Rushing profitability.
The idea for this is that when most people see the end result, like seeing PnL cards flashing all around, stacks of cash on the table, luxurious lifestyle, and etc, they feel like it’s very easy to attain.
This is something I’ve personally experienced in a cute game I played with my girlfriend over discord called Putt Party (you should try it with friends, it’s pretty fun).
Basically, this is a mini golf online game, however some levels make it look like it’s deceptively easy to skip the obstacles / path and directly try to aim for the hole using some shortcut or trick.
At that moment when I kept failing and failing to reach the hole by trying to skip the massive gap and not go through the obstacles, it dawned on me, ganitong ganito yung mga tao sa trading.
They feel like they can cut corners and take shortcuts to success / profitability. But little they did know, these “shortcuts” are actually their shortcuts to failure ;)
Some of them have thoughts like these:
“All-in ko na toh, kapag tumama, I’m gonna be so freaking rich.”
“Ah madali lang trading, nagawa nga ni ano eh, edi ako kaya ko rin.”
These people fail to realize that by not respecting the process, you actually prolong your learning phase and the path to success– in this case, the path to profitability.
By not respecting the process, you hurt your progress.
By not respecting the process, you get humbled by the market.
By not respecting the process, you fall victim chasing the next holy grail.
Sure, in the golf game some people would possibly get to the end hole in 1 swing, but what about all those people who fail - all the golf balls that fall in the gap?
Marami na akong students (myself included) who have been guilty of trying to speedrun profitability.
Kahit sabihin ng mentor/coach na take it slow, don’t rush, or submit to time nang paulit-ulit,
Magmamadali at magmamadali parin tayo, why?
Because it’s ingrained in the very fabric of human psychology.
We are living in a time where almost everything is instant.
Instant food
Instant internet connection
Instant messaging
Instant pleasure
Instant bebe
Kaya ang success, we also want it to be instant.
Hindi pa rin tayo makikinig UNTIL we actually get hurt, lose money, and realize that nothing is working for us.
Only until then, will we realize na, “ay dapat pala sinunod ko na lang si coach.”
“Ay dapat pala I practiced proper risk management.”
“Ay dapat pala I created a robust trading plan and followed it.”
“Ay dapat pala hindi ko minadali.”
Remember, success as most people would tell you is rarely overnight, it’s a day-by-day process that you simply cannot skip.
The hardships, the trials, and the failures are ALL part of the journey. All these are what make success truly meaningful and rewarding.
If you’re not mentally prepared to go through this then my friend, I am sorry to tell you,
Trading is not for you.
Adding to this, most people don’t want other people to see that they're also struggling. That's why everyone wants to make it look like they’re effortlessly earning money.
Which further makes the expectations of beginning traders very misaligned from reality.
Comparing yourself and rushing profitability are detrimental to your trading psychology.
Not measuring up to the timeline you have set for yourself based on other people will frustrate you to no end.
To alleviate some of your frustrations, think about how these people you see are probably committing MORE time to mastering their craft than they show the world.
So, if this newsletter issue is speaking to you, I hope that you takeaway one thing.
There is no need to rush profitability.
Sabi nga ng Legendary football Coach, Bill Walsh:
“Concentrate on what will produce results rather than on the results, the process rather than the prize.”
Profitability will just be a BY-PRODUCT of good processes and systems.
Kaya like I always love to say,
TAKE IT SLOW
ENDURE THE PROCESS
ENJOY THE GRIND
That’s all for this week’s newsletter, I wish you a good trading week.
Kreios out~
