The Undisciplined Trader

Trading is one of the few professions where you have complete freedom, no boss, no rules, no one to tell you what to do. Sounds great, right? Well, that freedom is also the very reason why most traders fail.

freedom is both a gift and a curse.

I mean, when you're free, you can do whatever you want, which sounds awesome, right? That’s the gift. You make your own choices, no one tells you what to do, and you just do your thing.

But here’s the curse part, when there are no rules, it’s really easy to mess up. Like, umm… if no one is stopping you, you might make bad choices, waste time, or just kinda… drift.

Freedom can actually make life harder because now you have to be the one in control.

So yeah, real freedom isn’t just doing whatever—it’s knowing how to handle it without screwing yourself over.

Here are four hidden problems traders make without even realizing it:

1. the unwillingness to create rules

Trading gives you full control over when to start, stop and take action.

But this freedom is a double edged sword. Without rules and guidelines, traders often act on impulse, leading to inconsistent results.

Most traders love the idea of freedom so much that they resist setting boundaries, even when those boundaries could save them from making costly mistakes, like selling the house to pay debt type of mistakes 😅. Ironically, the very thing that attracts them to trading ends up being their downfall.

YOU NEED RULES, a limit on how much you're willing to lose in a trade, a cap on the money you're okay with risking, and a target for how much you wanna make, so when you hit it, you walk away.

Setting the rules? Easy. 

Sticking to them? That’s the real challenge. 

Discipline isn’t about making rules…

it’s about actually following them when emotions kick in.

2. failure to take responsibility

Trading is one of the purest forms of personal choice. Nothing happens until you decide to enter a trade, and it only ends when you decide to close it.

But here’s the catch, many traders refuse to take full responsibility when things go wrong. They blame the market, the news or bad luck.

They accept credit when a trade goes well but find excuses when it doesn’t. If you want to be a consistently profitable trader, you must start from the belief that every outcome, good or bad, is your responsibility.

3. addiction to random rewards

Random rewards are one of the biggest traps in trading.

Psychological studies have shown that when rewards come unpredictably, people and even animals become addicted to the behaviour that sometimes leads to a reward.

Traders who win big on random trades often think they’ve cracked the code.

But when losses come, they refuse to stop because they’re chasing that next big high. This is why some traders hold onto bad trades, thinking, maybe this time it will work out. The problem? It rarely does and they end up losing even more.

To fix it, you need a clear plan. Set rules for when to enter and exit trades, and stick to them. Avoid chasing random rewards. Focus on consistency, not big wins. When you accept small, steady profits over time, you’ll avoid the trap of hoping for a lucky break.

4. external vs internal control

In everyday life, we rely on social skills, persuasion, negotiation and control to get what we want. But the market doesn’t care about your feelings, beliefs or expectations.

Many traders fail because they try to control the market instead of adapting to it.

They expect the market to behave in a way that suits their plan and when it doesn’t, they get frustrated.

The key to success is learning to control yourself, your emotions, your risk and your strategy, rather than trying to control the uncontrollable.

Final Thoughts

Trading isn’t about beating the market, it’s about mastering yourself. The sooner you recognize these hidden mistakes, the faster you can start trading with discipline, consistency and confidence.

Which of these mistakes have you been making? Hit reply to this email and let me know:)

MEME OF THE DAY,

Thanks for reading

Ahmed,