Thursday Trader's Tip: The 3 Signs You’re Growing as a Trader
Thursday Trader's Tip editions offer quick trading psychology advice that can be digested in 5 minutes.
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When it comes to trading, long-term results are actually a lagging indicator that you're on the right path.
The good news?
You don’t have to wait for those results to show up to know if you're heading in the right direction.
There are key signs that go beyond results and signal you're growing as a trader. These are:
#1 Reduced friction
In the early stages of shifting to a trader's mindset, you'll likely face a lot of friction. Every session feels like you're fighting against your past habits.
Some traders don’t make it past this phase—they’re in a constant boom and bust cycle. Many of these traders reach out to me in this hopeless stage.
But if you can push through this phase, you'll notice the resistance starts to fade.
This reduced friction is a byproduct of staying consistent and repeating the right behaviors.
When you start to feel the intensity of old triggers weaken, take it as a clear sign you're on the right path.
Use that as motivation to keep going!
#2 Enjoyment
Much of traders' enjoyment of trading is obscured by the pressure to perform.
When you fully focus on the processes, pressure decreases, and your enjoyment becomes a leading indicator of your trading sessions.
This can only come by having inner motivators in your trading.
When trading well, you’re not only deriving satisfaction from the results. Sure, they help, but your enjoyment puts you in touch with the process in a way the short-term results take the backseat of your practice.
#3 Bouncing back from bad trading days
Another big one is your ability to recover from bad trading days.
In the beginning it’s harder to do it in part because losses are bigger and less manageable. You might take days or even weeks to recover from a bad day.
At a more advanced stage, you feel that the bad trading day doesn’t weigh as much on you as it used to. This is when you ingrain losses as part of the game.
On a daily basis, you end your sessions much more able to disconnect, and you don’t let the day's results erode your self-esteem.
Final Words
Real progress in trading reflects not only your long-term results but also the friction you feel during the sessions, the enjoyment you derive from them, and your recovery from inevitable setbacks.
Initially, your emotional state suffers wide oscillations with short-term outcomes—you’re more sensible to external variances. Later, you notice a more stable emotional state, grounded in your confidence and unaffected by market events.
Keep pushing!
Peaceful trading,
Sara
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Are you a trader yourself? I find trading to be extremely random. No trading day is the same. After many years of endeavouring to be successful it still alludes me..I can run up a demo account into the millions. As soon as I trade real money accounts I lose.