"Why Do I Keep Taking Trades That Aren't Part of My Plan?"

You don't need more discipline, you need a new way of thinking..

What’s up everyone!
Firstly, I want to apologise for the silence over the last couple of weeks.

It’s rare I miss a scheduled weekly drop, but this was one of those times..
Had a really busy last few weeks with work/travel, and honestly just didn’t plan well enough to keep these rolling out.

I’ve been on a heavy podcast run, shooting some fresh content for the Prop Firm Trader Podcast.
If you haven’t checked out any of these yet, you’re missing out!
I’ve been fortunate to connect with and interview a lot of successful prop traders and provide you guys with some real sauce.

The latest episode is below 👇

---

Onto this week’s questions!

This week, a trader asked me..
“Why do I keep taking trades that aren’t part of my plan?”

I think most traders assume this is a discipline or an impulse problem.
I think the issue for most starts much earlier than that.

In my eyes, by the time you click buy or sell, the emotional decision has already been made..

---

Where It Begins

When I speak to most traders, I find that the moment they sit down at the charts, they are expecting to take some kind of action.

This is inherently the problem.

I feel some kind of pressure to trade.
There's a pressure to ‘work’.
They feel like they need to ‘make this session count’.

Psychologically, the moment the market starts moving, your brain is looking for a reason to justify you getting involved.

This is the moment where a level ‘kind of’ lines up.
A setup ‘almost’ ticks all the boxes.
A candle ‘looks good enough’

It's at this moment your standards begin to slip - not because you like discipline or you're stupid.
But mostly because internally, you've already decided that you want to participate.

---

The Big Difference

Struggling traders are looking for a reason to be in the market.
Naturally, you always find what you're looking for.

Profitable traders are looking for reasons to stay out.
They only engage when they have lost all reasons to be on the sidelines.

Do you see the difference?
It's not another rule, it's a different way of thinking.

Experience will teach you that good trading isn't always about being active.
It's about being selectively aggressive.

That means understanding that just because the market is moving, it doesn't mean there is money to be made.

This is difficult for most people because patience feels unproductive to the emotional mind.
Patience is ultimately part of your job.

---

Reflection

So the next time you find yourself taking a trade outside your plan, the reflective question I want you to ask yourself is this..

Did that set up genuinely meet your criteria?
Or
Did your emotions lower the standards of what you look for so that you were able to participate?

Over and Out!