Everything starts in the mind. The seeds are sown with an idea of what it is we want to do or achieve. Just by being here and reading this article, you have already moved beyond this step of thinking that you want to be a successful trader. 

I once saw a sign that said, “You are what you believe”. At first glance, I liked the sentiment, but when I thought about it some more, I realised it’s not totally true. Belief in and of itself is not enough. You cannot just say, “I believe I’m a successful trader”, then hey presto, you start making profits. If only it were that easy. Nevertheless, without this belief, you will never achieve your goals. A more accurate saying, in my opinion, would be, “You will never be what you do not believe yourself capable of.” If you do not truly believe, you will always be looking for an out - that moment to say, “I told you, I couldn’t make it”, and allow yourself to give up. 

 

Belief means, even in the most difficult times, when you get knocked down (and there will be plenty of these moments in your trading journey), you look at how to come back stronger. Believe that you are better for the experience. Take what those who lack belief see as a negative experience and turn it into a constructive positive – an opportunity to improve. Rocky Balboa says it best: “It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done.” 

 

Humans are born resilient and with belief. It is illustrated in no better way than my 18-month-old twins. For the past six months, they have been learning to walk. They didn’t just get up and walk one day. They took a few steps and fell over. Did they give up? Hell no. The following day they took a few more steps…and guess what? They fell over again - and on and on that went. But they had the resilience to carry on, despite repeatedly falling over, and even with the bumps and bruises that came with it. Now that belief and determination in their ability to learn to walk has them running us ragged! 

Once you truly believe it – the process and hard work to turn your ambition into reality begins. The process is a much bigger topic, unfortunately, too complicated for one article. All elite athletes have coaches and trainers around them. Richard Branson had a mentor from the age of 15. So find yourself a coach/mentor who fits in with your profile. You wouldn’t hire a boxing coach if you wanted to become an Olympic swimmer – so take time to find a trading coach who suits your trading goals. It will expedite your learning curve and shorten the road to achieving your goals. Also, invest in and educate yourself. We should never stop looking to improve ourselves in terms of knowledge and as individuals. So you have passed the first step, Think It. Now it’s time to Believe It. Make It Happen.