In this member livestream, I went off script and ended up sharing a series of stories from my trading journey. Wins, misses, hard lessons, and the mindset shifts that actually made the difference. Here are a few takeaways that surfaced along the way.
Why Most Of My Profits Come From Very Few Trades
One of the biggest realizations I’ve had as a trader didn’t come from a chart pattern or an indicator. It came from looking back at my own results.
When I reviewed my year, I saw something very clear. The vast majority of my profits came from just a handful of trades and a couple of very specific time periods. Not dozens of setups. Not constant activity. A few moments where everything lined up and I executed well.
That changed how I think about trading.
I don’t have much interest in burning out trying to capture every intraday move. If I get an ideal setup, I’ll take it. But I’m far more comfortable waiting around for the opportunities that actually matter. Over a full year, you don’t need many of them. You just need to recognize them when they show up and have the confidence to press.
Trading With The Trend Feels Different
When you trade with the trend, it feels like you’ve got safety nets under you. You’re not guaranteed a win, but when you stumble, the market often gives you a save. You get structure, continuation, and follow through that makes sense.
When you trade against the trend, it’s a completely different experience. Even if you get one win, there’s usually another battle waiting right behind it. You’re constantly fighting momentum instead of working with it.
That’s why I spend so much time emphasizing trend alignment. It’s not about being right. It’s about stacking the odds so mistakes don’t turn into disasters.
Be Nimble, Not Stubborn
Discipline doesn’t mean sticking to a bias no matter what. It means being willing to change your mind quickly when the market doesn’t do what it should if your idea is correct.
You still need stops. You still need invalidation points. But you also need to abort plans when follow through doesn’t show up. That applies to bias just as much as it applies to entries.
The market doesn’t owe you anything. You take what it gives you, not what you want from it.
The Trumpcoin Trade And Why Execution Matters
One of the most memorable trades of my career was the Trumpcoin trade. It was a binary bet. It could go to zero or it could become something absurd.
I remember sitting with Dan while the position was up over 300 percent. He asked how much profit I had taken. I told him none. I thought it had the potential to turn into one of those moments people look back on and say, “How did we not see this?”
I went to bed and woke up to prices that looked so high I thought TradingView was bugged. I restarted the app more than once before my brain caught up.
Then reality set in. The swaps weren’t going through. That changed everything.
In that moment, I adjusted the plan. What started as “sell half” turned into getting out of 90 percent of the position because if swaps weren’t working during euphoria, they wouldn’t work when fear showed up. I broke the position into small chunks and got out near the top.
That wasn’t prediction. That was execution and adapting to what was actually happening.
Missing Big Is Part Of The Game
Not every story ends that way.
I also talked about a gold trade where I stopped out within less than two points of the top because I sized too big and managed it poorly. If I had stuck to my plan, it would have been a massive win. Instead, I missed it.
That’s trading.
You can dwell on it, or you can accept it and look for the next opportunity. Missing a big move doesn’t disqualify you from the next one. But letting it shake your confidence will.
Why Base Hits Matter Early
There’s nothing wrong with being in base hit mode, especially when you’re developing. A high floor gives you room to grow. It gives you the confidence, capital, and experience to recognize bigger opportunities later.
If you’re swinging for the fences before you have the power to get the ball over the wall, you’ll just keep striking out.
Build the floor first.
Experience Is The Real Edge
It took me years to get comfortable executing A plus setups with A plus execution. Early on, I hesitated, scratched trades, sold too early, or avoided good opportunities altogether.
That process doesn’t shortcut.
You build a system, review trades, refine it, and eventually realize the system isn’t the issue anymore. At that point, the work turns inward. Execution, psychology, and decision making become the focus.
That’s the real game.
Trading isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing less, better, and being ready when the moment actually matters.
Extracted from a member livestream with the assistance of AI.
