Many people fall into a vicious cycle: thinking that the more precise the analysis, the more stable the profits. I used to think the same way, constantly studying market trends, predicting highs and lows, fantasizing about mastering the market. But what was the result? The more detailed the analysis, the greater the account fluctuations, and the more painful the unrealized losses on the books.

The true turning point came from a simple shift in mindset—markets are not meant to be predicted; they are meant to be executed upon.

I stopped engaging in complex technical research and instead focused all my energy on one thing: trading strictly according to rules. I filtered out a few proven trading strategies, with clear, repeatable rules. The difficult part wasn’t coming up with ideas, but ensuring that every single trade was executed accordingly.

To understand exactly where I was falling short, I made a decision: record the execution of every trade for a full year. Not just looking at profit and loss figures, but more importantly, marking whether each trade strictly followed the plan—any last-minute changes of mind, emotional entries or exits, all tagged as "impulsive trades."

The data was eye-opening: almost all the losing trades were impulsive ones. Those trades made strictly according to rules, even if occasionally small losses, resulted in a positive long-term account balance.

That moment, I woke up: the problem wasn’t market judgment or analysis ability, but—execution.

Now my mindset has changed. I no longer obsess over how much each trade can make, nor am I afraid of missing out on opportunities. I only ask myself one question: Is this trade standard and compliant? Was it executed according to the rules?

This is the real difference between traders:

Some rely on gut feelings to tough it out, causing their accounts to fluctuate wildly; others rely on discipline to survive long-term and steadily accumulate. Trading has never been about who sees the market more accurately, but about who can stick to discipline in the face of profit and loss. Mastering this is when you truly get started.