From Tilt to Flow: My Journey to Becoming a High-Performing Trader By Lawrence Briscoe

Level Up Your Trader Mindset & Performance:

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I never set out to be a trader. I just wanted to start a business.

Problem was, I had no product, didn’t want to sell anything, and absolutely did NOT want to do client-facing work. People can be hard to please, LOL.

So I Googled something like: “Ways to make a lot of money without dealing with people.” Trading popped up. The deeper I looked, the more it made sense. No boss, no employees, no customers. Just me vs. me. I was in.

I underestimated how long it would take to become successful. I'd get a job, trade on the side, hit a green streak, quit the job, then blow the account. Rinse, repeat. My actions weren’t treating trading like a business. I would journal, but it could've been more in-depth. I didn’t do monthly stats. I didn’t backtest much. I was giving more energy to my 9-5 than the thing I claimed was my future.

My personality helped and hurt. I’m optimistic and aggressive, which means I don’t fear losses and naturally push winners. But the downside? I neglected risk management, delayed gratification, and patience. Every strength is a double-edged sword. I had to reinforce the good and grow awareness of the bad.

My biggest struggle was impatience and taking losses personally. I kept looking at the market in a "win or lose" frame instead of "think in probabilities." Either I was green, or the account was gone. There was no in-between.

I would trade on tilt A LOT. Stop-loss hits triggered anger. The type of anger where your jaw tightens, and you’re pacing back and forth. Then after enough of those, I’d crash into sadness and need a break. I hated that cycle.

Sara (my coach) and I had HOURS of deep conversations, going down the rabbit hole and unpacking my beliefs, my conditioning, and my traumas. We connected the dots between who I was and how I traded. Every behavior I had on the charts had a root. Once I saw that, I couldn’t unsee it.

I don’t give this level of compliments lightly or easily.
Sara and her practices are priceless.
She’s by far the most consistent and thorough coach I’ve worked with. The amount of value she gives is incredible.

— Lawrence

I didn’t let go of beliefs; I became aware of them, talked through them, adjusted what made sense, and began practicing new ones. Day by day, I rewired, belief by belief. You can’t clean up your trades without cleaning up your mind.

Having a coach is like having someone watch your film from the outside. We live life in the first-person, but coaching gives you a third-person view. They can call out what you can't see. They can question what you never thought to question. And they’ve been where you’re trying to go. That’s a cheat code.

Here’s how I started fixing things:

1. Awareness – Spot the pattern. Name what’s going on. Zero judgment.

2. Education – Study it. Understand it on a textbook level.

3. Journal – Brain-dump everything. Dissect the emotions and actions.

4. Redefine – Reframe the situation and realign to your actual goal.

5. Set Daily Goals – Small reps to adopt the new mindset.

The thing is, you can’t just “stop doing” a habit. You have to learn it and understand it. Accept every part of yourself and get everything on one accord. One thing I learned is the conflicting behaviors and bad decisions you have are a painful route to getting to your overall goal. This means you’re all on the same team, so give every part of you a role with a positive intention. That’s how you move forward.

Trading started to look different after that. I realized:

• It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about probabilities

• Trading is a game that just so happens to involve money, but they’re not the same

• It’s like cards or video games. We just add money or drinking or consequences to make it emotional

When that hit me, the pressure dropped. I stopped clenching. I started playing the right game. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Do I trade on tilt from time to time? Yeah, sure, my emotions come in at times but it’s few and very far between, the hit isn’t as hard and the recovery process is thorough, intentional and quick.

To become a successful trader, you have to address your toxic traits. Greed, fear, perfectionism, recklessness, anger, and pride step by step. It’s true self-mastery. You eliminate all the wrong answers until the only thing left is the truth, and only then will you change into the person you need to be to become a successful trader. That’s not a straight line. It’s a process of elimination.

Now, I’m in rhythm. I know my triggers. I know which ones I need to face and which ones to avoid altogether. I know how to do a temperature check mid-trade. I know when I’ve accepted loss and when I haven’t. When my emotional door opens, exactly how many trades do I have left before my emotional brain takes over and I lose logic?

It’s like driving without GPS because you’ve taken the route so many times. You know which turns to take at what hour. You still mess up sometimes, take the wrong turn, and hit traffic, but you know the way back. And when you know you’ll be on this road for the rest of your life, it gives you peace because it’s not a quick come-up, it’s your passion, your game, your craft.

The friction is gone. I don’t have to force myself to trade. I’ve completely submitted to this game, and I love every bit of it.

Philosophy:

Stop trying to make money. Master yourself and master the game.

Every trading mistake is because you're trying to make money or not lose it. Let go of that. Trade because you love the activity. Because you're obsessed with the craft.

What’s a high-performing trader?

Someone who knows how to execute their trading system flawlessly.

Someone who knows their strengths and weaknesses, triggers, from their angels to their demons, and knows how to show up at the right time.

Someone who hops on the charts, fully submerges into the flow of the market, completely submits to their rules, and gains deep satisfaction out of doing it.

Final lesson I wish someone had told me:

Be present. Be happy where you are. Submerge yourself in your craft. Learn it inside and out. Don’t put a time limit on it. Time nor Money exists.

Lawrence

If this resonated with you and you’re on your own trading journey, feel free to connect and follow me. I share insights, lessons, and growth in real-time:

📸 Instagram: @LawrenceTheInvestor

📺 YouTube: @LawrenceTheInvestor

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Lawrence Words in the Trading Peak Performance Coaching Program:

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