On the verge of quitting trading?

It hurts. And that's just it.

Forex has taken more than just time and money for most people. It has opened a new world of insecurities you never thought existed or didn't know could come to the limelight.

Insecurities that remind you you're flawed. And with every losing trade, you're reminded that you're not disciplined, bold, or skilled enough by big fat RED figures boldly written on your MetaTrader screen.

It feels wrong 'cause I mean, you've done everything right…

Right?

You didn't just jump in head first.

You have a mentor. You paid for multiple courses. You're in multiple communities. They say to backtest every day, and you do that. They say journal, and you've set up a whole telegram channel, bought 60 leaves exercise book, or even paid for software like Edgewonk or Tradervue or any expensive journaling software.

This has gone on for years. Yet, you are here.

Broke and Broken.

Contemplating giving up.

You're not alone cause I felt like quitting too.

Many times.

The last time I felt that was two years ago. 2021 

The year I considered the most stable year of my life. I got a side job. I was performing well in my studies. Trading was hitting me in the shin, but I made a ton of money from crypto investments and recently got myself a Samsung A52 phone, and I didn't ask a dime from my parents to get it. I was doing good. I was "stable.”

On November 9th, 2021, bitcoin peaked and started its decline. I checked my wallet daily, and my eyes watered, seeing my assets drop in value. But all hope wasn't gone,

Right? I was trading.

So, I sold all my assets on Trust Wallet and funded my Binance account. All I had left to be able to fund my wants and ego was to trade well. I had not blown any accounts, so my risk management game was on point.

I didn't know better. With each passing week of losses, I kept withdrawing funds to keep up with my living until I withdrew the last $5 and had nothing. I cried for days.

I was broke and broken.

And all I kept thinking was, what would I tell my friends that looked up to me, the ones I advised on trading, those that hailed me consistently for my ability to trade, or the "one friend" I said I'd help out of a difficult situation?

I felt like a fraud.

It hurt more because I thought I was doing the right things.

Looking back now,

I failed to see...

Trading is HARD

Ignore anyone that says it's not. Trading is the only skill in the world, aside from flying an aircraft, that requires you to show up with your 100% every day. If you just had a bad breakup, failed some classes, quit your job, or your wife left you, or someone died, none of it matters on the chart.

You always need to be on your A game, and it takes a lot of self-awareness and understanding to know when not to trade, especially when you need the money.

It takes consistency to make it in any skill, but how do you do that when you're on an emotional rollercoaster every 2 seconds 'cause you see the reds? It's hard.

It takes TIME, a lot of it.

Have you wondered why it feels like, if you put in the same time you have put into trading in another skill, maybe you would have made it by now?

If you decided years ago to quit trading and join your "graphic designer" friend to learn how to turn lines and shapes into works of art, at least you'd be assured of a customer or referral now and then.

However, trading is not like any other skill. Each trade tests your emotions and discipline, revealing your bad habits and hidden insecurities. With each trade, it becomes a disheartening realisation that you have to work on things you didn't even think were part of the job, which takes time.

A lot of it.

Peer pressure exists in trading.

It started with Bugattis, Lamborghinis, and Bentleys, but these days, when you open Instagram or the bird app, you're scrolling through screenshots of winning trades or quotes from "7-figure traders", saying something sh*tty like, "If you don't make money in your sleep, you'll work till you die."

And it gets you all riled up. Eager to get on the chart and kill it on the next trade 'cause you want to be like these guys. You want "to be" and "be seen" as profitable and as quickly as possible.

But then the reality hits after a series of losing streaks that such a reality is far from you.

Accepting failure is routine.

If you're anything like me, you like taking charge of your affairs. So far, you've seen success in anything you've put your mind to. But now, you're faced with a skill that wants you to normalize failure regularly.

A skill that requires you to accept "failure" right before placing any trade. It's honestly a tough pill to swallow.

Even after all these years and coming to terms with this realization, I still want in.

All the tears, frustrations, and stressful moments seem worth going through. Those reasons are what I want to share with you.

They are the reasons why you shouldn't quit.

Your WHY

There is a reason you're reading this article today. You may have come into trading thinking it was just another means to make extra money, but since you've seen what's achievable in trading, it means way much more.

So ask yourself, why exactly does trading have to work? Who do you want to help? What situations do you want to change? What life do you want to create? What narrative do you want to change that's worth going through all the turmoils that come with trading?

Freedom to choose

You are in a profession where the amount of money you can access is limitless, and the one thing money can give you is the ability to control your time. Time to spend with family, chase new adventures, explore other desires, and do all these without thinking about the next meal or being accountable to anyone's corporate dream. However, only those who stay in the game long enough reap these rewards.

Trading changes you

Trading brought out many of my inner insecurities and made me understand why I behave the way I do. The trading process will become more enjoyable when you stop viewing problems as what they appear to be but as opportunities to self-reflect and work on them.

Let me put this into perspective. I always wondered why I was so afraid of risk. After taking losses, I would always cut my trading size to half and had a hard time bringing my size up to the original risk.

This single act alone led to me failing my funded challenge. When reflecting on it, I realised growing up, I was never one to do risky things. Instead, I'd shy away from anything that would put me in uncomfortable situations.

To deal with this now, I've started putting myself out there, making choices where the outcome is uncertain, i.e., starting this newsletter or being transparent on my journey.

Trading has changed me in many ways. I'm sure it's changed you too, and if you stick around long enough, the rewards are beyond what money can buy.

High ROI on life

Trading is an evergreen skill that can be passed on to generations. In the past, we felt that only corporate jobs would get replaced, i.e., bankers with ATMs but with the new rave of AI, even copywriters, editors, and designers are facing competition. But would a robot accurately predict, 100% of the time, the direction in which the market goes? I highly doubt it.

What you have on your hands is a potentially irreplaceable life skill. Even with the advancement of technology, all it has ever done was make trading more accessible to everyone. You have a real opportunity to earn unlimited wealth and pass the knowledge down to your children.

Don't lose it.

Quit, and it's game over.

Quit, and every course, every monetary investment, every conversation, every intention, all the nights kept awake, would be all for nothing. These words were all I could think of each time I "quit."

Even though I was frustrated and broken, I couldn't stop thinking about trading during those moments. I kept finding myself drawn back to the charts, and that's when I knew I loved trading. It only hurts when there's pressure to get it right today. But when you remember this journey is for the long haul, you'd give yourself time to achieve those goals. But you can only play the game when you're in it. So don't quit, or it's game over.

That was a lot, but now you have to make a choice and decide if this trying but rewarding skill is for you.

If your reply was "YES," then I want you to…..

• Let go of your past mistakes: Whatever may have gotten you to this point, let it go. Stop blaming yourself and refocus that energy on thinking like a problem solver.

• Accept that trading is a challenge, but it's not one you can't overcome: Think of the worst thing that has ever happened to you. Remember, you conquered it. Trading comes nothing close to that. You'll beat this too.

• Think long term: Set realistic visions and goals for your trading. These should be grouped into yearly, quarterly, monthly, and weekly goals. The actions you take each day should be geared towards achieving these goals. However, don't get carried over by planning. It's more important to get going.

• Build a support system: When I started giving a lot of energy into trading, I lost my social life. It was even harder going through things alone. Don't do this. Talk to someone. It always helps to have friends who can elevate you when times get hard and overwhelming. If you need to take a break to reevaluate and take some pressure off, then do it.

• Accept that losses will come: There is no such thing as a perfect system in trading. However, there are systems that you have tested (I hope), and you have documented stats on how they perform over time. Losses are inevitable. The question should be: did you or did you not follow your plan? If you did, then that loss was a statistic, and just like that, you take on the next trade without hesitation. How you handle and view your losses determines how you move forward from them.

I’m rooting for you!