I’ve just released my third book, The Mental Game of Trading, and couldn’t be more excited. It was three years in the making and I’m super happy with how it came out.
For those of you that know my work, I have often talked about the ways in which my system works across many fields. That’s why I was able to move from golf to poker, and then poker led to trading, esports, business, and other professions. Given that, one question I wanted to address is how this book is a distinct upgrade from my previous books, The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2.
Put simply, the four biggest improvements are:
- My system is more systemized and easier to follow.
- You’ll feel more like a client as you read this one. I’ve mapped the process clients move through to identify, work on, and solve issues, and have included an entire troubleshooting chapter.
- There is more content—a lot of it. At 310 pages, this book is about 80% longer and there’s no fat.
- Within the expanded content, there is a ton of additional details/specifics around each problem, especially with high expectations and perfectionism.
Let me tell you a little more about each one of these.
My System is Systemized
First and foremost, it’s been 10 years since I released the first book. With each book, I was forced to consolidate my knowledge and that led to huge leaps in my expertise. I think the reason I needed three years to write this book, in addition to being quite busy with my client work, is that it took a long time to download and distill what I had learned over the years. Working through all that material has allowed me to make my system that much tighter. It’s as close as you can get in written form to having a coach right there with you telling you what to do next.
Most importantly, the system prioritizes resolution. I love getting feedback from readers and actively sought out what the poker books did well and where they fell short. As I’ve read through and listened to comments, I got the feeling people weren’t using the material to work towards resolution. Thinking about it, I realized that I put too much emphasis on Injecting Logic and not enough on resolution. While Injecting Logic is a critical tool, it’s not the end game. The end game is resolution. That’s how you eliminate your problems for good. Resolution, and how to work the process to get there, is much more front and center throughout The Mental Game of Trading.
Feel Like a Client
With the system being laid out in this way, the book more closely mirrors my actual coaching process. Those of you who have completed coaching with me in the past will recognize the steps. In hindsight it all seems quite obvious to structure it this way, but it took a lot of work to get things this clear.
Plus, I have a lot more knowledge about the problems that clients commonly experience as they attempt to make progress. Throughout the book, there’s advice and perspective to help you identify and work through those sticky points so your progress doesn’t get derailed. That culminates with the last chapter of the book, titled “Troubleshooting a Lack of Progress,” which goes into further detail about six of the biggest and most common issues that prevent you from improving, and how to address them. And, because the system is more systemized in this book, you’ll have an easier time isolating the specific reason you’re not making the progress you want.
More Content
There’s just more material in this book and that’s simply a byproduct of more experience. I’ve seen more and applied it with clients in many different competitive arenas. I’ve continued to push myself to learn and grow, moving my own Inchworm forward. That’s a big reason why I never took learning to play poker, or learning to trade, seriously. I focused my energy on continuing to level up as a coach. My A-game (and C-game) is a lot stronger than it was a decade ago.
In this book you’ll find more tips on identifying issues, more guidance on mapping your pattern, more detail on the types of problems I see, and more advice on how to solve them. I also pride myself on trying to present the material simply, without a lot of extra words or belaboring points. This book is 80% longer than the poker books and there is no fat. It’s all revised and expanded content. Sure, there’s some repetition in the book, but that’s purposeful. Repetition of key points is critical to learning. Lastly, I’ve included more examples. 17 traders share their stories of how they improved using my system.
Perfectionism Expansion
To be clear, I’m not suggesting that high expectations or expectations of perfection are inherently a problem. I always tell my clients I want them to aspire as big as their goals are. But high expectations do create a double-edged sword. While it may be a driver of success, it can also create self-inflicted wounds that cause emotional volatility and damaged execution/performance.
These topics are covered throughout the book and then explored in detail for a full 10 pages within the confidence chapter. That section also lays out a strategy that I have been using with clients for the last three or four years that has been reliably helping people across industries make significant improvements. In fact, I recently had several long-standing clients refer their spouses to me on this topic and, as a result, I worked with a cancer radiologist, psychiatric nurse, and graphic designer. While those are not my typical clients, all of them significantly benefited from this material. If you’ve read the poker books and haven’t gotten over the hump on this one, the new book can help.
Overall, I couldn’t be prouder of this book. Whether you are new to my material or looking for the expanded content from the earlier books, I look forward to hearing how The Mental Game of Trading helps you to improve your performance.
