When a Trade Isn’t About Profit
The quiet hunger for redemption.
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Ever feel like you’re not chasing gains… but something deeper?
That’s not drive.
That’s the hunger for redemption.
In this post, we’ll dig deeper into this need and how it affects your trading.
The Quiet Comeback You Didn’t Sign Up For
You made a mistake. You overtraded. Hesitated. Broke your rules.
And now there’s a subtle whisper in your mind:
“If I just nail the next one, I’ll be where I was… I’ll feel like myself again.”
That whisper doesn’t yell, but holds insane power over you. It just… pulls you forward.
You’re not chasing the market. You’re chasing the version of you who didn’t screw up.
That’s where trading becomes dangerous.
Now you’re no longer neutral. You’re emotionally attached. And every price movement becomes a mirror.
Let’s say you’re down for the day.
It’s not a huge drawdown — manageable, but annoying. You step away. You breathe. You try to reset. But deep down, there's a scratch you can’t ignore.
You start scanning charts again. You tell yourself you’re being objective — “I’m calm. I’m focused. This next one looks clean.”
But you're not calm. You're looking for relief.
You're chasing the version of yourself that didn’t screw up.
This happens often with clients I coach, and it’s a dangerous thing.
The Invisible Risk That Follows You
When you trade under the weight of guilt, you change:
You ignore warning signs because they don’t fit your comeback narrative.
You crave a moment that will make everything feel clean again.
You seek relief, not edge.
But the market doesn’t care about clean.
So when it goes against you it hurts more than a regular loss, because you weren’t just trying to make money. You were trying to make it right.
It’s that old question: Are you trying to be right or to be profitable?
It wasn’t just capital on the line. It was self-image.
And when you lose that, you feel broken.
Where This Really Comes From
This has nothing to do with being “undisciplined.” It’s about being human.
That pull to redeem yourself comes from a conditioned belief that mistakes make you less.
For many of us, that belief didn’t start in the market.
It started years ago.
Maybe it came from a parent who only praised the “perfect” version of you. From a school where mistakes were punished, not explored. From a culture where being wrong meant being weak.
Do you see yourself in this?
I come from a highly Catholic family, where mistakes were viewed as sins. I can see where my need for redemption in the markets and beyond comes from.
When I mess up in trading, my system kicks into survival mode: Fix it fast. Earn it back.
And because the market is always there — always offering another setup — it feels like redemption is always within reach. But never really delivered…
The Shift That Changes Everything
You don’t need to “get it back.” You need to let go of the belief that you lost something.
You didn’t lose your talent.
You didn’t lose your edge.
You just had a moment.
Redemption in trading doesn’t come from erasing the past. It comes from not needing to.
It comes from knowing who you are even after a mistake.
Next time you feel that familiar pull — that itch to “make it right” — pause. Ask yourself:
Am I trading this setup… or am I trying to repair who I was five minutes ago?
That one question can change your your day.
In Closing
The market offers infinite opportunity — but only if you stop chasing the past.
Redemption doesn't come from force. It comes from release.
Trade forward. Not backward.
Peaceful trading,
Sara
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OMG! So true! That need to fix who I was 10 minutes ago! Never thought of it that way. Thank you! 😊