Your success in the financial markets has as much to do with your personality as it does your level of expertise. It is important to develop a trading style that is consistent with your natural inherent characteristics. The following is a representation of how you might see yourself in the financial markets.

You are an enthusiastic investor with a vibrant passion for the financial markets. Modest, unassuming and humble you are the type of person who has an exceptional knack for the art of investing and also have a unique ability to focus on the details and systematic nature of the markets. You have a unique blend of intuition and stability. While many cater to the instincts of trading you trust your instincts but recognize the demand for unbiased methodology. As a result you are generally successful in almost everything you try.

Basic Desires and Motivations

Your basic desires and motivations drive your abilities and performance in the financial markets. Learn to use your motivations to your benefit as you develop trading rules and system that are unique to your trading style.

You like to stay alert because you want to understand and stay on top of everything that's going on in the market around you. You have boundless energy inside you that drives you to try new ideas and concepts. You also enjoy the market; it gives you much satisfaction. In your daily investing, you often look for new ways of analyzing and recognizing opportunities and you are not afraid to try them out.

You have an inborn desire to be successful. It is this drive that motivates you when all else is going wrong. You are proud of your abilities and your accomplishments and you want to receive recognition from those around you. You are driven to keep a high profile; you like being in the public view in a favorable light. When trades go well, you are not bashful about sharing your successes.

Behavior Under Pressure

The markets oscillate between periods of relative calm and wildly volatile. Your ability to perform under pressure will directly influence the outcome of any given trade. Here is how you typically perform under pressure:

You are personable and friendly to those with whom you interact. You maintain good relationships with everyone you can. Even under pressure you generate enthusiasm in everything you do and you inspire it in others. Your kind-hearted, outgoing personality makes it natural for others to be drawn to you when the situation gets tense. Others find themselves to be sympathetic to your opinions because of your natural charisma, and are often motivated, excited and supportive of your goals and ambitions. You are good at persuading and motivating individuals and larger groups. When dealing with sensitive issues you are careful in the way you approach the situation and tactful when speaking about it. You have the ability to project your optimism onto others, even when circumstances are not favorable. When pressure is high you maintain a positive posture and you remain comfortable with your large and diverse body of associates, acquaintances, and friends.

Because of the connections you have with people, you are able to rally groups that have lost heart in dire situations, motivate people who have lost their passion, and persuade others to raise their level of performance. When needed, you make an extra effort to overcome resistance to your motivation so that everyone can be at their best.You want to be in the thick of things and at the center of attention, and want to have a persuasive voice in the decisions that are made. You like bringing in big results and you like the recognition that comes with great achievement. You are motivated to climb the ladder of success, gaining position and authority as your experience and exposure increases.

Under pressure, you focus on your tasks. You hammer out your work at a fast but professional pace and you try to keep others up to speed as well. When the need arises, you apply your considerable influence and personal appeal as you motivate others to perform at the standards required.

Possible Need for Improvement

While every investor profile has unique characteristics that compliment trading, you also share challenges. Here are a couple of area's that may improve your trading.

At times you may apply your persuasive ability toward convincing others to be sympathetic to your own personal opinions or objectives. You may appear to others to be more casual than you are purposeful in the tasks you need to perform. They may also get the impression that you are more indirect than you are specific about the information you want to communicate to them.  You also have a tendency to strive for immediate results. This can be effective in the short term but establishing good relationships and understandings that will endure over long periods of time can be much better. You are also capable of overestimating people's abilities. You tend to assume that nearly everyone can perform up to your standards; that may not always be the case. Because of this assumption, you might expect more from others than they are going to be able to deliver. You have a tendency to “sugar-coat” or diminish interpersonal conflicts. This makes it difficult for you to handle people-problems because you can't be fun while being insistent and direct. You are a diplomat, not a task-master.

Ideas for Better Performance

Here are a few high impact suggestions that might improve your success in the financial markets. Do not worry about changing these characteristics, it often enough just to learn to recognize when they are affecting your investment outcomes.

• Talk Less - Your natural tendency is to spend a great deal of time in conversation with yourself as the primary speaker. Let others speak more.
• Offer Fewer Personal Opinions - Instead of immediately telling everyone about your feelings on a matter, take some time and listen to theirs first. If one isn't offered, it is alright to leave the matter alone.
• Increase Response Time - Don't fire off an answer as soon as the question is asked. Think about your responses briefly and then give your answer.
• Talk More Slowly and Softly - Turn down your volume level and back off on the speed of your delivery. You can often leave others behind in conversation so make an effort to pace yourself.
• Allow Others to Lead - Your tendency may be to jump in and take charge in most situations. Make a habit of pausing and offering the reins of leadership to others who may have great ability and good ideas but might not have the assertiveness to quickly step up to the plate.
• Control Personal Feelings - Don't allow your feelings to be the sole basis of important decisions. Rein in your tendency to be impulsive.
• Restrain Emotional Responses - Moderate the amount of emotion that you express to others. If you feel something strongly, don't let it all out.
• Display Self-Control - Try not to let the strength of your opinions overwhelm the situation.
• Concentrate on Facts and Details - Be more data and fact oriented; putting effort into the details of your responsibilities will allow you to be more effective when things need to get done.
• Limit Relationship Factors - Devote time to your responsibilities as well as your relationships. While relationships are very important to you, your responsibilities and commitments should also be important. Don't neglect them or you may hurt your credibility with others.