Written by I was at a conference some time ago, waiting for the main speakers to arrive. In the lobby, small groups of people were having conversations, and one particular comment caught my attention.
A man said, “Everyone is given an equal shot at success, but most people, through their own choices, end up postponing it. Some keep postponing it until their time on earth is over.”
Those words stayed with me. I quickly wrote them down, and later that evening I sat alone reflecting on my own trading journey.
I began thinking about all the opportunities I had been given to get things right, the chances to follow my rules, stay disciplined, and trust the process. Yet time and time again, I found ways to sabotage myself. Looking back, I realized that my journey could have taken far fewer years if I had simply capitalized on those opportunities when they appeared.
Instead, I kept falling back into the same cycle of mistakes, chasing instant gratification and short-term rewards. What I didn’t realize at the time was that every impulsive decision wasn’t just causing another setback, it was postponing my success.
That realization changed how I viewed failure. The problem wasn’t that success was unavailable to me. The problem was that I kept delaying it.
Where Do We Break and Restart?
In trading, almost everything is available publicly. There are countless books, courses, videos, mentors, and communities. The information is out there for anyone willing to learn.
So why is there so much failure?
Why do so many people enter the game and end up losing, even after being told exactly what they need to do?
The answer, in my view, is simple: human beings have free will. When our discipline is tested, our minds often gravitate toward the quickest and easiest solution rather than the one that leads to long-term success. Unfortunately, those shortcuts are usually the exact opposite of what profitable trading requires.
The principles of trading success are straightforward:
Study → Execute → Enjoy the Benefits
First, you study the technical and fundamental aspects of the market until you develop an edge. Then you execute that edge consistently and flawlessly, a process that requires practice and repetition. Finally, you enjoy the rewards that come from disciplined execution.
Somewhere within this cycle is where most traders are tested and most of them break.
I have met dozens of traders who have spent a decade in the markets and still haven’t experienced consistent success. Today, I understand why. By the end of this article, you will too.
So when traders are first introduced to the markets, they usually study relentlessly. They consume books, watch videos, attend webinars, and analyze charts for hours. The effort is admirable but when it comes time to execute what they have learned, many fail.
They fail so badly that they convince themselves they don’t know enough. So they return to the study phase. They learn another strategy, buy another course, watch another mentor, and spend countless hours searching for the missing piece.
Then they try again and fail again, this cycle repeats itself over and over.
As it continues, traders spend thousands on trading capital, funded accounts, tools, subscriptions, and meetups all in an attempt to overcome the execution phase and finally reach the rewards on the other side. For some traders, this phase lasts two or three years. For others, it lasts five to ten years.
Most quit somewhere along the way. Those who remain unaware of the real problem can spend an entire decade trapped in the same loop. This is the most dangerous part, being unaware.
Only the traders who become aware of what is happening eventually break free and reach the final stage: enjoying the benefits of their work.
Why Do We Postpone Our Success?
Because the actions that delay success are often emotionally satisfying in the moment, they feel right.
Take revenge trading, for example: the number one reason many traders blow accounts. Revenge trading often triggers overtrading, and together they create a destructive cycle.
Imagine it’s Friday afternoon and you’ve just taken a loss.
Ninety percent of traders are uncomfortable carrying that loss into the weekend. Instead of accepting it, they feel compelled to make the money back before the market closes.
That’s when the downward spiral begins. One trade becomes two. Two become five. Risk increases and discipline disappears. By the end of the session, the trader has either blown the account or breached its rules.
On Monday, they make another deposit or purchase another funded account, convinced that this time will be different. But unless they address the underlying issue which is the inability to accept a loss, the same pattern will repeat itself. Again. And again. And again.
This is how success gets postponed. Not because success is unavailable, but the behaviors preventing it remain unchanged.
Many traders spend years repeating the same mistakes while expecting different results. Yet the market doesn’t reward hope. It rewards discipline.
The difficult choice in the heat of the moment is often the correct one. Walking away after a loss feels harder than taking another trade. Accepting a losing day feels harder than trying to recover it. Following your rules feels harder than chasing an opportunity that wasn’t part of your plan.
But those difficult decisions are usually the ones that move you closer to success.
As actor Michael Caine once said:
“Do you know that the harder thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing?”
In trading, that may be one of the most important lessons you’ll ever learn. Success is rarely postponed by a lack of knowledge. More often, it is postponed by our unwillingness to do what we already know is right.
Anyways I don’t what this to become very long, I hope you get my point. So thanks for reading, please share to any trader who you feel needs to hear this. Don’t forget to use our journal and other professional tools to help you become a better trader
Thank you!