Three years of blowing accounts. Rebuilding. Blowing them again.
The pattern was mechanical: I'd get consistent for a stretch, then self-destruct. Overleverage on a "sure thing." Revenge trade after a stop-out. Move my stop to "give it room."
The breakthrough wasn't a better strategy. It was realizing I wasn't one trader - I was different people depending on my emotional state.
- In drawdowns: impulsive, risk-seeking, convinced I could "make it back"
- In winning streaks: overconfident, sizing up, ignoring my rules
- In boredom: forcing trades just to feel something
I started studying trading psychology specifically and noticed most traders fall into a few archetypes. The Self Saboteur. The Impulsive Gambler. The Overconfident Analyst. The Fearful Follower. The Disciplined Pro (rare).
The question isn't "what's your strategy?" It's "which version of you shows up when the market tests you?"
For those who've done the work — how did you identify your own pattern, and what actually broke the cycle?