The single most important component of the personality related to personal achievement is self-esteem. Self-esteem is simply how much an individual likes himself and correlates to high achievement on a one-to-one basis. The more an individual likes himself the higher levels of performance he can achieve in any area of his life. Traders should always have at least one physical or mental activity every week that helps them feel good about themselves, like chess or golf.
To reach high performance and personal achievement, understanding the three components of the self-concept is beneficial. The Ideal Self is a mental picture of the trader a person would like to become, a composite of the all positive qualities admired in other traders. Schwager's "Market Wizards" is filled with these admirable characters with their winning personalities. The Self Image is the inner mirror of the person a trader thinks he really is, and relates how he interacts with others on a day-today basis. A person seldom reaches levels of achievement beyond his self-image limitations. The Self-Esteem is how much a person likes himself. The more a person likes himself the higher levels of achievement are possible. These three components of the personality are always changing every moment. The self-aware trader shapes these personality components to compliment his goal achieving efforts to profitably trade the markets.