Why you're failing as a trader (the harsh reality)

It’s time to get real.

You've got your dual monitors, fancy trading platforms, and a small forest worth of printed charts.

Your charts looking like a Christmas tree with all those indicators, and it ain't December, son.

You've got every course from every YouTuber.

With all that on your side, you're still haemorrhaging money faster than a gambler in Vegas.

Why? Because in this game, success isn't about willpower or having the best new shiny object.

It's about the decisions you make.

You know the biggest problem in this industry? The success 'kool-aid'.

Picture this: You're scrolling through Instagram, and boom! An ad pops up promising you can “trade like a pro” in just a few months.

You take the bait because why the hell not? 🤷‍♂️

You're smart, driven, and have succeeded elsewhere. Why the shit can't you do this, too? You're a hero. Your mommy said "you can do anything baba..."

But here's the thing kid. Trading is not like your regular job. It’s a beast that laughs at your puny efforts, then kicks you in the nuts before you want to ejaculate.

You drink the kool-aid, thinking a bit of effort will have you swimming in cash. The industry loves this. They show you the upside: financial freedom, no more terrible bosses, time to enjoy life. But they conveniently forget to mention the 90% failure rate.

Cognitive dissonance kicks in, and you say "nah fug dat brah! I can ween!"

Spoiler alert: No. No you can't, jasper.

You see, your brain Is not your friend.

Your brain is the asshole that won't let your trade peacefully. Sadly (or not) our human brains are wired to screw us over. It's designed for short-term survival, not long-term gains.

Imagine your brain as a caveman, always on the lookout for sabertooth tigers. In trading, these “tigers” are market fluctuations, and your brain reacts with the same fight-or-flight response. This is why you keep making dumb ass decisions, even when you know better.

You've seen people post things like this before: "I was doing great. I know I shouldn’t of done this. But I did it anyway because I'm a proverbial idiot."

Why did you do it? ALIENS!

No, your brain. I just didn't want to keep typing brain.

Geek alert.

According to neuroeconomics, your brain's emotional center (the amygdala) hijacks your rational thinking when faced with risk. This is why you keep moving your stop loss, hoping the market will turn in your favor. It’s your brain trying to avoid immediate pain, even if it means bigger losses down the road. Behavioral finance guru Daniel Kahneman won a Nobel Prize for proving that humans are inherently bad at managing risk.

So, don’t feel too bad—it’s in your DNA. Blame your mother and father for not nurturing you into an emotionless psychotic serial killer that loves to not feel.

Okay, dark turn.

Let's lighten it up with a story. Imagine a bunch of blind monks stumbling upon an elephant for the first time. One grabs the trunk and says, “It’s a snake!” Another feels the leg and exclaims, “It’s a tree!” Each monk thinks he’s right, but they're all missing the bigger picture. Trading is a lot like this. You focus on one strategy or indicator, convinced it’s the 'Holy Grail', while ignoring the broader context. The market is the elephant, and you’re the blind monk trying to make sense of it.

So why do you keep screwing up?

Because you think you can outsmart your own brain. Newsflash: you can't.

Your logical brain (prefrontal cortex) likes to think it’s in charge, but it’s really just a puppet for your emotional brain. When you’re in a trade, your amygdala is calling the shots, not your carefully laid out trading plan. This is why you keep overtrading, revenge trading, and blowing up your account.

Now, let’s talk solutions. You need to manage your emotions, not ignore them. Here’s a roadmap:

1. Emotional Regulation: Learn to control your emotions so they don’t hijack your thinking. This is the foundation for any change in behavior.

Try mindfulness meditation (boring I know, sorry it's not the 1 shiny indicator that tells you when to ape into a trade). Studies show it can actually rewire your brain to handle stress better. (Hölzel et al, 2011)

2. Observation: Develop the ability to step back and observe your thoughts without getting sucked into them. This helps you see which emotional program is driving your trading decisions.

Tip: When you anxiously feel like clicking that mouse, stand up, walk away and grab a drink.

Force yourself to move away. Think about why you're thinking about the things you're thinking, and then stop thinking, try masturbation and resume (the last bits a joke, for those of you taking this article very seriously, like some sort of prescription for your failures).

3. Discipline: The road to trading success is long and requires disciplined impartiality. Fear and anger need to be managed so they don’t cloud your judgment.

Idea (that you always hear, and never take action on): Keep a trading journal. Write down what you did, why you did it, and how you felt. This helps you spot patterns in your behavior, and more importantly, your idiocy.

This isn’t the sexy stuff, but it’s what you need to hear.

You've probably heard it all before, I know.

Sometimes, we need a reminder. That's me.

The reality is that it’s not about finding the perfect strategy or being the smartest person in the room.

It’s about managing the mind you bring into the moment of performance. Control that, and you’ve got a shot at trading victory. Ignore it, and you’re just another casualty on the road to ruin.

Welcome to the real world of trading. It’s brutal, unforgiving, but if you truly master your mind, you'll print your own financial freedom.

Happy trading, filthy folks.

PS. If you want to connect with me and my trading comrades, where we share trade ideas, strategy, and more, then you should join our free discord community here.

Connect with me when you’re in there, and maybe we can jam on a livestream ❤️