Are You Trading to Win
or Trading Not to Lose?

Mastering the Winning Mindset in Trading

Alright, let’s be honest here…there’s a massive difference between trading to win and trading not to lose.
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We all know it, but sometimes it’s easy to slip into that ‘trading not to lose mindset’ without even realising it.
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Even in my 23rd year of trading, I found myself this week with one eye on my annual P&L number, trading less aggressively than I should be to ‘protect’ gains for the year… 🐱
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I had to remind myself to either play at 100% until the final whistle or, call it time and lock it in the year now.
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Otherwise, you are in danger of slipping into a ‘trading not to lose’ mentality…

TRADING TO WIN

Here’s the difference:

When you’re trading to win, you:

  • Take trades that align with your edge, even if they feel uncomfortable.
  • Let your winners run to their full potential most of the time.
  • Accept losses as part of the game and move on.
  • Push in size when you know you should

But when you’re trading not to lose, it’s a whole different story:

  • You hesitate to pull the trigger, second-guessing every setup.
  • You close trades too early, cutting profits short out of fear.
  • You avoid risk entirely, missing Grade A opportunities.
  • Trade smaller size to avoid risk

Ironically trading not to lose means you’ll almost certainly… lose!

That’s the way the market gods operate 🙂

So, if you find yourself falling into that trap, give yourself a quick reminder.

  1. Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome: Just execute the plan, accept the risk and play the game.
  2. Reframe Losses: A loss is the cost of doing business, suck it up. If you don’t want to lose, stop trading until you can reframe that thinking.
  3. Define Your Targets and Stick to Them: Set your usual risk and target parameters and then leave the trade. Your meddling with things is almost certainly born out of fear.

And if you still feel you can’t get in the right mental space, stop trading for a bit, and take a step back until you can get dialled in.

Often a day or two of no trading is all you need to remind yourself you’re playing this game to dominate and crush it… so please behave accordingly!