Entropy

Here's a scenario: Your dream one day is to make a million dollars from trading and after a few big years of amazing trades and bullish conditions you are at $875k. Do you stop or do you keep going? Just a few more trades and you could be a millionaire though... So you take those trades and they don't work out, and now you are are at 725k. Not a big deal, you've made so much it's almost like the money isn't real. Just a few more trades to get back to that $875k and you'll for sure stop this time. A few aggressive traders later and now it's down to $600k. You are pissed. You feel like you lost a quarter of a million dollars. You can't even fathom that you are still up so much money because the big losses just cut you deep. You now start feeling like you have $500k, it's now double to get back to your goal. You were so close but now feel so far. You start begging and pleasing if only you would just go back to $875k you would 100% realize profits. You would never make that mistake again... But those were just unlucky trades right? The market was rigged against you, you are a genius, you made it this far, you are due for some bigger trades. You get back to $700k, you were right, you are a genius. That was just a dip in the account, that was the test, and maybe a million is too low of a goal. A few trades later $800k. No way, you are doing it, you are going to be so rich again. You start flexing your big wins on Twitter. You get back to $875k and you are elated! You are a genius. You are the best trader alive. You now are back at the same situation. You promised and pleaded with the universe that if you got it all back you'd cash out. But look at how easy it was for you to make it all back. A few more trades and you'll be a millionaire. You know you can do it, if you hit a million you will definitely stop though. That's the new rule: stop at a million. You start losing again, down to $750k. You get pissed, you are an idiot, you broke a rule with yourself. You had two chances to cash out. That's it, one more big $100k high leverage trade, get back to $875k and you are cashing out... It doesn't work. Down to $650k. You feel devastated. You are back down to $650k again after failing two times to follow through with promises. You can't even grasp the fact that you are still up $650k, you can only visualize losing $250k two times which feels like a half million dollar loss. That's it, you want to be done trading... This is too stressful you tell yourself, you are hungry, you are a genius trader, you have a plan. Why not just take a big $500k trade, you'll hit it and walk away a millionaire and can laugh about it. This is it, this will be the screenshot you flex on Twitter. No one will know of your mistakes, you will be praised with your massive PNL. You can buy any car you want and show up to Dubai to party with all the rich guys! The market takes a massive dive, it doesn't work out, you get liquidated. You are down to $150k and the $130k lambo you ordered just emails you "Congratulations, you car is here for pickup and payment is due". You are numb. You dreamed of this car and now you realize you'll have to sell it. You went from the highest highs to what feels like the lowest lows. No matter how you rationalize it you just tell yourself you basically lost a million dollars. You've wasted years of your life trading. It feels like it's over... There are so many stories like this that you won't hear about. You'll see the screenshots of the big wins but won't see all the losses behind the scenes. Many will start off trading and eventually turn it into gambling. Don't allow yourself to get into positions where you can undo all the work you've done. The more you make the less risks you should take. Buy appreciating assets, diversify, and don't be afraid to cash out on the way up. Being a degen might work with making you money but the longer you gamble and take risks the closer you become to losing it all.