🧭 From Rookie to Realization
I’ve been trading since 2002. That’s nearly a quarter of a century in the markets.
I’ve lived through it all:
• The early days, when the internet was slow and information was scarce
• The forums, the books, the overanalyzing
• The obsession with finding “the perfect system”
• And later… the dangerous phase: needing to be right, because I have a few years of experience and I KNOW
At one point, I thought that being a good trader meant calling the market in advance — proving I was smarter than the rest.
But the truth is: the market doesn't pay for being right. It pays for managing risk, always adapting and executing cleanly.
________________________________________
😤 The Psychological Trap Most Traders Fall Into
There’s one thing I’ve seen consistently over the last 25 years:
Most traders don’t trade to make money.
They trade to feel right.
And this need — this psychological craving to validate an opinion — is exactly what keeps them from growing.
You’ve seen it too:
• The guy who’s been screaming “altcoin season” for 2 years
• Who first called it when EGLD was at 80, TIA, and others that kept dropping
• But now that something finally moves, he says:
“See? I was right all along, altcoin season is here”
He’s not trading.
He’s rehearsing an ego story, ignoring every failed call, every drawdown, every frozen position.
He doesn’t remember the trades that didn’t work — only the one that eventually did.
This is not strategy.
It’s delusion dressed up as conviction.
________________________________________
📉 The Market Doesn’t Care What You Think
Here’s the reality:
You can be right in your analysis — and still lose money.
You can be wrong — and still come out profitable.
Because the market doesn’t reward your opinion.
It rewards how well you manage risk, entries, exits, expectations, and flexibility
I’ve seen traders who were “right” on direction but blew their accounts by overleveraging.
And I’ve seen others who were wrong on their first two trades — but adjusted quickly, cut losses, and ended green overall in the end.
This is what separates pros from opinionated amateurs.
________________________________________
📍 A Real Example: Today’s Gold Analysis
Let’s take a real, current example — my own Gold analysis from this morning.
I said:
• Short-term, Gold could go to 3450
• Long-term, the breakout from the weekly triangle could take us to 3800
Sounds “right,” right? But let’s dissect it:
Short-term:
✅ I identified 3370 as support
If I buy there, I also have a clear invalidation level (below 3350)
If it breaks that and hits my stop?
👉 I reassess — because being “right” means nothing if the trade setup is invalidated
And no, it doesn’t help my PnL if Gold eventually reaches 3450 after taking me out.
Long-term:
✅ The weekly chart shows a symmetrical triangle
Yes — if we break above, the measured move targets 3800
But…
If Gold goes below 3300, that long-term scenario is invalidated too.
And even worse — if Gold trades sideways between 3000 and 3500 for the next 5 years and finally hits 3800 in 2030, that “correct call” is worth nothing.
You can't build a career on "eventually I was right."
You need precision, timing, risk management, and the ability to say:
“This setup is no longer valid. I’m out.”
________________________________________
💡 The Shift That Changed Everything
It took me years to realize this.
The day I stopped needing to be right was the day I started making consistent money.
I stopped arguing with the market.
I stopped holding losers out of pride.
I stopped needing to "prove" anything to anyone — especially not myself.
Now, my job is simple:
• Protect capital
• Execute with discipline
• Let the edge do its job
• And never fall in love with my opinion
________________________________________
✅ Final Thought – Let Go of Being Right
If you’re still stuck in the “I knew it” mindset — let it go.
It’s not helping you. It’s costing you.
The best traders lose small, admit mistakes fast, and stay emotionally neutral.
The worst traders hold on to “being right” while their account burns.
The market doesn’t owe you respect.
It doesn’t care if you called the top, bottom, or middle.
It pays the ones who trade objectively, flexibly, and without ego.
After almost 25 years, this is the one thing I wish I had learned sooner:
Don’t try to win an argument with the market.
Just get paid.
Disclosure: I am part of TradeNation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analyses and educational articles.
I’ve been trading since 2002. That’s nearly a quarter of a century in the markets.
I’ve lived through it all:
• The early days, when the internet was slow and information was scarce
• The forums, the books, the overanalyzing
• The obsession with finding “the perfect system”
• And later… the dangerous phase: needing to be right, because I have a few years of experience and I KNOW
At one point, I thought that being a good trader meant calling the market in advance — proving I was smarter than the rest.
But the truth is: the market doesn't pay for being right. It pays for managing risk, always adapting and executing cleanly.
________________________________________
😤 The Psychological Trap Most Traders Fall Into
There’s one thing I’ve seen consistently over the last 25 years:
Most traders don’t trade to make money.
They trade to feel right.
And this need — this psychological craving to validate an opinion — is exactly what keeps them from growing.
You’ve seen it too:
• The guy who’s been screaming “altcoin season” for 2 years
• Who first called it when EGLD was at 80, TIA, and others that kept dropping
• But now that something finally moves, he says:
“See? I was right all along, altcoin season is here”
He’s not trading.
He’s rehearsing an ego story, ignoring every failed call, every drawdown, every frozen position.
He doesn’t remember the trades that didn’t work — only the one that eventually did.
This is not strategy.
It’s delusion dressed up as conviction.
________________________________________
📉 The Market Doesn’t Care What You Think
Here’s the reality:
You can be right in your analysis — and still lose money.
You can be wrong — and still come out profitable.
Because the market doesn’t reward your opinion.
It rewards how well you manage risk, entries, exits, expectations, and flexibility
I’ve seen traders who were “right” on direction but blew their accounts by overleveraging.
And I’ve seen others who were wrong on their first two trades — but adjusted quickly, cut losses, and ended green overall in the end.
This is what separates pros from opinionated amateurs.
________________________________________
📍 A Real Example: Today’s Gold Analysis
Let’s take a real, current example — my own Gold analysis from this morning.
I said:
• Short-term, Gold could go to 3450
• Long-term, the breakout from the weekly triangle could take us to 3800
Sounds “right,” right? But let’s dissect it:
Short-term:
✅ I identified 3370 as support
If I buy there, I also have a clear invalidation level (below 3350)
If it breaks that and hits my stop?
👉 I reassess — because being “right” means nothing if the trade setup is invalidated
And no, it doesn’t help my PnL if Gold eventually reaches 3450 after taking me out.
Long-term:
✅ The weekly chart shows a symmetrical triangle
Yes — if we break above, the measured move targets 3800
But…
If Gold goes below 3300, that long-term scenario is invalidated too.
And even worse — if Gold trades sideways between 3000 and 3500 for the next 5 years and finally hits 3800 in 2030, that “correct call” is worth nothing.
You can't build a career on "eventually I was right."
You need precision, timing, risk management, and the ability to say:
“This setup is no longer valid. I’m out.”
________________________________________
💡 The Shift That Changed Everything
It took me years to realize this.
The day I stopped needing to be right was the day I started making consistent money.
I stopped arguing with the market.
I stopped holding losers out of pride.
I stopped needing to "prove" anything to anyone — especially not myself.
Now, my job is simple:
• Protect capital
• Execute with discipline
• Let the edge do its job
• And never fall in love with my opinion
________________________________________
✅ Final Thought – Let Go of Being Right
If you’re still stuck in the “I knew it” mindset — let it go.
It’s not helping you. It’s costing you.
The best traders lose small, admit mistakes fast, and stay emotionally neutral.
The worst traders hold on to “being right” while their account burns.
The market doesn’t owe you respect.
It doesn’t care if you called the top, bottom, or middle.
It pays the ones who trade objectively, flexibly, and without ego.
After almost 25 years, this is the one thing I wish I had learned sooner:
Don’t try to win an argument with the market.
Just get paid.
Disclosure: I am part of TradeNation's Influencer program and receive a monthly fee for using their TradingView charts in my analyses and educational articles.
📈 Forex & XAU/USD Channel:
t.me/intradaytradingsignals
💎 Crypto Channel:
t.me/FanCryptocurrency
Related publications
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.
📈 Forex & XAU/USD Channel:
t.me/intradaytradingsignals
💎 Crypto Channel:
t.me/FanCryptocurrency
Related publications
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.