The Proverbial Sweeping of Things Under the Persian Rug

Warning: Rambling Ahead

Ever since I saw my first episode of The F Word, Gordon Ramsay has held a certain appeal for me. In that episode, Gordon and his family adopted a baby pig, which he was going to later prepare into a signature dish. He wanted to ensure that the baby pig was properly fed and cared for. His whole family was involved in caring for the baby pig. And yet, when it came time for him to actually go ahead with the task at hand, it was really, really hard for him emotionally. The whole thing was so inhumane, yet Gordon Ramsay turned it into a very human and emotional experience. It made me realise this guy sees things from a totally different vantage point.

So when Gordon Ramsay published his autobiography “Humble Pie” and shared with the world his incredible ordeal of overcoming a childhood defined by horrific domestic violence and poverty and how he subsequently turned his childhood challenges into the amazing success story he’s become, I was even more inspired to say the least.

Still, anyone following Gordon Ramsay lately cannot help but notice he’s taken some wrong turns. The alleged affair with a woman who calls herself “a professional mistress” was not only highly distasteful, but his business has also been adversely affected by his overly ambitious expansion plans.

It totally got me thinking. Gordon Ramsay would be considered a success by anyone’s standards. Yet, on some level, it’s quite conceivable that his recent behaviour is a result of self-sabotage. After reading his story, it’s highly likely that on some deeper level, he feels he doesn’t deserve success and happiness. Rather than dealing with his issues, he did the very clever but proverbial sweeping of things under the rug trick.

And why does it have to do with trading then?

In fact, thinking in even broader terms, it not only has a lot to do with trading, but also with asset protection in general.

As traders and as individuals, we cannot do the proverbial sweeping of things under the Persian rug and expect sustainable success. We have to deal with our issues on a deeper level and ensure these issues do not control us or our future.

So, I’m going to ask myself today: What am I sweeping under the rug? I know what’s right – why don’t I just do it? Why am I afraid of making changes? What am I afraid of finding out? Am I afraid of making progress?

Trading could be the scariest thing in the world sometimes. But if we are not brutally honest with ourselves, we will only end up limiting ourselves – and this will ultimately show up in our account balance.