No more excuses. It’s time to look in the mirror.
When we look back on the trades that went wrong, it's easy to focus on the final blow—the big loss that wiped out our gains or shook our confidence. But the truth is, that one bad trade wasn't an isolated event. It was a result of a series of choices made along the way, small decisions that led to a larger, more significant consequence.
Every decision has an impact. The challenge is that we often don't see consequences immediately. When we get away with risky moves a few times, we convince ourselves it’s working…until it isn't. Think about the evolution of a person that commits a crime. It likely didn’t start with robbing a bank. It likely started with stealing food from the market when it was “cool” or possibly when he or she didn’t have money to eat or feed the kids. It’s a thrill and if you get away with it, you move up and up the ante and commit a bigger crime. That’s why I (Porterhouse on the discord) decided to write this blog using Austin’s teachings for all of you!
It wasn’t just one. It was a series
Big Quench, our CEO, lost nearly $40,000 on a single trade Zoom ($ZM) trade. It wasn’t that trade that wrecked him—it was the 10 smaller trades before it where he got away with risky moves, especially averaging down on a losing trade. All those previous risky decisions led to the final big-daddy loss where being right outweighed being profitable. Along the way, those predispositions and biases of experience resonated louder and louder against the truths at the core of his success.
Cognitive dissonance affects all of us. Discipline and consistency are hard to maintain.
The truth is, we are the sum of our decisions. Everything you are as a trader, or as a person, is a reflection of the choices you’ve made. However, the world sees and reacts to those decisions differently. You may feel like the market makers are out to get you and it’s all rigged, but it’s not the market screwing you over. It’s your choices.
This is the game. We are playing one where we don’t know the rules. We can’t control the market, but we can control ourselves.
When you enter a trade, you have two outcomes: win or lose. If you go into a trade fully prepared, knowing what you're willing to risk and what you're aiming to gain, the result shouldn't surprise you. That’s how you remove emotion from trading. Just like when you walk into a job interview, you know there are two outcomes—get the job or don't. The same applies here. You accept the risk, make the decision, and if it doesn’t work out, you move on because you were prepared.
The biggest challenge we face isn’t technical analysis or mastering the charts; it’s being brutally honest with ourselves. Are we making decisions based on the truth, or are we lying to ourselves about our strategy, our risk, and our readiness? True self-love is being honest enough to admit when you’re wrong and to adapt.
This is why trading requires not just skill, but self-awareness. It’s not just about reading charts. It’s about training our minds to recognize opportunities, learning when to act, and having the discipline to wait for the right moment. Talk to any trader who has been in the game for years. They’ll tell you the same thing: trading success starts with honesty, discipline, and learning from every single choice you make.
Are you ready to be brutally honest with yourself?
Are you prepared to own your decisions and take control of your trading and your life?
Now it’s time to get to work. Let’s start with a long hard look in the mirror. It’s okay to be exactly where you are right now. Being strong means sometimes we need to ask for help.
