The course consists of a series of emails that provide links to pages on a dedicated website. Once you begin you will receive one email on each of the following 15 week days. Just click on the link and you will have full free access to the course module for that day including instructions, articles and audio files to guide you in undertaking the exercises.
Note that this is an introductory course: it will give you a start towards understanding, learning and mastering mindfulness. You won’t be a master of the technique at the end of the course. But you should see some positive effects.
Make sure you whitelist the emails so that they are not caught in your spam folder. There’s no sales pitch in the emails and the links are all to pages on the MindfulnessTrading.com website.
The emails will be from me – Aedie Caltern – and will have the following subject lines (blue text below):
1. Day 1: Preparation
As with so many things in life, you will get out of this course according to what you put in. You will need to commit to make the required effort and take responsibility for your performance.
2. Day 2: Awareness of Self
Awareness of the present moment is a central idea in mindfulness. Make a start now.
3. Day 3: On Meditation
Meditation is a skill you will need to develop. Be clear about what is involved.
4. Day 4: Breathing Exercise
This is the first and most basic meditative exercise. Follow the audio guide until you are familiar with what to do.
5. Day 5: Awareness of Routines
One of the most important exercises is to be aware of what you are doing, particularly when do routine tasks. Otherwise you may be ignoring the information that your senses are providing to you.
6. Day 6: Meditation on an Object
Instead of focusing on your body, use your senses in line with your mind to concentrate on an external object.
7. Day 7: Attention to your Body
You receive information through your senses and also by listening directly to your body. Start to learn to pay attention to what your body is telling you.
8. Day 8: Meditation on Sounds & Thoughts
Follow the audio to become aware of the sounds that surround you but that you commonly ignore as you dismiss them simply as manifestation of their sources.
9. Day 9: Review
Time to assess how the course is going for you. But do so in a non-judgmental way.
10. Day 10: Body Scan Meditation
Really connect with your body. One of the more difficult meditations so practice by following the audio guide.
11. Day 11: Walking Meditation
Meditation is not about sitting around. Walking is a complex but familiar action that w undertake mindlessly. A perfect activity for change.
12. Day 12: Trading Routines
Remember the need to become aware of routines? Now focus in on routines directly commented with your trading.
13. Day 13: Naming Emotions
Emotions can be a great weakness if they affect your trading. But they are part of what makes us human. Know how to manage them is vitally important.
14. Day 14: Other People
Mindless behaviour is not a lack of thinking. It can be negative thinking that needs to be reformed. Here’s a good way to start.
15. Day 15: Letting Go
It’s not just other people that may upset you. Bad trades – and very good trades – can be just as upsetting. Learn to let go of them. Only the present moment matters to your performance.
I’ll also follow these up with a few additional mentoring and ‘booster’ emails to see if we can keep it going when the initial 15 days have finished. The emails will arrive on weekdays – you can use the weekends to catch up or practice the exercises.
The first email you will receive is particularly important as it requires you to commit – to yourself – to do the course. This will require some effort. The value is not in the emails – they are just digital impressions on your computer. The value will only appear if you internalize what they contain and follow through. How could it be any different? After all, mindfulness is about what is in YOUR mind, not what is on your computer screen.
So, why not make a start now? Commit to yourself that you will put in the effort to do the course. Say it to yourself and mean it. You will make the space in your life and do what is necessary, even if it is not altogether clear in the early stage where it is going, or what you may be getting out of it.
Continue with your commitment and follow through on it. And when the course becomes part of your day, commit to living each day in a mindful manner. When that becomes part of your being then you are on your way.