Quick, what is the first thing that comes to your mind…what does a computer + an internet connection equal? Yes, that is right…porn!
The women might not agree, but as a man, you know what I'm talking about…even if you won't openly admit it. Probably the funniest illustration of this fact is a song from the Broadway play Avenue Q. I'm not big on musicals, but I saw this one in person and it was totally worth it. If you are ever in New York City, I would highly recommend it.
But seriously…
All joking aside, when you are at your computer and waiting for trades to setup, it can be tempting to want to click on over to one of those sites (just for a minute, of course) and “relax” a little.
A loss of concentration usually results. You miss your setups, you miss your exits and things just generally get pretty messy. The bottom line is that internet porn, mixed with trading, is a recipe for financial disaster.
But what can you do about it?
In this post, I will give you some ideas on how you can to beat (or at least tame) the Internet Porn Monster so you can trade more profitably. There will also be an entertaining and informative video at the end with one of my favorite Biohackers Dave Asprey and a book that can help you channel your sexual energy so you can lead a happier, healthier and (hopefully) wealthier life.
First of all, it's not bad
Before we get started, I'm not going to wear a white suit, spray you with holy water from a firehose and demonize internet porn. I think that it is perfectly normal if you enjoy it and normal if you don't.
We have certain basic human needs and a strong sex drive is actually a really good thing. As it has been written in books such as Think and Grow Rich, many of the most successful men in history have had monumental sex drives. If you just want to skip to that chapter, you can read it here for free.
Because what is more motivating than the possibility of getting laid?!
…yeah, I still can't think of anything.
What you can do about it
So if you having trouble concentrating on your trading, here are a few things that you can do. Use whatever works for you.
Before you ask…yes, I admit it. I have lost money because of internet porn. I'm sure most men (and maybe even some women) have had their trading affected by it at one time or another.
I've actually had this post saved as a draft for almost a year because I wasn't sure if I should post this or not. But I think it is one of those things that really do factor into successful trading, but is never really spoken about on blogs or in trading courses.
So let's pull off the covers and have an open discussion on the topic…
Just get it out of the way early
One school of thought is to just get it out of the way before you start trading. Go have some fun with your partner or by yourself, then sit down to trade seriously. This could help you forget about “flogging your dolphin” and concentrate on the task at hand, making money!
The downfall would be that you could be too tired to concentrate properly. You might end up going to sleep or just lose the motivation to trade. It might work for you, but is something that I don't recommend.
It's all about low maintenance
There is another method that I have seen work in only one instance. You could actually surf porn while trading, the excitement might actually heighten your senses.
But you would have to have a method that is low maintenance. If you only execute 1-4 trades a week, then there is actually a lot of time to look at boobs (or whatever you like to look at).
Now, I'm not suggesting that you switch to trading on the weekly chart, only so you can get down with Sasha Grey on a regular basis, but I'm just presenting all the options.
Of course, there would still need to be a certain amount of discipline involved to know when you need to get to work. You can't just free Willy and forget about setting your stop losses, doing your backtesting and finishing your market analysis.
I do not recommend this method either. Which brings me to my preferred method…
Exercise control
Ultimately, I believe that success in any area is the result of discipline. But in order to get leverage over yourself to be disciplined, you need to have strong enough reasons why.
A great place to begin is to start meditating. It can be hard in the beginning. In our go-go-go society, sitting down for a few minutes and quieting your mind can be the most difficult thing you have ever done.
But once you find that mental stillness, it will help you concentrate on what really needs to be done. You can figure out whatever works for you or you can try this simple meditation that I created.
Once you quiet your mind, think about what you are ultimately trying to achieve with your trading and how that will improve your life. Maybe you just want to take an extra vacation this year, help pay for your kids education or even trade for a living.
Concentrate on that goal and how paying attention to your trading will get you there.
There are also other benefits that come from controlling yourself
As it has been written countless times throughout history, ejaculating too often can rob you of the creative energy, overall happiness and the motivation to be your best. I came across this really interesting video the other day from Dave Asprey on an experiment that he did to see if there really is any merit to these teachings.
He tried the following experiments and charted his overall feeling of happiness on a daily basis:
- Not having any sexual activity for 30 days
- Having sex, but only ejaculating once every 8 days (which is commonly taught), based on an ancient formula
- Having sex, but only ejaculating once every 30 days…yikes.
Just a heads up, the video is not the greatest because his head is cut off for most of it, but it is funny and informative, so stick with it. Discover which formula he found made him more productive, made him feel the best and even made him much more attractive to women.
Along these lines, I bought this book awhile back that teaches much of what Dave talks about. As far as I can tell, this book is one of the authorities on the subject, so if you are interested, you can check it out in my Recommended Books. It can not only help you channel your sexual energy, but also increase it, to help you reach even greater levels of productivity and vigor.
Two words: “Deer Exercise.”
I would like to hear your opinion
Is internet porn the instrument of the devil or is it something that just needs to have it's place? How to you find the discipline to get to work?
Leave a comment below and join the discussion…
