#StaySAFU

**"With Great Difficulty, I Make Profits… Only to Lose It All Again—And More of My Own Capital."**

If this cycle feels familiar—small wins erased by bigger losses—you're not alone.

This is the **Boom-Bust Trap**, one of trading’s most destructive patterns.

### **How It Happens:**

1️⃣ **No Exit Plan:** You profit, but without a clear "lock-in" strategy, greed or FOMO takes over.

2️⃣ **Momentum Mistake:** You confuse a good trade with "hot hands," leading to reckless overtrading.

3️⃣ **Euphoria & Ego:** Wins trick your brain into thinking, *"I can’t lose!"*—so you size up or abandon rules.

4️⃣ **Revenge of the Market:** Losses chase gains, and undisciplined trades dig a deeper hole.

### **How to Break the Cycle:**

✔ **Define Your "Win" Before You Enter**

— *"If I hit X% profit, I close Y% or move stops to breakeven."*

✔ **Hard Limits on Trades/Day**

— Overtrading is self-sabotage. Enforce a quota (e.g., 3 high-conviction trades max).

✔ **Withdraw Gains Routinely**

— Physically separating profits (e.g., weekly withdrawals) reinforces discipline.

✔ **Journal the Aftermath of Wins**

— Track how often "one more trade" turns winners into losers. The data will shock you.

✔ **Set a Daily Loss/Win Cutoff**

— Example: *"If I’m up 5% or down 3%, I walk away."*

### **Key Mindset Shifts:**

🔹 **Profits Aren’t Yours Until Banked**

— The market will always tempt you to "give it back." Resist.

🔹 **Winners Know When to Stop**

— The skill isn’t just making money—it’s keeping it.

🔹 **Trading Is a Marathon of Small, Defended Gains**

— Consistency beats heroics every time.

### **Final Thought:**

Awareness is the first step—but *action* breaks the cycle. Build rules to protect your profits like your trading life depends on it.

(Because it does.)

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