Journal Entry: Ryan Michael Reavis-01/27/2025

Journal Entry

I’m reading a book on the psychology of trading right now, and it is very interesting. Sometimes I forget I’m reading a book about trading, because it applies to all areas of life, not just about our dealings in the market. Yesterday something I read stood out to me. There is a gap between our perception of what our real self is, and what our ideal self would be. And depression is a tool that nature uses to suppress motivation when we don’t know how to reach our perceived potential. There is a guilt that comes up when we feel like we are letting opportunities slip by, or we are settling for less than we should in our lives. That guilt is foundational, so it affects the rest of what we do whether we realize it or not. Just realizing this fact is very powerful. Being able to step back when those emotions come up and look to why we’re feeling them pushes back on the feeling of guilt and helps us make a plan to overcome whatever is standing in our way. One of the best tools to use to reach our potential is setting goals. Starting with the end goal and working backwards works well for me. This way I can make my goals SMART. The core of happiness is feeling like one is on the right path, and what better way to do that than by always working toward goals. Something else I read in a column in a magazine yesterday talked about imposter syndrome. I immediately identified with this. A lot of times I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing, and that I should give up. I guess I’m not the only one. Performance anxiety is a real thing that occurs when you focus more on the self than the activity you’re doing. The actor that described the anxiety said you can’t get rid of it, but you can turn it into energy. I’ve experience periods of flow when I was bartending. When I felt like my next 5 moves were clearly laid out in front of me the entire night and I never stopped moving with maximum efficiency. Totally locked in. The focus was completely on what I was doing, not on myself. I’m going to try to approach my work the same way.