Market Metaphors and Perception

What we perceive is not just a function of what is out there, but also the lenses that we wear. Many of our cognitive lenses are so much a part of our thinking that we forget they are there. We assume that what we're perceiving is what objectively exists...but that's not always the case.

Some of the most powerful lenses are the metaphors that we use in describing markets. Consider the following:

* A trader views the market as an enemy to be conquered;

* A trader approaches the market as a puzzle to be solved;

* A trader sees the market as a paradise of potential riches;

* A trader regards the market as a mistress to be wooed;

* A trader views the market as a dangerous minefield;

* A trader looks at the market as a video game.

How do these metaphors affect our trading? Our emotional responses to trading? How would being aware of our metaphors--and shifting them--change how we trade and how we experience our trading?
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