August 13th | W $385 | A Two-Day Catastrophe

If you’re reading the title, then you already know what it means. I was too ashamed to write about yesterday’s debacle, but the truth is, I TILTED.

What started the whole chain of events was me thinking I had the mental capacity to be comfortable with a tight stop loss while trading minis. I was completely wrong. I felt defeated, and losing $250 in 30 seconds made me see red—and sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. After spending a month building and maintaining an account, I completely blew it in a matter of hours.

As I reflect on it, the mistake was thinking I could handle a tight stop loss when my own data clearly shows that I need more room to feel comfortable in a trade. I went against what the data was telling me, and I paid the consequences.

It was a hard lesson, but more importantly, it was a reminder that I should not be trading minis. I let greed override the consistency I had built, and I deserved the consequences of that decision.

After talking it through with my trading colleague and best friend, we decided it made more sense to transition from MES to MNQ. The volume and volatility of MNQ better suit my strategy, and it allows me to reach a 1:2 risk-to-reward ratio more efficiently. I made sure to backtest the strategy using Claude and spot-check the results myself. Based on the historical data, the strategy was profitable. But today was still a challenge, to say the least.

Although I finished the day profitable, I got lucky. My last trade was absolutely bonkers because, once again, I couldn’t accept another loss. I essentially gambled on that trade, willing to lose $1,000 just to make the trade work. I ended up closing it for a $220 profit. I left a lot of money on the table because I was already up $600, but I was chasing $1,200.

At the same time, I also burned myself by moving my stop loss too early on my first trade. Had I left it where it originally was, I would have hit my take-profit target. Instead, I got taken out by the pullback.

Regardless, I recognize that I was being greedy again. Trying to risk $600 to make $1,200—for what? I think I lost myself after yesterday’s loss, and the feeling that time is running out made me feel like I needed to rush the process.

But I need to snap out of that mindset.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. I have a strategy that can be profitable, and I need to give myself the time and discipline to execute it properly. I’m stepping back down in risk and going back to a maximum of three trades per day. I think that will help me regain my composure and confidence so I can execute smoothly again.

This week was a reminder that I need to stick to the plan. The moment I start diverting from it, things can—and will—go south.