How to Unring the Trading Bell
Last time I told you about Pavlov's dog.
The bell rings. The dog drools. Every single time.
But here's something most people don't know about that experiment.
Pavlov figured out how to make it stop.
He kept ringing the bell — but stopped giving food. Over time, the dog heard the bell and... nothing. No drool. No reaction. The connection broke.
There's a lesson for traders in that.
Bell rings. You react. Emotion takes over.
The fix isn't willpower. And it isn't somebody telling you to "just be more disciplined."
The fix is a system that makes the decision before the emotion shows up.
Think about what that actually looks like.
Instead of staring at a red candle and asking yourself "Should I sell?" — you already know. You check your criteria and either act with purpose — or do nothing with confidence.
That's the difference between reacting and responding.
A simple plan with three things written down:
- What you're looking for
- When you'll act
- When you won't
That's it. Not complicated. Not fancy. Just clear.
How many of your last five trades followed a written plan? Be honest.
If that number is low, you've probably found the problem. You're reacting instead of following a process.
Wednesday I'm going to show you what happens when the bell rings and you genuinely don't care.
Trade Wisely,
Dennis
AutoPilot Trading
Be Patient - Be Prepared
P.S. Quick question: When you sit down to trade, do you have a pre-written checklist you follow before placing a single order? Hit reply and let me know — I read every response.
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