Images can be powerful. Here is one I particularly liked from Robert Koppel’s Bulls, Bears, and Millionaires (Dearborn Financial Publishing, 1997), p. 55, compliments of Timothy McAuliffe.

“You have to be prepared and disciplined whenever you walk on the trading floor. You also have to remind yourself that you’re just a fly on a rhino’s back, and the best you’re hoping for is a peaceful ride. If you get swell-headed, the tail’s going to get you. The trick is not to end up one dead fly!”

If you look at pictures of rhinos, their tails aren’t terribly long. So, however distasteful and ego-deflating it may be to think of yourself as a fly, the good news is that if you’re properly positioned you have a decent chance of surviving the ride.