Most people in the market do not lose due to direction, but due to reaction. When making money, they are reluctant to exit because of greed, secretly telling themselves that it might rise a bit more, even though they know that every moment of holding on comes with accumulating risks. When losing, they stubbornly hold on out of fear, unwilling to face reality. They feel dissatisfied and unconvinced, convincing themselves that this is just a temporary pullback.
But the market never cares about your obsessions; it only respects execution. You think you are waiting for the market to move, but you are actually waiting for an illusion, for the market to return to a position you can accept, and then you exit gracefully, as if nothing ever happened. But reality will not cooperate with your illusions; it only punishes those who refuse to admit their mistakes.
Real trading is not about how quickly you can make money, but whether you can rely on solid reasoning and make trade-offs amidst volatility. Whether to take profits or dare to cut losses is not about the courage to act frequently, but whether you know when to follow signals and when to let emotions take a backseat. You cannot control the market, but you can control yourself. The essence of trading has never been about how much you earn, but whether you can maintain your rationality in one game after another.
The more one desires to make money, the more likely one is to make decisions that they will regret later. Seeing others profit, they immediately increase their positions, just to catch up. After just suffering a loss, they frequently act, fantasizing about a comeback. Originally planning to stay put, they change their minds mid-trade, merely because they feel the market will rise. All of this is not a trading strategy, but a projection of anxiety.
Many mistakenly believe that trading is about who works harder, who watches the market longer, and who acts faster can outperform the market. But the true dividing line is never about dazzling skills, but about emotional control. Are you in control of your emotions, or are your emotions controlling you? Trading is not a physical endeavor, but a psychological battle.
Like a hunter, true masters never chase after fleeting sounds; they float in silence, waiting for the moment to strike with the greatest certainty. Novices run around, shoot all their bullets, and return empty-handed. Veterans are as steady as a rock, hitting their targets, then quietly retreating. The more eager you are to control the outcome, the more likely the outcome will backfire. The more you want to make money quickly, the more the market tells you to be patient with losses.
Mature traders rarely obsess over how much they will earn today; they care more about how much they can afford to lose today. They set rules to limit the number of trades and record impulsive behaviors. They understand that trading cannot be fully controlled, but costs can be reduced through discipline. The market seldom rewards those who are merely self-satisfied with their efforts; it only rewards those who make clear-headed decisions.
All legends of quick recoveries ultimately lead to the reality of losses. Impulsiveness is not synonymous with opportunity, but a disguise for risk. What is truly worth pursuing in trading has never been the thrill, but stability.
