As in Life so in Markets
I have always believed that the markets and nature are very close and in fact the markets are nothing but the thoughts, views, actions and perspectives of a lot of people across the world as they look at it through different angles.
In many ways, the market is like a sphere. It can take in all the available shapes and sizes and in the context of the market, it takes in all available views and actions.
Each one believes and looks at a sphere and thinks that they have the perfect view and are ready to act on it but very few know that the view is not a complete one. And that there is another side to it.
In markets you have to act on the information available and those who do that at the right time are the ones who succeed.
‘Cos when the information is available to all , the edge is lost.
So when people act on the information they have, there are different dimensions to this reality so in this constant mix of thoughts and beliefs and perceptions and actions, we have a lot of money circulating which is what the markets are and which is what makes the market what it is
The 4 stages in a Trader's Life
There are 4 stages all of us go through as we evolve and are a part of this process of thoughts, ideas and action.
a) Survival
b) Experimentation
c) Integration
d) Transcendence
Everything has steps. Everything has a process and everyone goes through the process.
Survival
This is at the start of a Traders’s Journey and in many ways is similar to a Birth Phase/ Toddler Phase .
This is the time you are in survival mode, dependent on an environment around you to survive.
If you have a good support system around you then you move firmly to expressing your ideas, thoughts and actions.
This is the time you express to the process your views and beliefs and trade off them.
Survival is an early phase in every trader’s life where he is solely expressing all that he has learn’t from his first support system at Initiation.
Experimentation
This is the second phase of a trader’s journey and can be compared to a phase between age 5 to age 25 where he is exposed to outside learning and is now learning also through his mistakes .He gets to know himself better in this phase.
In many ways this is a trader, who now understands more of the market and has gone beyond the simple few things he learn’t earlier.
He is experimenting with new systems and understanding more concepts.
He is also failing but is also making a point to learn and is learning bigger and newer things.
At this stage, he has lived, breathed and experimented with all that he learn’t in the Survival mode and is now ready with changes to his strategy.
For real growth to happen in a trader’s Like he has to live through this Phase. There is no way he can escape this phase. The only escape is to the higher level of Integration.
Integration
This is a Phase where our Trader is confident and can be compared to a phase in Life we call Reproduction where you have gone through Birth and Growth, learn’t lessons and now able to pass on those lessons to your offspring.
Integration is a Time when you put everything together .
You understand now the purpose of everything. In many ways it is the opposite of Survival.
Survival goes outside and Integration comes Inside.
In the process of Integration, you are now fully organised. Once you have gone through this organisation of not just your beliefs and thoughts, but your entire process you are now ready to move to phase 4 which is Transcendence .
Transcendence
This is the phase where you have moved to a higher level and now realize that you are independent of the process and control it to an extent that you are now in a new reality.
At this stage you are independent of the process and can control it anytime, anywhere.
Things just fall in place for you.
You can anticipate and see things clearer and better than ever before.
Transcendence is to understand the process so clearly that you now are in a new reality.
These are the 4 phases in a Trader’s Life and if you complete then fully and cleanly you do not have to go to Phase 1 which is Survival again.
There are many people in Phase 2. There are still more who fail at Phase 2 and have to go back to Phase 1 of Survival again.
People who manage Phase 2 can go to Phase 3 where they will be challenged at a higher level.
A minuscule amount of people are at Phase 4 – Transcendence where Trading is Bliss.
The cycle has to be lived and has to be completed.
Which Phase are you in?
