters, as much as what side of the board we choose to put them on.
Here’s what the board actually looks like….
(And YES… sometimes there will be things that are completely out of your hands that ought to be graded as “determining factors”… I’ll leave that up to you to decide.)
But bottomline…
What should you bet on? Yourself.
You are the only factor that will ultimately determine the outcomes in your life.
Your decision, your actions, and your focus.
Everything else is merely a “contributing factor”….
(“… things that may influence the ease, difficulty, or probability of achieving certain outcomes..”)
So as you go about your Trading journey…
Consuming information.. Reading books… Changing directions…
You must make the distinction that nothing can ever take YOUR place as the determining factor.
Ask yourself..
“Am I doing this in the hope that something else has better odds? Or am I still betting on myself and using this resource to aid me?”
You’re the guy or gal that’ll make it happen.
What’s the catch?
Simply put, doing the above isn’t easy for everyone…
Especially if you failed before…
(and who hasn’t?)…
Including failures outside of trading
Imagine having an unreliable mentor or system-seller….
Someone who didn’t deliver on what they promised…
Quit on you halfway…
Left you feeling disappointed….
Would you be excited about working with him again?
Perhaps not.
It’s surprising how often we feel the same way about ourselves.
Especially if our past attempts affected other people in our life..
(Or put a strain on our relationships…)
It’s hard for feelings of shame and guilt not to follow…
The solution is to mend your relationship with yourself….
Since YOU are the determining factor.
Your first mission is to build an awesome relationship with yourself.
A positive self-image.
One where trading is exciting..
Where trading = helping other people with the profits you generate…
Where trading well and consistently = joy and abundance. Not struggle.
It’s fascinating to see people go from a state of complete hopelessness and frustration to crushing it and becoming unstoppable.
I wish you the same transformation.
Cheers
Brian
—
P.S. This is why a significant portion of the Trading System Mastery program is focused on helping students shift their perspective on what trading is, what a system is, and how to have the right focus – so that you become a different trader with a whole new mindset, so you break free from personal limits and reprogram your self-image.
Trading systems come and go, they’re all “contributing factors” …
The first trick is to put priority on the only factor that truly matters: YOU.
The second trick is to go ahead and take action on what you know you should do, so that you actually begin to move in the direction of your desires.
