Your Relationship with Trading Questionnaire

Use these ten questions to explore whether trading currently functions as a skill you are developing, a bounded leisure interest, a source of excitement or an activity carrying financial or emotional pressure. Several themes can coexist, and part-time trading can be approached seriously.

Choose one answer per question based on your typical behaviour during the past four weeks, not your ideal response. Use the most recent relevant trading period if you have been inactive. Consider what happened across several sessions rather than one unusual day.

If you have not encountered a situation, write E beside the question. New traders may use actual simulation experience and note that context. Do not guess how you would behave with live money. Complete the questions before reading the interpretation guide.

Context:  ☐ Live trading   ☐ Simulation   ☐ Mixed     Period considered: __________________

This is an original educational reflection tool, not a validated personality test, clinical assessment or predictor of trading profitability.

1  What most often brings you to trading?

☐ A  The prospect of a large return without spending much time developing a method.

☐ B  An interest in building and testing a skill over time.

☐ C  Enjoying markets as a limited hobby, usually through observation or simulation.

☐ D  A need to improve my finances quickly or meet an immediate money target.

2  How do you organise trading around your other commitments?

☐ A  As a part-time activity with planned preparation, review and limits.

☐ B  Whenever I feel like participating, without a consistent routine or preparation.

☐ C  As a small leisure activity that stays within clear time and money boundaries.

☐ D  Around other commitments, but I find it hard to switch off when results disappoint.

3  On a day when no suitable opportunity appears, what does the session feel like?

☐ A  A relief, because I can step away from the pressure of getting a result.

☐ B  Still interesting; I am content to observe or practise without live exposure.

☐ C  Incomplete, because taking a trade is a large part of the attraction.

☐ D  A normal part of the process; no trade can be the appropriate decision.

Purpose and daily impact

4  Which description best fits the preparation you normally do?

☐ A  I mostly use tips, intuition or a recent price move to decide what to trade.

☐ B  I have a defined approach and set aside time to test and review it.

☐ C  I study or practise when interested, without treating it as an income source.

☐ D  I prepare, but thinking about the money I need to make often takes over.

5  What does trading success mainly mean to you at present?

☐ A  Enjoying the activity while keeping it affordable and contained.

☐ B  Making enough to relieve financial pressure or restore confidence after losses.

☐ C  Improving execution and evaluating whether the method is viable after costs.

☐ D  Catching a major move or making a large amount in a short period.

6  What usually happens after the trading session finishes?

☐ A  I keep replaying it and struggle to return my attention to other parts of life.

☐ B  I stop easily because it occupies only a small, optional part of my day.

☐ C  I find the action stimulating and want to look for another market or session.

☐ D  I complete a bounded review and then return to other responsibilities.

7  What most often draws you towards a new strategy or market?

☐ A  A specific question that I can investigate through testing before live use.

☐ B  Seeing a large move, a dramatic win or an exciting opportunity to join in.

☐ C  Curiosity; I would rather explore in simulation than add a live commitment.

☐ D  Hoping it will solve the pressure or disappointing results of my current approach.

Money and personal meaning

8  How do you feel about the money involved in trading?

☐ A  I treat any live exposure as a limited hobby expense with a firm boundary.

☐ B  I focus on a defined risk budget and the evidence for continuing the activity.

☐ C  I am comfortable making speculative bets even when my method is not tested.

☐ D  Losses can feel like a threat to my security, obligations or sense of worth.

9  Which statement best describes your reaction to trading results?

☐ A  The anticipation and action are a large part of why I keep coming back.

☐ B  Results matter, but I assess them alongside execution and strategy evidence.

☐ C  I enjoy following markets and can leave the activity alone when it stops being enjoyable.

☐ D  My mood or sense of personal success depends heavily on whether I made money.

10  When trading has repeatedly been unprofitable or disrupted other responsibilities, what has been your usual response?

☐ A  I continue looking for a large result because stopping feels like giving up.

☐ B  I step back or stop; the activity is optional and other priorities come first.

☐ C  I pause live trading and review viability, costs and whether continuing makes sense.

☐ D  I find stopping difficult because I feel I need trading to solve a problem or recover losses.

Continue the reflection: Use your answers to notice recurring patterns in how you approach trading. The Trading Journal guide can help you record and review those observations over time.