Account hit $76,822 on Thursday, a new high, and by Friday afternoon I was up in a trade I hadn't planned, sized twice my normal, because a friend texted me "you seeing this??" about a mid-cap breaking out. Closed it for -$680 and sat there feeling like an idiot at 3:47 PM ET. The lesson isn't new. The lesson is never new. Don't take trades other people are excited about.
Otherwise: 11 trades, 6 wins, +$2,910 on the week. The boring swing system did what it does. I keep saying this and I'll keep saying it — the edge is not in the exciting stuff.
People ask why I post the losses. Honestly? Because everyone else posts the wins, and after a while you start believing trading is a ladder with no missing rungs. It's not. It's stairs, and sometimes you're on a step that isn't there. Write down the misses. Future you is grateful, even if present you is embarrassed.
2 comments:
The friend-text trade is so real. I've done the exact same thing twice this year and both times the "friend" made money and I didn't. Coincidence? Probably not.
Posted by Dana W. · September 14, 2026 at 10:02 AM
$76.8k to $71.4k in the month since — any temptation to count that as "giving back the high" or do you genuinely only look at it monthly? The drawdown math on the trade log says you're fine, just curious how it feels from the inside.
Posted by quiet_lurker_ohio · October 14, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Comments are moderated when I remember to check, which is weekends, usually. Email me if it's urgent.