Treat Yourself Like a Toddler

I see many investors marching to a steady drumbeat of burnout. 

There’s something about the A-Type personality that piles activity on activity as if the various aspects of their lives were like pasta sheets in a lasagne.

So many of us aren’t taking time to stop, look, listen and live.

I don’t have a problem with the standard-issue workaholic where occasional overwhelm and over-scheduling has flattened them.

What I’m talking about is the habitual busy person, burning the midnight oil for weeks/months/years, skipping social engagements, missing children’s football matches, and not having a decent day off in… well… they can’t quite remember.

I understand – you’re trying to juggle trading with running a business, a job, a life… and that will play havoc with anyone’s schedule – occasionally.

Occasionally.

However, usually I don’t see the traders who are ‘moderate’.  

Often, by they time they turn to me, they’re basket cases of the most flammable variety – desperate and at the end of their tether, crisis after crisis building up with ferocious regularity.

And that’s the irony.

All that relentless martyrdom doesn’t necessarily get rewarded in the real world.

Your brain gets thrashed, your energy supply destroyed, your creativity dries up, and your mojo jumps out the window.

All because you lost sight about what matters most in your life.

I have a challenge for you.

For today… just today… think of yourself as a toddler.

If you had a 3-year old you were responsible for, you’d play nice, fun music for that child.

You’d make sure that kid had a little nap and got to bed on time, and that they had a play with some friends who made them laugh.

You’d pull out the paints, and finger paint with that toddler, or do something else that fed the child’s creative soul.

You wouldn’t let that toddler eat too much sugar, or watch too much TV.

You’d protect that child’s body, as well as their mind.

For today… why don’t you do that for you? 

If you’re uncomfortable, change into something that is soft, comfortable, and allows you to move. 

Honour your sleep.

Eat things that restore your energy.

Hang out with people who make you laugh.

Honour your toddler within.

Nurture yourself.

Do that at least once a month, and you’ll get your mojo back, your energy will swell, and your creativity will surprise you.

Oh yeah… plus, I guarantee there will be a hidden side benefit.

You’ll see patterns, and connections in the markets, learn trading principles with remarkable ease and develop new ways of thinking about trading.

Worthwhile, don’t you think?