When I first started trading, I thought success was just a matter of time — that if I stayed consistent long enough, the profits would follow. But truthfully, I’m still not a profitable trader. I’m learning, growing, and plan to document every step here — not just to help others, but also to help myself become better.
Currently, I trade both a small live account and a $ 50,000 prop firm account. I take my time with each position, trying to make smarter decisions than I did last year. But the truth is, trading isn’t easy. It’s not for the faint-hearted. It demands patience, self-control, and constant self-awareness. And I learned that the hard way.
One of my toughest lessons came from a $200K one-phase prop firm challenge. I remember sitting in front of my screen, watching the red numbers pile up. I told myself, “It’ll turn around… just give it a few more minutes.” But it didn’t. The market kept moving against me.
By the time I finally closed my positions — three of them — I had blown the account and my confidence with it.
At that moment, I blamed everything — the market, bad timing, bad luck. But deep down, I knew the truth:
I had no real plan. I was trading on hope, not strategy.
That loss taught me my first real trading lesson — “Hope is not a Strategy.”
For a long time, I thought trading was about catching the perfect move at the perfect time. But that loss showed me it’s about something deeper — preparation, discipline, and control. It’s about knowing why you’re entering a trade, not just when.
Looking back, I’m grateful for that experience. If I had started with early wins, I might never have learned what true trading discipline feels like. Losing forced me to slow down and pay attention to my charts, my emotions, and my habits.
Since then, I’ve made one simple rule for myself:
Never enter a trade without a plan.
Before every position, I set my entry, my exit, and my risk. I still lose sometimes — that’s part of trading — but now, every loss teaches me something instead of breaking me.
The first hard truth trading taught me is simple but powerful:
Discipline is more valuable than excitement.
And every time I open my chart, I remind myself of that truth — one trade at a time.
— Ambrose Yomi
