Our upbringing and religious background can have a tremendous influence on how successful we are in trading. Some of us may like to think we are not influenced by outside events, but even that attitude is partly fostered by our environment and time. People had a much different outlook on life during the Middle Ages than now, and even today people from other cultures may have widely dissimilar attitudes about life. Our surroundings have a considerable effect on how we think about our-self and the outside world.

Various experiences can be deeply etched in our mind and affect our subconscious thoughts. These experiences and beliefs can affect our trading and we may not even be aware of them.

Many people reject or feel uncomfortable trading for a variety of moral reasons. Some people believe trading is a useless occupation or a form of gambling. Others cannot see a tangible benefit to society in trading unlike the construction worker who physically toils to build a structure. Others feel it is wrong to make so much money so quickly, because it somehow goes against their perceptions of the laws of nature. Still others believe it is not right to make a lot of money without "doing any work."

Trading is a valid and useful occupation benefiting society as much as any other occupation. All these arguments against trading suggest ignorance about trading and life, and need not be addressed. The issue here is not to defend trading, but to see why some traders have mental blocks or problems in trading or making money. If a person subconsciously feels trading is a disreputable occupation or of no benefit to society, this unease and guilt will often be reflected in the person's performance and reluctance to improve.