A metaphor is a symbolic representation of a belief and like a belief it's usually selected without conscious awareness. Sometimes a metaphor is simply part of the culture. It may or may not support us, so it's important to consciously review and consciously choose and use only helpful metaphors. These metaphors will be your behind the scenes nurturing guides.

Think about the metaphors you use to describe living in general. Do you have one prevailing reference, in other words a primary or dominant metaphor for life? Or do you have a bunch of them? If so, are they all pretty much the same? These metaphors could be organizing your life, so ask yourself, "Do these thoughts support me?" If not, choose others.

Let's look at some metaphors that traders and the trading culture as a whole use to depict and explain trading.

Common metaphors for trading involve sports and warfare. Trading is perceived as a contest between two sides. I win. You lose. You win. I lose.

Combat metaphors are rife. Think about how many times you have read or heard traders referring to trading as a battle. If thinking of trading as a combat enables you to trade more effectively, all well and good. But warfare demands that you bring up all of your resources. It's an all or nothing affair, involving ambush, pillage, rape, scorched ground, wounding, life and death, victory and defeat. A trader goes out each day to do battle with the market. He is at war with the market. No wonder he or she is exhausted at the end of a trading day or week!

Exhaustion is the least of the difficulties. Thinking of trading as warfare could cause you to overtrade or under trade. Attack and retreat. Such a metaphor could cause you to lose money trading.