Why You Resist Doing What You Know You Should The Hidden Psychology Sabotaging Your Trading

The Battle Behind the Charts

Ever found yourself staring at your trading rules, nodding your head… and then doing the exact opposite? You’re not alone. The real battle in trading isn’t with the market. It’s with ourselves. We know we should cut losses. We know we should follow the system. But somehow, we still sabotage our own success.

This article dives deep into the psychological tug-of-war that every trader faces—and how to stop it. If you’ve ever said, “I know better, but I still did it,” this one’s for you.

The Irrational Logic of Smart Traders

Let’s be blunt—most people who come into trading are intelligent. Analytical. Rational. Engineers, programmers, accountants, doctors. People who are used to solving complex problems and making smart decisions.

So why do those same people break their trading rules?

Because your brain has two operating systems:

1. The logical, rational system that wrote your rules.
2. The emotional, impulsive system that ignores them.

In trading, the moment money is on the line, guess which one usually wins?

Yep. The one that’s terrified, excited, greedy, fearful, hopeful—all within seconds. Your lizard brain. And it’s fast.

“It’s much easier to learn what you should do in trading than to do it. Good systems tend to violate normal human tendencies.” — William Eckhardt

Why You Resist What You Know Is Right

Here’s the crazy thing…

You can know what you’re supposed to do and still resist doing it. That resistance often shows up as:

• Procrastination on placing a trade.
• “Tinkering” with your system right before entry.
• Skipping your daily review.
• Avoiding backtesting or journaling.

It’s not laziness. It’s not lack of discipline. It’s a conflict between your conscious goals and your unconscious fears.

I see this all the time when coaching traders:

They say, “I just need to get more consistent.”

But what they mean is, “I’m scared I’ll do it all perfectly and still fail.”

So instead, they sabotage early, which feels safer. If you break the rules, and the trade loses—well, you didn’t really fail, right? It wasn’t the real you trading. Clever… but costly.

The Hidden Cost of Resistance

Let me be clear:

Every time you resist doing what you know you should… you’re compounding inconsistency.

You’re reinforcing the habit of skipping the very thing that would change your results. Resistance isn’t just inconvenient—it’s a trader’s silent killer.

Adrian’s had two multimillion-dollar mistakes in his journey. And they weren’t technical. They were psychological. As he says:

“I would be $5 million richer today if I had acted on what I knew, instead of giving in to emotion.”

Let that land for a moment.

The Antidote? Internal Alignment

You don’t just need a system that works. You need a system that works for you.

Traders fail when their trading approach is misaligned with their personality, risk tolerance, or lifestyle. It’s like trying to run a marathon in ski boots. You might be tough enough to make it a few kilometres, but eventually something’s going to break.

At Enlightened Stock Trading, we obsess over internal alignment because we’ve seen firsthand:

You will only follow a system you are comfortable with… So choose one that fits your personality. — Adrian Reid

I’ve coached dozens of traders who had all the logic sorted… but their psychology wasn’t on board. The fix wasn’t more information. It was re-wiring their internal beliefs about what it means to succeed, fail, and deserve success.

Three Tools to Dismantle Resistance

Let’s get practical. Here are 3 tools you can start using right away to reduce internal resistance and finally act on what you know:

1. Trade Your Plan Out Loud

Yes, out loud. Talk yourself through your daily routine. When you hear yourself say, “I should place this trade,” but your voice wavers—you’ve found resistance. Lean in there. Ask:

• “What am I afraid of happening if I follow this rule?”
• “What would I tell another trader in my shoes right now?”

You’ll be amazed what bubbles up.

2. Use the “Future You” Filter

Before skipping your review or breaking your rules, pause and ask:

“Will this action make Future Me proud… or poorer?”

Trading is a long game. The most expensive decisions are rarely the big blowups—they’re the repeated small compromises. A $500 mistake today can compound into a $500,000 gap 10 years from now.

3. Track Resistance, Not Just Trades

Every time you hesitate, avoid, or break your rules, note it. What were you feeling? What story did your mind tell you? This isn’t just journaling trades—it’s journaling internal patterns.

Once you see them clearly, they lose their power. Because as I often remind my coaching clients:

“You can’t fix what you pretend isn’t there.”

Let’s Get Honest – You Don’t Need More Info

If you’re reading this far, I’m guessing you already know what you should be doing.

What you need is:

• Systems that remove emotion from decision-making
• A mindset that supports consistent action
• A coach and community who see through your excuses

That’s exactly what we do at Enlightened Stock Trading. Not with hype or hustle. But with structure, sanity, and support.

We take smart, struggling traders and help them flip the switch—from erratic and emotional to consistent and confident.

Not by “trying harder.” But by aligning your internal wiring with your external system.

Trade Your Way to the Life You Want

You didn’t start trading to stare at screens all day and second-guess yourself into exhaustion.

You started because you wanted more freedom, more choice, more wealth. But that future only exists if you can overcome the resistance you feel today.

So here’s the challenge:

This week, don’t just study your trades. Study your resistance.

Because once you understand why you’re not doing what you know you should… everything changes.

And remember…

You’re only one trading system away.

Your Coach
Stephanie