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The Mental Game of Trading: A System for Solving Problems with Greed, Fear, Anger, Confidence, and Discipline
A step-by-step system for mastering trading psychology.Think about your most costly and recurring trading mistakes. Chances are that they’re related to common errors, such as chasing price, cutting winners short, forcing mediocre trades, and overtrading. You’ve likely tried to fix these errors by improving your technical skills, and yet they persist. That’s because the real source of these mistakes is not technical—they actually stem from greed, fear, anger, or problems with confidence and discipline.If you are like most traders, you probably overlook or misunderstand mental and emotional obstacles. Or worse, you might think you know how to manage them, but you don’t, and end up losing control at the worst possible time. You’re leaving too much money on the table, which will either prevent you from being profitable or realizing your potential.While many trading psychology books offer sound advice, they don’t show you how to do the necessary work. That’s why you haven’t solved the problems hurting your performance. With straight talk and practical solutions, Jared Tendler brings a new voice to trading psychology. In The Mental Game of Trading, he busts myths about emotions, greed, and discipline, and shows you how to look past the obvious to identify the real reasons you’re struggling.This book is different from anything else on the market. You’ll get a step-by-step system for discovering the cause of your problems and eliminating them once and for all. And through real stories of traders from around the world who have successfully used Tendler’s system, you’ll learn how to tackle your problems, improve your day-to-day performance, and increase your profits.Whether you’re an independent or institutional trader, and regardless of whether you trade equities, forex, or cryptocurrencies, you can use this system to improve your decision-making and execution. Finally, you have a way to reach your potential as a trader. Now’s the time to make it happen.
326 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2021
406 people are currently reading
1582 people want to read
About the author
Jared Tendler
13 books58 followersJared Tendler, MS, LMHC, is a leading expert in how your mental game impacts performance. His clients include world champion poker players, the #1 ranked pool player in the world, professional golfers and financial traders. Jared holds a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and attained a license as a mental health counselor. With over 16 years of experience coaching people from around the world and in multiple arenas, his straightforward and logical approach has been proven to help people solve their mental game problems and perform at their highest levels.
He is the author of two highly acclaimed books, The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2 and just released his newest book The Mental Game of Trading. He is also the host of the popular podcast The Mental Game and previously served as Head of Sport Psychology for for the esport organization Team Liquid. Jared’s diverse experience and proven techniques make him among the best mental coaches in the world.
He is the author of two highly acclaimed books, The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2 and just released his newest book The Mental Game of Trading. He is also the host of the popular podcast The Mental Game and previously served as Head of Sport Psychology for for the esport organization Team Liquid. Jared’s diverse experience and proven techniques make him among the best mental coaches in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 27, 2021
Your psychology is the only thing separating you from success as a trader. I firmly believe that. I've bought plenty of trading psychology books. This is the first one that forced me to really dig deep, and gave me an actual system I could use to work on myself. I recognise that may partly be down to my own hugely flawed character. But the fact is that it was immediately useful to me - particularly the concept of the 'inch worm'. It's what I'd been looking for.
Anyway, it's the first book I've read on the subject that forced me to question where my trading problems are coming from. What destructive behaviours am I bringing to it from my past? It's caused some deep searching, and my trading has got better (though it got worse first). It'll take some months to work through my issues, but at least I've now been able to start the journey.
Anyway, it's the first book I've read on the subject that forced me to question where my trading problems are coming from. What destructive behaviours am I bringing to it from my past? It's caused some deep searching, and my trading has got better (though it got worse first). It'll take some months to work through my issues, but at least I've now been able to start the journey.
March 6, 2022
A superb book! It's obligatory for every discretionary trader. It's like having a personal mentorship program nicely laid out in this precious volume. I loved the Inchworm Concept and the importance of working on your C-game mistakes. I also loved the way the author laid bare all the illusions that the traders (me included) tend to harbor and how they precolate into their trading performance. I will reread it, take notes, relisten to it and use it as a manual to solve my problems in trading.
June 7, 2021
I only recently started investing about 5 months ago at the ripe age of 35, and I’m trying to learn as much as possible. One thing I’ve learned is that there’s a difference between investing and trading, and I’m definitely an investor, so I’m not the target audience for this book. With that being said, I absolutely loved the book and am really glad that I read it. I stumbled across Jared Tendler on Twitter, and I love learning about the psychology and behavioral economics of how we make decisions, so I gave this book a chance. Not only does this book provide a ton of value for traders, but every investor can benefit from this too. I jumped into the market in February 2021, and it’s all been awful since then, and this book really helped put some things into perspective. What’s awesome about this book is that it provides practical advice for everyone when it comes to managing your emotions and making better decisions overall. So, no matter who you are, I really think you should check out this book or one of the others from Tendler.
September 8, 2022
Since I am not a professional trader my opinion on this book is probably of limited value. Forewarned, my thoughts on this book:
The intended audience for this book seems to be professional traders who, somehow, already know they have an advantage in the market and are looking to up their profitability even more. Professional does not necessarily mean it is their only job but all the examples in this book are from people who are full time traders. The author does not spend any time on discussing why, theoretically, it should be possible that anybody is able to beat the markets consistently or what traits those who can tend to have. Also, beyond the psychology of it all, there is no serious discussion of what elements a trading plan should include. The author assumes the reader already has these things in place. Nevertheless Tendler is quite familiar with trading concepts such that he can discuss specific factors affecting the psychology of it all while staying down to earth.
Indeed, the book's greatest strength is the balance it strikes between theory, real life examples, concrete action plans and nitty-gritty details. The author never talks about problems traders tend to run into without also discussing very specific plans for how to deal with them. This typically involves what specifically to write down in your analysis or, less frequently, other concrete things to do, e.g. if such and such is a problem set up automatic reminders to do some kind of analysis or force yourself to take breaks throughout the day.
One way in which this book is different from other books is to emphasize that traders, almost by definition, are fiercely competitive and can often be too hard on themselves as they hold unrealistic ideas about the attainability of perfection and ignore that there are factors beyond their control. For example, they might kick themselves for not reading an article that popped up during the day that could have helped them avoid a loss or score a gain on some trade. This, of course, is not realistic. Time is finite, so you cannot read everything. Given that, missing a key article is inevitable from time to time. Tendler's whole approach is to look at a trader's persistent problems and identify what irrational thoughts are causing them and then go on to make a very concrete plan on how to limit the problems.
Tendler's approach seems like something which should work providing that the reader really does have an edge in the market. For those who have played poker much of what happens in trading and the problems that arise will seem almost completely identical. Although I have not read Tendler's books on poker, I have played the game and would be very surprised if the poker books were not nearly identical. In poker it is easier to develop a model on what the course of events would look like even if you had an edge. There would still be big losses, mistakes which seemed obvious in retrospect, and long losing strikes. In blackjack it would be even easier to model since the precise edge for card counters is known and still subject to the same "issues" affecting one's psychology while playing. Given a mathematical advantage it is all fairly straightforward to have a mental model of. On the flip side, without a mathematical advantage no amount of psychology is going to change reality and thinking that psychology could help will probably make matters worse. It is completely the reader's responsibility to determine whether they really have an edge or not.
Overall, I found the book to be logical, have specific actions plans and I think that the emphasis that often the problem is that you are too hard on yourself as opposed to not being hard enough is a key theme not yet common.
I am guessing that the author's decision to leave out topics of why it is reasonable to think anyone should have an edge in the market (i.e. the efficient market hypothesis is wrong) and what traits such people have is due to thinking it would not really add any value. Perhaps, he thought, due to confirmation basis everyone will see such traits in themselves whether they really have them or not. This may be somewhat true, but if the intended audience is professional traders who do have an edge, it seems logical that they are less prone to confirmation bias than others and, as such, could realistically evaluate how well they score on the requisite traits and know where they needed to work.
Finally, Tendler emphasizes tracking one's emotions with the ultimate goal of setting up a "distant early warning system" (my phrase not his) of pending blowups. The ultimate goal is not only to detect pending disasters early, avoid them, but also to lessen these emotions once they are too strong. I agree with this plan but my own feeling is that emotions should be tracked for another reason that has to do with how similar trading is to poker. There is a small hint at a key similarity between poker and trading in this book, but no elaboration.
I would like to rate the book 4.5 but the 5 point scale forces me to choose, so I round up: the parts that are missing do not take away from the core themes although I do think they would have been helpful to include.
The intended audience for this book seems to be professional traders who, somehow, already know they have an advantage in the market and are looking to up their profitability even more. Professional does not necessarily mean it is their only job but all the examples in this book are from people who are full time traders. The author does not spend any time on discussing why, theoretically, it should be possible that anybody is able to beat the markets consistently or what traits those who can tend to have. Also, beyond the psychology of it all, there is no serious discussion of what elements a trading plan should include. The author assumes the reader already has these things in place. Nevertheless Tendler is quite familiar with trading concepts such that he can discuss specific factors affecting the psychology of it all while staying down to earth.
Indeed, the book's greatest strength is the balance it strikes between theory, real life examples, concrete action plans and nitty-gritty details. The author never talks about problems traders tend to run into without also discussing very specific plans for how to deal with them. This typically involves what specifically to write down in your analysis or, less frequently, other concrete things to do, e.g. if such and such is a problem set up automatic reminders to do some kind of analysis or force yourself to take breaks throughout the day.
One way in which this book is different from other books is to emphasize that traders, almost by definition, are fiercely competitive and can often be too hard on themselves as they hold unrealistic ideas about the attainability of perfection and ignore that there are factors beyond their control. For example, they might kick themselves for not reading an article that popped up during the day that could have helped them avoid a loss or score a gain on some trade. This, of course, is not realistic. Time is finite, so you cannot read everything. Given that, missing a key article is inevitable from time to time. Tendler's whole approach is to look at a trader's persistent problems and identify what irrational thoughts are causing them and then go on to make a very concrete plan on how to limit the problems.
Tendler's approach seems like something which should work providing that the reader really does have an edge in the market. For those who have played poker much of what happens in trading and the problems that arise will seem almost completely identical. Although I have not read Tendler's books on poker, I have played the game and would be very surprised if the poker books were not nearly identical. In poker it is easier to develop a model on what the course of events would look like even if you had an edge. There would still be big losses, mistakes which seemed obvious in retrospect, and long losing strikes. In blackjack it would be even easier to model since the precise edge for card counters is known and still subject to the same "issues" affecting one's psychology while playing. Given a mathematical advantage it is all fairly straightforward to have a mental model of. On the flip side, without a mathematical advantage no amount of psychology is going to change reality and thinking that psychology could help will probably make matters worse. It is completely the reader's responsibility to determine whether they really have an edge or not.
Overall, I found the book to be logical, have specific actions plans and I think that the emphasis that often the problem is that you are too hard on yourself as opposed to not being hard enough is a key theme not yet common.
I am guessing that the author's decision to leave out topics of why it is reasonable to think anyone should have an edge in the market (i.e. the efficient market hypothesis is wrong) and what traits such people have is due to thinking it would not really add any value. Perhaps, he thought, due to confirmation basis everyone will see such traits in themselves whether they really have them or not. This may be somewhat true, but if the intended audience is professional traders who do have an edge, it seems logical that they are less prone to confirmation bias than others and, as such, could realistically evaluate how well they score on the requisite traits and know where they needed to work.
Finally, Tendler emphasizes tracking one's emotions with the ultimate goal of setting up a "distant early warning system" (my phrase not his) of pending blowups. The ultimate goal is not only to detect pending disasters early, avoid them, but also to lessen these emotions once they are too strong. I agree with this plan but my own feeling is that emotions should be tracked for another reason that has to do with how similar trading is to poker. There is a small hint at a key similarity between poker and trading in this book, but no elaboration.
I would like to rate the book 4.5 but the 5 point scale forces me to choose, so I round up: the parts that are missing do not take away from the core themes although I do think they would have been helpful to include.
July 19, 2021
This is a superb book about the psychology and mental game of trading.
As a self-confessed "non-trader", Tendler had a superb understanding about the psychological aspect of trading. Trained as an expert in mental coach/counsellor, it is remarkable how spot on his descriptions of the emotional aspect of trading is. He also provided actionable practical plans to get your head together. One of the idea he preach is the concept of "trading on tilt", aka the moment your mind losses sanity.
I also recommend to watch and listen to his interviews with Trading Nut and Chat With Traders respectively to reinforce his teachings and takeaways from the book.
As a self-confessed "non-trader", Tendler had a superb understanding about the psychological aspect of trading. Trained as an expert in mental coach/counsellor, it is remarkable how spot on his descriptions of the emotional aspect of trading is. He also provided actionable practical plans to get your head together. One of the idea he preach is the concept of "trading on tilt", aka the moment your mind losses sanity.
I also recommend to watch and listen to his interviews with Trading Nut and Chat With Traders respectively to reinforce his teachings and takeaways from the book.
August 29, 2025
2.5 жил сонсож дуусгалаа. Шууд хэрэгжүүлж болох маш олон аргуудыг сурсан. Даанч мань хүн хүний ярианы хэв маяг сонсоход үнэхээр хэцүү байлаа. Яг ном хэлбэрээр нь уншаад үзвэл бас өөр байх даа.
August 26, 2025
These are the chapter headings and subheadings of the book "The Mental Game of Trading : A system for solving problems with greed, fear , anger, confidence and discipline " by Jared Tendlier .
1. A SYSTEM TO FIX MENTAL GAME PROBLEMS
• Emotions Aren't Evil-They are Signals to Use and Learn From
• Why You Need a System
2. MAP YOUR PATTERN
• Understanding Emotions as Signals
• Creating the Map
3. FIND THE ROOT OF YOUR PROBLEM
• Common Learning Pitfalls
• The Inchworm Concept
• Uncovering What's Causing Your Backend Problems
4. GREED
• The Nature of Greed
• Common Signs of Greed
• Mapping Your Greed
• The Real Cause of Greed
5. FEAR
• The Nature of Fear
• Common Signs of Fear
• Mapping your fear
• Fear of Missing Out
• Fear of Losing
• Fear of Mistakes
• Fear of Failure
6. TILT
• The Nature of Tilt
• Common Signs of Tilt
• Mapping Your Tilt
• Hating to Lose
• Mistake Tilt
• Injustice Tilt
• Revenge Trading
• Entitlement Tilt
7. CONFIDENCE
• The Nature of Confidence
• Common Signs of Overconfidence
• Common Signs of Lack of Confidence
• Stable Confidence
• Mapping Your Confidence
• Correcting Cognitive Illusions and Biases
• Perfectionism
• Desperation
• Hope and Wishing
8. DISCIPLINE
• The Nature of Discipline
• Common Signs of Discipline Problems
• General Strategies to Improve Discipline
• Mapping Where Discipline Is Needed
• Impatience
• Being Overly Results-Oriented
• Boredom
• Distractibility
• Laziness
• Procrastination
9. CORRECT YOUR PROBLEM
• Malfunctioning Mind
• Real-time Strategy
• Build a Productive Routine
10. TROUBLESHOOTING A LACK OF PROGRESS
• Difficulty Recognizing Your Pattern
• Things Get Worse Before They Get Better
• Burnout
• Bloated Brain
• When Life Bleeds into Trading
Write a detailed summary chapterwise and subheadings wise for the book"The Mental Game of Trading : A system for solving problems with greed, fear , anger, confidence and discipline " by Jared Tendlier based on the given chapters and subheadibgs .I have read the book . I want it to keep as a reference so that I can read the detailed summary and understand about the book afterwards too. Write in pointwise format.
hapter 1: A SYSTEM TO FIX MENTAL GAME PROBLEMS
Emotions Aren't Evil-They are Signals to Use and Learn From
Emotions in trading are reframed as valuable signals rather than problems to suppress, indicating underlying issues that traders can address to improve performance.
Negative emotions like anger can be channeled productively for energy and decision-making, but balance is key to avoid volatility and maintain consistent results.
Suppressing or ignoring emotions leads to pitfalls such as increased instability, missed learning opportunities, reduced intuition, and overall poorer trading outcomes.
Why You Need a System
A structured system is essential to resolve mental game issues, as emotions like fear, greed, and tilt are indicators of deeper flaws that temporary suppression can't fix permanently.
The system focuses on resolution over control, helping traders address execution errors stemming from psychological factors, leading to lasting improvements in decision-making.
Chapter 2: MAP YOUR PATTERN
Understanding Emotions as Signals
Emotions serve as indicators of underlying problems, not just surface-level reactions, and understanding them helps in managing trading performance effectively.
Viewing emotions neutrally (neither good nor bad) allows traders to use them constructively without categorization that might hinder progress.
Creating the Map
Develop a detailed map of emotional patterns by identifying triggers, thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and associated trading mistakes.
Use a five-step process: observe reactions over time, document details, organize into a severity scale (1-10), separate mental from technical aspects, and review/update regularly.
Mapping enables early recognition of escalation, intervention before major impacts, insights into root causes, and strategy development for better mental control.
Tracking patterns makes invisible emotional habits visible, shortening the gap between triggers and awareness, turning frustration into actionable insights.
Chapter 3: FIND THE ROOT OF YOUR PROBLEM
Common Learning Pitfalls
Traders often fall into traps like unrealistic expectations, misunderstanding markets, flawed beliefs, unresolved personal issues, or gaps in technical knowledge, which undermine performance.
These pitfalls lead to emotional volatility and must be addressed beyond surface symptoms for sustainable improvement.
The Inchworm Concept
Focus on improving both peak (A-game) and low (C-game) performances to reduce volatility, emphasizing incremental progress through repetition and refinement.
This concept promotes narrowing the gap between best and worst states via focused habit-building and self-discipline.
It helps in steadily advancing overall trading proficiency by addressing extremes in performance.
Uncovering What's Causing Your Backend Problems
Use the Mental Hand History tool: describe the issue, explain its logic, identify flaws, develop corrections, and validate them.
Dig deeper into root causes rather than symptoms, using emotional data to pinpoint when mental breakdowns occur, similar to market pattern analysis.
Address unconscious biases and flawed logic behind reactions to achieve lasting change.
Chapter 4: GREED
The Nature of Greed
Greed manifests as a symptom of deeper emotional issues like overconfidence, fear, or anger, rather than pure ambition, and understanding this prevents self-sabotage.
It often ties to imbalances that disrupt rational trading.
Common Signs of Greed
Signs include forcing subpar trades, holding winners too long, oversized positions without risk management, chasing prices, and obsessing over profits or misses.
These behaviors stem from emotional escalation and require mapping to identify patterns.
Mapping Your Greed
Map greed patterns by tracking triggers and responses, using severity scales to categorize and intervene early.
This helps reveal how greed links to other emotions and flaws.
The Real Cause of Greed
Root causes often involve unaddressed confidence issues or poor risk frameworks; address through edge understanding, discipline rules, process goals, and long-term perspective.
Correct by examining underlying emotions without diminishing healthy ambition.
Greed signals flaws in confidence or risk management, requiring analysis of beliefs.
Chapter 5: FEAR
The Nature of Fear
Fear acts as a signal revealing unconscious biases or preparation gaps, requiring reframing rather than suppression.
It encompasses various forms impacting decision-making.
Common Signs of Fear
Includes hesitation, early exits from winners, avoiding setups, overanalysis, and seeking excessive confirmation.
These indicate emotional interference in execution.
Mapping your fear
Map specific fear patterns, triggers, and escalations using documentation and severity scales for early intervention.
Helps in predicting and preventing fear-based mistakes.
Fear of Missing Out
FOMO leads to impulsive entries; address by challenging irrational thoughts and focusing on risk management.
Fear of Losing
Stemming from loss aversion, manage through gradual exposure and growth mindset, viewing losses as learning.
Fear of Mistakes
Involves avoiding risks due to error fear; correct by analyzing beliefs and emphasizing process over perfection.
Fear of Failure
Linked to self-worth; build resilience via journaling, skill improvement, and plan adherence.
Chapter 6: TILT
The Nature of Tilt
Tilt is anger-driven frustration leading to poor decisions, born from injustice, mistakes, or control loss, signaling deeper conflicts.
It involves emotional preoccupation overriding rationality.
Common Signs of Tilt
Overtrading, revenge trades, ignoring risk, fixating on losses, physical symptoms like elevated heart rate.
These escalate losses if not managed.
Mapping Your Tilt
Map tilt patterns, triggers, and responses; implement emotional "stop-loss" and mindfulness for control.
Hating to Lose
Intense aversion to losses triggers tilt; address by accepting losses as part of trading.
Mistake Tilt
Frustration from errors leads to self-criticism; use analysis to learn rather than spiral.
Injustice Tilt
Feeling market is unfair; reframe perspective to reduce emotional impact.
Revenge Trading
Seeking to "get back" at the market after losses; interrupt with pre-planned breaks and responses.
Entitlement Tilt
Believing trades "should" go your way; correct flawed logic through mental hand history.
Chapter 7: CONFIDENCE
The Nature of Confidence
Confidence is dynamic, fluctuating based on factors; stable confidence is key for consistency, not fixed trait.
Misaligned with expertise, it becomes a double-edged sword affecting decisions.
Common Signs of Overconfidence
Excessive risks, feeling invincible, poor risk management, unwise decisions.
Common Signs of Lack of Confidence
Hesitation, second-guessing, avoiding opportunities, premature changes.
Stable Confidence
Build through process-oriented goals, journaling, skill improvement, plan adherence, and evidence-based mindset.
Grounded in process, not results, for long-term success.
Mapping Your Confidence
Map patterns of confidence fluctuations to identify triggers and correct imbalances.
Correcting Cognitive Illusions and Biases
Address illusions, biases via mental hand history and corrections for stable confidence.
Perfectionism
Traps with unrealistic expectations; recognize imperfections as growth, challenge infallibility beliefs.
Desperation
Driven by urgency; manage through focus on long-term habits and risk control.
Hope and Wishing
Replace with data-driven decisions; correct biases distorting reality.
Chapter 8: DISCIPLINE
The Nature of Discipline
Discipline is a developable skill, not innate, improved via mental strength, habit value, and determination.
Involves focusing on established habits for consistent execution.
Common Signs of Discipline Problems
Impatience, boredom, procrastination, over-focus on results, leading to breakdowns.
General Strategies to Improve Discipline
Systematic habit-building, journaling, iterative refinement for sustainable change.
Mapping Where Discipline Is Needed
Map areas lacking discipline to target improvements effectively.
Impatience
Leads to rushed decisions; address with mindfulness and routine building.
Being Overly Results-Oriented
Shift focus to process goals to reduce pressure and improve consistency.
Boredom
Combat with engaging routines and skill challenges.
Distractibility
Improve focus through environmental controls and mental training.
Laziness
Overcome by emphasizing habit importance and incremental steps.
Procrastination
Tackle with pre-planned actions and accountability measures.
Chapter 9: CORRECT YOUR PROBLEM
Malfunctioning Mind
Intervene in emotional escalations by creating gaps between reactions and adjustments for better control.
Real-time Strategy
Develop swift interventions for emotions like fear or greed before they disrupt; use pattern interruption and corrections in the moment.
Apply real-time fixes during trading to prevent blowups.
Build a Productive Routine
Establish routines for systematic application of corrections, ensuring long-term mental game improvement.
Chapter 10: TROUBLESHOOTING A LACK OF PROGRESS
Difficulty Recognizing Your Pattern
Struggles in spotting early signs due to immersion; use data from reactions and decisions to identify breakdowns.
Things Get Worse Before They Get Better
Initial worsening as awareness increases; persist through this phase for eventual improvement.
Burnout
Address exhaustion from mental efforts; incorporate breaks and balance.
Bloated Brain
Overload from information; streamline focus and prioritize key issues.
When Life Bleeds into Trading
External stresses impact performance; separate and manage life influences through boundaries and support.
1. A SYSTEM TO FIX MENTAL GAME PROBLEMS
• Emotions Aren't Evil-They are Signals to Use and Learn From
• Why You Need a System
2. MAP YOUR PATTERN
• Understanding Emotions as Signals
• Creating the Map
3. FIND THE ROOT OF YOUR PROBLEM
• Common Learning Pitfalls
• The Inchworm Concept
• Uncovering What's Causing Your Backend Problems
4. GREED
• The Nature of Greed
• Common Signs of Greed
• Mapping Your Greed
• The Real Cause of Greed
5. FEAR
• The Nature of Fear
• Common Signs of Fear
• Mapping your fear
• Fear of Missing Out
• Fear of Losing
• Fear of Mistakes
• Fear of Failure
6. TILT
• The Nature of Tilt
• Common Signs of Tilt
• Mapping Your Tilt
• Hating to Lose
• Mistake Tilt
• Injustice Tilt
• Revenge Trading
• Entitlement Tilt
7. CONFIDENCE
• The Nature of Confidence
• Common Signs of Overconfidence
• Common Signs of Lack of Confidence
• Stable Confidence
• Mapping Your Confidence
• Correcting Cognitive Illusions and Biases
• Perfectionism
• Desperation
• Hope and Wishing
8. DISCIPLINE
• The Nature of Discipline
• Common Signs of Discipline Problems
• General Strategies to Improve Discipline
• Mapping Where Discipline Is Needed
• Impatience
• Being Overly Results-Oriented
• Boredom
• Distractibility
• Laziness
• Procrastination
9. CORRECT YOUR PROBLEM
• Malfunctioning Mind
• Real-time Strategy
• Build a Productive Routine
10. TROUBLESHOOTING A LACK OF PROGRESS
• Difficulty Recognizing Your Pattern
• Things Get Worse Before They Get Better
• Burnout
• Bloated Brain
• When Life Bleeds into Trading
Write a detailed summary chapterwise and subheadings wise for the book"The Mental Game of Trading : A system for solving problems with greed, fear , anger, confidence and discipline " by Jared Tendlier based on the given chapters and subheadibgs .I have read the book . I want it to keep as a reference so that I can read the detailed summary and understand about the book afterwards too. Write in pointwise format.
hapter 1: A SYSTEM TO FIX MENTAL GAME PROBLEMS
Emotions Aren't Evil-They are Signals to Use and Learn From
Emotions in trading are reframed as valuable signals rather than problems to suppress, indicating underlying issues that traders can address to improve performance.
Negative emotions like anger can be channeled productively for energy and decision-making, but balance is key to avoid volatility and maintain consistent results.
Suppressing or ignoring emotions leads to pitfalls such as increased instability, missed learning opportunities, reduced intuition, and overall poorer trading outcomes.
Why You Need a System
A structured system is essential to resolve mental game issues, as emotions like fear, greed, and tilt are indicators of deeper flaws that temporary suppression can't fix permanently.
The system focuses on resolution over control, helping traders address execution errors stemming from psychological factors, leading to lasting improvements in decision-making.
Chapter 2: MAP YOUR PATTERN
Understanding Emotions as Signals
Emotions serve as indicators of underlying problems, not just surface-level reactions, and understanding them helps in managing trading performance effectively.
Viewing emotions neutrally (neither good nor bad) allows traders to use them constructively without categorization that might hinder progress.
Creating the Map
Develop a detailed map of emotional patterns by identifying triggers, thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and associated trading mistakes.
Use a five-step process: observe reactions over time, document details, organize into a severity scale (1-10), separate mental from technical aspects, and review/update regularly.
Mapping enables early recognition of escalation, intervention before major impacts, insights into root causes, and strategy development for better mental control.
Tracking patterns makes invisible emotional habits visible, shortening the gap between triggers and awareness, turning frustration into actionable insights.
Chapter 3: FIND THE ROOT OF YOUR PROBLEM
Common Learning Pitfalls
Traders often fall into traps like unrealistic expectations, misunderstanding markets, flawed beliefs, unresolved personal issues, or gaps in technical knowledge, which undermine performance.
These pitfalls lead to emotional volatility and must be addressed beyond surface symptoms for sustainable improvement.
The Inchworm Concept
Focus on improving both peak (A-game) and low (C-game) performances to reduce volatility, emphasizing incremental progress through repetition and refinement.
This concept promotes narrowing the gap between best and worst states via focused habit-building and self-discipline.
It helps in steadily advancing overall trading proficiency by addressing extremes in performance.
Uncovering What's Causing Your Backend Problems
Use the Mental Hand History tool: describe the issue, explain its logic, identify flaws, develop corrections, and validate them.
Dig deeper into root causes rather than symptoms, using emotional data to pinpoint when mental breakdowns occur, similar to market pattern analysis.
Address unconscious biases and flawed logic behind reactions to achieve lasting change.
Chapter 4: GREED
The Nature of Greed
Greed manifests as a symptom of deeper emotional issues like overconfidence, fear, or anger, rather than pure ambition, and understanding this prevents self-sabotage.
It often ties to imbalances that disrupt rational trading.
Common Signs of Greed
Signs include forcing subpar trades, holding winners too long, oversized positions without risk management, chasing prices, and obsessing over profits or misses.
These behaviors stem from emotional escalation and require mapping to identify patterns.
Mapping Your Greed
Map greed patterns by tracking triggers and responses, using severity scales to categorize and intervene early.
This helps reveal how greed links to other emotions and flaws.
The Real Cause of Greed
Root causes often involve unaddressed confidence issues or poor risk frameworks; address through edge understanding, discipline rules, process goals, and long-term perspective.
Correct by examining underlying emotions without diminishing healthy ambition.
Greed signals flaws in confidence or risk management, requiring analysis of beliefs.
Chapter 5: FEAR
The Nature of Fear
Fear acts as a signal revealing unconscious biases or preparation gaps, requiring reframing rather than suppression.
It encompasses various forms impacting decision-making.
Common Signs of Fear
Includes hesitation, early exits from winners, avoiding setups, overanalysis, and seeking excessive confirmation.
These indicate emotional interference in execution.
Mapping your fear
Map specific fear patterns, triggers, and escalations using documentation and severity scales for early intervention.
Helps in predicting and preventing fear-based mistakes.
Fear of Missing Out
FOMO leads to impulsive entries; address by challenging irrational thoughts and focusing on risk management.
Fear of Losing
Stemming from loss aversion, manage through gradual exposure and growth mindset, viewing losses as learning.
Fear of Mistakes
Involves avoiding risks due to error fear; correct by analyzing beliefs and emphasizing process over perfection.
Fear of Failure
Linked to self-worth; build resilience via journaling, skill improvement, and plan adherence.
Chapter 6: TILT
The Nature of Tilt
Tilt is anger-driven frustration leading to poor decisions, born from injustice, mistakes, or control loss, signaling deeper conflicts.
It involves emotional preoccupation overriding rationality.
Common Signs of Tilt
Overtrading, revenge trades, ignoring risk, fixating on losses, physical symptoms like elevated heart rate.
These escalate losses if not managed.
Mapping Your Tilt
Map tilt patterns, triggers, and responses; implement emotional "stop-loss" and mindfulness for control.
Hating to Lose
Intense aversion to losses triggers tilt; address by accepting losses as part of trading.
Mistake Tilt
Frustration from errors leads to self-criticism; use analysis to learn rather than spiral.
Injustice Tilt
Feeling market is unfair; reframe perspective to reduce emotional impact.
Revenge Trading
Seeking to "get back" at the market after losses; interrupt with pre-planned breaks and responses.
Entitlement Tilt
Believing trades "should" go your way; correct flawed logic through mental hand history.
Chapter 7: CONFIDENCE
The Nature of Confidence
Confidence is dynamic, fluctuating based on factors; stable confidence is key for consistency, not fixed trait.
Misaligned with expertise, it becomes a double-edged sword affecting decisions.
Common Signs of Overconfidence
Excessive risks, feeling invincible, poor risk management, unwise decisions.
Common Signs of Lack of Confidence
Hesitation, second-guessing, avoiding opportunities, premature changes.
Stable Confidence
Build through process-oriented goals, journaling, skill improvement, plan adherence, and evidence-based mindset.
Grounded in process, not results, for long-term success.
Mapping Your Confidence
Map patterns of confidence fluctuations to identify triggers and correct imbalances.
Correcting Cognitive Illusions and Biases
Address illusions, biases via mental hand history and corrections for stable confidence.
Perfectionism
Traps with unrealistic expectations; recognize imperfections as growth, challenge infallibility beliefs.
Desperation
Driven by urgency; manage through focus on long-term habits and risk control.
Hope and Wishing
Replace with data-driven decisions; correct biases distorting reality.
Chapter 8: DISCIPLINE
The Nature of Discipline
Discipline is a developable skill, not innate, improved via mental strength, habit value, and determination.
Involves focusing on established habits for consistent execution.
Common Signs of Discipline Problems
Impatience, boredom, procrastination, over-focus on results, leading to breakdowns.
General Strategies to Improve Discipline
Systematic habit-building, journaling, iterative refinement for sustainable change.
Mapping Where Discipline Is Needed
Map areas lacking discipline to target improvements effectively.
Impatience
Leads to rushed decisions; address with mindfulness and routine building.
Being Overly Results-Oriented
Shift focus to process goals to reduce pressure and improve consistency.
Boredom
Combat with engaging routines and skill challenges.
Distractibility
Improve focus through environmental controls and mental training.
Laziness
Overcome by emphasizing habit importance and incremental steps.
Procrastination
Tackle with pre-planned actions and accountability measures.
Chapter 9: CORRECT YOUR PROBLEM
Malfunctioning Mind
Intervene in emotional escalations by creating gaps between reactions and adjustments for better control.
Real-time Strategy
Develop swift interventions for emotions like fear or greed before they disrupt; use pattern interruption and corrections in the moment.
Apply real-time fixes during trading to prevent blowups.
Build a Productive Routine
Establish routines for systematic application of corrections, ensuring long-term mental game improvement.
Chapter 10: TROUBLESHOOTING A LACK OF PROGRESS
Difficulty Recognizing Your Pattern
Struggles in spotting early signs due to immersion; use data from reactions and decisions to identify breakdowns.
Things Get Worse Before They Get Better
Initial worsening as awareness increases; persist through this phase for eventual improvement.
Burnout
Address exhaustion from mental efforts; incorporate breaks and balance.
Bloated Brain
Overload from information; streamline focus and prioritize key issues.
When Life Bleeds into Trading
External stresses impact performance; separate and manage life influences through boundaries and support.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2022
This is one of the rare books I have read, which is quite different from the self help scams peddled by unscrupulous authors & publishers.
Most self help books take some general advise, recreate with synonyms that are catchy words/ click baits , writes pages about their importance with examples and that's it !
Grit, deep work, 5am, positive thinking....the list goes on and on...
Same with many trading psychology books as well. Dump you with knowledge about bias & emotions.
These authors are suited for stone age. They write books as if lack of knowledge was the issue !
Somebody please let these authors knew that in this world of internet, we are flooded with information.
Now you get a high while reading those books ( No wonder they are popular) but fails pathetically in real world application.
No wonder many including myself started hating self help section in spite of their marketing gimmicks ! ( I strongly believe the concept of “fool me once…shame on you….fool me twice….shame on me ! “)
Few gives quick fixes like breathing exercise, meditation etc. But its like giving a band aid for all leg pain including fracture ! (Appreciate their attempt to provide solutions though ! )
Works for few while majority fail !
Now about this book.
Openly acknowledges that awareness ≠ control.
Reminds me a lot of " Theory of constraints by Goldratt".
The inchworm concept is a beautiful application of theory of constraints in human psychology.
The steps/examples provided for data collection are really helpful.
They are specifically targeted towards trading issues but useful in other issues as well.
The root cause analysis is little blurry though. One may need (at-least I need) other methods outside this book for the same.
The solutions belong to "cognitive behavioral therapy" & hence no doubt they are quite useful in real world if applied regularly.
Hope the success of this book inspire author as well as other authors to write more books that actually provide long term solutions !
Most self help books take some general advise, recreate with synonyms that are catchy words/ click baits , writes pages about their importance with examples and that's it !
Grit, deep work, 5am, positive thinking....the list goes on and on...
Same with many trading psychology books as well. Dump you with knowledge about bias & emotions.
These authors are suited for stone age. They write books as if lack of knowledge was the issue !
Somebody please let these authors knew that in this world of internet, we are flooded with information.
Now you get a high while reading those books ( No wonder they are popular) but fails pathetically in real world application.
No wonder many including myself started hating self help section in spite of their marketing gimmicks ! ( I strongly believe the concept of “fool me once…shame on you….fool me twice….shame on me ! “)
Few gives quick fixes like breathing exercise, meditation etc. But its like giving a band aid for all leg pain including fracture ! (Appreciate their attempt to provide solutions though ! )
Works for few while majority fail !
Now about this book.
Openly acknowledges that awareness ≠ control.
Reminds me a lot of " Theory of constraints by Goldratt".
The inchworm concept is a beautiful application of theory of constraints in human psychology.
The steps/examples provided for data collection are really helpful.
They are specifically targeted towards trading issues but useful in other issues as well.
The root cause analysis is little blurry though. One may need (at-least I need) other methods outside this book for the same.
The solutions belong to "cognitive behavioral therapy" & hence no doubt they are quite useful in real world if applied regularly.
Hope the success of this book inspire author as well as other authors to write more books that actually provide long term solutions !
November 11, 2024
This book was intense and challenging. I personally enjoyed almost every single chapter because i gained mental strength and a passion for trading as I read on.
Most important take away was that I was always able to make a better trade after reading and if I felt like my mind was confused at some point in the day this book gave me clarity as to what were the right choices to make.
The book is meant to make you more logical and think about all your decisions in the market. great book 5/5.
Most important take away was that I was always able to make a better trade after reading and if I felt like my mind was confused at some point in the day this book gave me clarity as to what were the right choices to make.
The book is meant to make you more logical and think about all your decisions in the market. great book 5/5.
January 29, 2024
Was also a really good book for my trading psychology, loved that it categorized each of the feelings we get whilst trading + ways to think about and go through each of these emotions. I would also read this again, but TiTz was more personal and had examples that I've already experienced in my short time while trading.
May 19, 2022
this is a game changer for my life. not only in my trading.
and i use this to map my friends in my trading community.
after reading this book, i am able to lessen the effect of emotion on my trading performance.
and i use this to map my friends in my trading community.
after reading this book, i am able to lessen the effect of emotion on my trading performance.
May 21, 2021
Couldn't finish. Very hard for me to read.
January 10, 2022
D*mn good!
May 17, 2022
This book is amazing for trading psychology, highly recommend
December 4, 2024
This was tough to give 4 stars. I wanted to do 1 or 2 stars at first but.....
Facing the Truth: My Thoughts on The Mental Game of Trading
Reading The Mental Game of Trading was an unexpected emotional rollercoaster. It wasn’t the strategies or trading principles that got to me, but the tough mental truths the book confronted me with. As I read, I couldn’t shake a growing sense of anxiety—was it because the book revealed uncomfortable truths about my mindset, or was I simply not ready to hear what it had to say? Either way, it was clear this book wasn’t just about trading; it was about facing yourself.
Confronting the "Double-Minded Man"
A phrase that lingered in my mind throughout the book was: "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." Trading, at its core, requires clarity, decisiveness, and self-awareness—qualities I realized I was still cultivating. The book seemed to amplify my internal conflicts, shedding light on areas where I felt unprepared or hesitant to change.
This realization was both unsettling and valuable. If a book can push you to the edge of your comfort zone, doesn’t that mean it’s doing its job? Sometimes, fear and discomfort are signs that we’re uncovering blind spots we’ve been ignoring. That’s the hallmark of a well-written book, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment.
Learning Patience Through Resistance
Interestingly, I found myself diverging from some of the book’s warnings. Instead of adopting every mental strategy it suggested, I focused on developing patience in my trades—a path that has worked for me. This choice felt empowering, as it showed me that while I could acknowledge the book’s wisdom, I was ultimately in charge of my growth as a trader.
That doesn’t mean the book isn’t valuable. If anything, its ability to provoke such strong emotions underscores its impact. But its effectiveness will depend on the reader. Are you ready to face the emotional and mental challenges it brings to light?
Should You Read The Mental Game ofTrading?
Recommending this book depends on your perspective:
Yes, read it if you believe the anxiety or fear it evokes reflects common struggles traders face, and you’re ready to confront those challenges head-on. The book provides deep insights into the mental game, which could be transformative for those willing to grow.
No, shelve it if you feel the book leans too heavily on the negatives without offering actionable solutions to navigate the fears it uncovers.
A Thought-Provoking Yet Challenging Read
Ultimately, my experience with The Mental Game ofTrading taught me that growth isn’t always comfortable. The book forced me to face truths I wasn’t entirely ready for, but it also helped me solidify what works for me—patience and personal accountability.
If you’re a day or swing trader looking to sharpen your mindset, this book could be a game-changer. It’s not an easy read, but its challenges may help you uncover areas for growth you didn’t even realize needed attention.
For those willing to step outside their comfort zones, The Mental Game of Trading may be one of the most thought-provoking books you’ll ever read. Whether you love it or hate it, it’ll make you think—and that’s worth something.
What do you think? Have you read the book, or are you curious about how it might challenge you? Let me know your thoughts!
Facing the Truth: My Thoughts on The Mental Game of Trading
Reading The Mental Game of Trading was an unexpected emotional rollercoaster. It wasn’t the strategies or trading principles that got to me, but the tough mental truths the book confronted me with. As I read, I couldn’t shake a growing sense of anxiety—was it because the book revealed uncomfortable truths about my mindset, or was I simply not ready to hear what it had to say? Either way, it was clear this book wasn’t just about trading; it was about facing yourself.
Confronting the "Double-Minded Man"
A phrase that lingered in my mind throughout the book was: "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." Trading, at its core, requires clarity, decisiveness, and self-awareness—qualities I realized I was still cultivating. The book seemed to amplify my internal conflicts, shedding light on areas where I felt unprepared or hesitant to change.
This realization was both unsettling and valuable. If a book can push you to the edge of your comfort zone, doesn’t that mean it’s doing its job? Sometimes, fear and discomfort are signs that we’re uncovering blind spots we’ve been ignoring. That’s the hallmark of a well-written book, even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment.
Learning Patience Through Resistance
Interestingly, I found myself diverging from some of the book’s warnings. Instead of adopting every mental strategy it suggested, I focused on developing patience in my trades—a path that has worked for me. This choice felt empowering, as it showed me that while I could acknowledge the book’s wisdom, I was ultimately in charge of my growth as a trader.
That doesn’t mean the book isn’t valuable. If anything, its ability to provoke such strong emotions underscores its impact. But its effectiveness will depend on the reader. Are you ready to face the emotional and mental challenges it brings to light?
Should You Read The Mental Game ofTrading?
Recommending this book depends on your perspective:
Yes, read it if you believe the anxiety or fear it evokes reflects common struggles traders face, and you’re ready to confront those challenges head-on. The book provides deep insights into the mental game, which could be transformative for those willing to grow.
No, shelve it if you feel the book leans too heavily on the negatives without offering actionable solutions to navigate the fears it uncovers.
A Thought-Provoking Yet Challenging Read
Ultimately, my experience with The Mental Game ofTrading taught me that growth isn’t always comfortable. The book forced me to face truths I wasn’t entirely ready for, but it also helped me solidify what works for me—patience and personal accountability.
If you’re a day or swing trader looking to sharpen your mindset, this book could be a game-changer. It’s not an easy read, but its challenges may help you uncover areas for growth you didn’t even realize needed attention.
For those willing to step outside their comfort zones, The Mental Game of Trading may be one of the most thought-provoking books you’ll ever read. Whether you love it or hate it, it’ll make you think—and that’s worth something.
What do you think? Have you read the book, or are you curious about how it might challenge you? Let me know your thoughts!
July 30, 2024
**"The Mental Game of Trading" by Jared Tendler** is an invaluable resource for traders looking to master the psychological aspects of trading. Tendler, a renowned mental game coach, draws on his extensive experience working with professional traders to provide practical strategies for overcoming the mental and emotional challenges inherent in trading.
The book is structured to address common psychological pitfalls that traders face, such as fear, greed, overconfidence, and lack of discipline. Tendler delves into the root causes of these issues and offers actionable techniques to manage and mitigate their impact. One of the standout features of the book is its emphasis on the importance of self-awareness and emotional control as foundational skills for successful trading.
Tendler's approach is both comprehensive and systematic. He introduces readers to concepts like the "A-Game Analysis," which helps traders identify their optimal mental state, and the "Inchworm Concept," which focuses on continuous improvement. These frameworks are designed to help traders build a robust mental game plan that can be applied consistently in the fast-paced trading environment.
The book also includes numerous real-world examples and case studies from Tendler’s clients, providing readers with relatable scenarios and practical insights. These examples illustrate how the principles discussed can be implemented effectively, making the concepts more tangible and easier to understand.
One of the book's key strengths is its accessibility. Tendler's writing is clear and straightforward, making complex psychological concepts easy to grasp. The exercises and strategies provided are practical and can be implemented immediately, offering immediate benefits to traders of all levels.
"The Mental Game of Trading" goes beyond traditional trading psychology books by offering a structured approach to developing mental resilience and performance. It addresses the often-overlooked mental barriers that can hinder trading success and provides a roadmap for overcoming them.
Overall, "The Mental Game of Trading" is a must-read for anyone serious about improving their trading performance. Tendler’s insights and strategies provide a powerful toolkit for mastering the mental aspects of trading, ultimately leading to more consistent and profitable results. Whether you are a novice or an experienced trader, this book will equip you with the mental skills necessary to navigate the psychological challenges of the trading world.
November 24, 2024
1. A-game, B-game, C-game
2. need to improve the worst mistakes of the C-game trading instead of only focusing on making your A-game trading better
3. Steps to Identify Problem to fix
1. Step 1 - Describe the problem
1. I can't accept taking any loss early enough
2. Step 2 - Explain why it makes sense that you have this problem or why you think, feel or react that way
1. I don't know WHEN I should take the loss and my profits are always capped at a relatively "small" amount while the loss can turn into something big that can wipe out an entire month of profits or even an entire year of profits
3. Step 3 - Explain why the logic in Step 2 is flawed
1. ??? - there must be a point where taking a loss is the right thing to do ???
4. Step 4 - Come up with a correction to that flawed logic
1. I must learn how to take a loss even if it means taking a loss whenever a certain threshold is met and sticking to that threshold
5. Step 5 - Explain why that correction is correct
1. A profitable strategy will incur losses, sometimes big ones
4. Keep a log of your trades and the outcome attributed to [MISTAKE], [BAD LUCK], [SKILL], [GOOD LUCK]
5. It is not reasonable to be profitable on every single trade -- instead focus on the process and system you are following and try to execute that system perfectly rather than basing it all on the outcome (not matter what you will always have losing trades from time to time)
1. ex...EPS rating between 70-90, position size
6. Injecting Logic:
1. Hating to lose - I'll win some and I'll lose some -- losses are inevitable - but as long as I control my emotions and follow the process when the looses occur and continue trading within my strategy, I will profit over the long term.
2. Hope isn't a strategy; close it and move on to the next one
2. need to improve the worst mistakes of the C-game trading instead of only focusing on making your A-game trading better
3. Steps to Identify Problem to fix
1. Step 1 - Describe the problem
1. I can't accept taking any loss early enough
2. Step 2 - Explain why it makes sense that you have this problem or why you think, feel or react that way
1. I don't know WHEN I should take the loss and my profits are always capped at a relatively "small" amount while the loss can turn into something big that can wipe out an entire month of profits or even an entire year of profits
3. Step 3 - Explain why the logic in Step 2 is flawed
1. ??? - there must be a point where taking a loss is the right thing to do ???
4. Step 4 - Come up with a correction to that flawed logic
1. I must learn how to take a loss even if it means taking a loss whenever a certain threshold is met and sticking to that threshold
5. Step 5 - Explain why that correction is correct
1. A profitable strategy will incur losses, sometimes big ones
4. Keep a log of your trades and the outcome attributed to [MISTAKE], [BAD LUCK], [SKILL], [GOOD LUCK]
5. It is not reasonable to be profitable on every single trade -- instead focus on the process and system you are following and try to execute that system perfectly rather than basing it all on the outcome (not matter what you will always have losing trades from time to time)
1. ex...EPS rating between 70-90, position size
6. Injecting Logic:
1. Hating to lose - I'll win some and I'll lose some -- losses are inevitable - but as long as I control my emotions and follow the process when the looses occur and continue trading within my strategy, I will profit over the long term.
2. Hope isn't a strategy; close it and move on to the next one
December 2, 2023
I've found this book to be more helpful as an emotional reference book as opposed to something you read straight through. The book is mostly geared towards day traders, but if you use it as a reference book, anyone can benefit.
Some key takeaways were the "inchworm" philosophy of improvement, where the inch worm is a bell curve of performance, with your negative standarad deviations being your poor performance (or "C" game), your middle being your "B" game, and your right side of the curve your "A" game.
Everyone has an A B and C game; no one is perfect. Instead of striving for perfection, try to inch your "C" game closer to your B game, and shift the curve over time by making less stupid mistakes, so that your new C game is closer to your old B game.
I liked this incremental approach.
There are sections in the book that go over each type of emotion (different types of Fear, Greed, Discipline, etc). This is super helpful because the goal of the book is to show you that you can use your emotions as SIGNALS and then understand potential mistakes that arise from them.
I found the sections on FOMO, Fear of Loss, Greed, & Patience to be of particular use, but I am sure I will reference this in the months to come.
Some key takeaways were the "inchworm" philosophy of improvement, where the inch worm is a bell curve of performance, with your negative standarad deviations being your poor performance (or "C" game), your middle being your "B" game, and your right side of the curve your "A" game.
Everyone has an A B and C game; no one is perfect. Instead of striving for perfection, try to inch your "C" game closer to your B game, and shift the curve over time by making less stupid mistakes, so that your new C game is closer to your old B game.
I liked this incremental approach.
There are sections in the book that go over each type of emotion (different types of Fear, Greed, Discipline, etc). This is super helpful because the goal of the book is to show you that you can use your emotions as SIGNALS and then understand potential mistakes that arise from them.
I found the sections on FOMO, Fear of Loss, Greed, & Patience to be of particular use, but I am sure I will reference this in the months to come.
March 15, 2025
I rarely read a non-fiction book that keeps getting better with every page. Most non-fiction books feel like: here's a hypothesis, here's the solution, and then the same examples repeated for 200 pages, which honestly could've just been an article. But here, I liked how the book was structured—I've made lots of notes already and I'm excited to dive deeper. The first chapter got me hooked right away with examples I could actually relate to.
Overall, it feels mostly aimed at intraday traders, but honestly, the toughest emotions usually hit long-term traders when checking their PnL—and that's exactly my biggest challenge right now. I'm definitely planning to put this stuff into practice. Plus, I feel like some of these methods could also help in other parts of life, not just trading.
Good read, eye-opening stuff, a solid 4.5 from me—my only complaint is that some parts felt a bit repetitive.
Overall, it feels mostly aimed at intraday traders, but honestly, the toughest emotions usually hit long-term traders when checking their PnL—and that's exactly my biggest challenge right now. I'm definitely planning to put this stuff into practice. Plus, I feel like some of these methods could also help in other parts of life, not just trading.
Good read, eye-opening stuff, a solid 4.5 from me—my only complaint is that some parts felt a bit repetitive.
February 22, 2023
I recommend reading this book if you are a trader. Not for investor.
This is the kind of book, you will need to keep coming back at here and there as psychological challenges for traders will keep changing over time as you progress in your career. This book will also provide you insights on how emotions generally work, even outside trading in our personal life.
Once you have a technical edge and strategy as a trader, psychology is something which takes longer to master. It helped me understand the emotions which arises while I trade and how to go about successfully manage, map, fix and work around them. Of course, this is a guide so more work is definitely needed from my side. This book will help you find what is causing issues and where work is really needed whether it is a technical side or psychological.
This is the kind of book, you will need to keep coming back at here and there as psychological challenges for traders will keep changing over time as you progress in your career. This book will also provide you insights on how emotions generally work, even outside trading in our personal life.
Once you have a technical edge and strategy as a trader, psychology is something which takes longer to master. It helped me understand the emotions which arises while I trade and how to go about successfully manage, map, fix and work around them. Of course, this is a guide so more work is definitely needed from my side. This book will help you find what is causing issues and where work is really needed whether it is a technical side or psychological.
March 25, 2025
Probably the best psychological virw on trading I read. Not just the "ordinary psychology" in other books, but actually a practical system to actually do something about the problems you just would be able to name in most other books. Can be somewhat compared to Stenbergers "self coaching" books, but this is much better. Author also have a relatively cheap online community where he go through it theme and then going through a few selected members problems every week, so you actually get both group and professional coaching.
December 18, 2023
Very heavy, will prompt you to look in the mirror and question multiple aspects of yourself as a person and a trader. If it gets reissued, I'd edit it somewhat and use more chapters of shorter length to break it up. But there are countless gems in here, honestly. It will redefine aspects of your trading psychology.
May 28, 2025
Fantastic! I’ve kept reading because how clear the writing is. Fun examples and great psychology behind it even if you don’t care about trading at all. Probably one of the best psychology books I’ve read. Bit repetitive at times, but manages to make a point. Probably gets close to Mastery in some cases by Robert Greene.
August 25, 2025
This reads like learning basic emotional regulation skills but centered around trading. The two subject matters don't overlap in a particularly interesting way (emotional regulation doesn't produce interesting effects unique to trading nor does trading require different or more nuanced emotional regulation skills, at least in accordance to this book).
November 22, 2025
Really good book, Apropo for trading… And for life in general… You’ll never successfully divorce yourself from emotion… But you can always make emotion work for you… He suggests you take your emotion and use it as a trigger to investigate why you’re feeling the way that you’re feeling… use it as a tool and never let emotion govern behavior… true in trading and in life
November 28, 2025
Your mind tends to be your biggest obstacle between being a profitable trader and blowing up your account. This book will help give you techniques that get you out of your head and master your emotions. Though I would read The Untethered Soul before hand, as that gives you a philosophical foundation for practicing these techniques.
June 28, 2023
That was a terrible book. Was hoping to learn something about how to trade stocks from this book. Instead I got 300 pages of you can't win them all, when you lose don't get frustrated, took good notes. This book was utterrly pointless
June 25, 2021
very good.
July 2, 2021
The best book I've read about trading psychology.
It's far more applicable than any other book on this topic.
It's far more applicable than any other book on this topic.
July 19, 2021
Incredible work. Congratulations Jered!
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