Is your relationship with wins different than your relationship with losses?

Helloooo. :blush: It’s quite late in the Philippines right now and I’ve just been reading through posts online until I found this question. :thinking: When it comes to trading, is your relationship with wins different than your relationship with losses? :thinking:

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Absolutely and I think this is true for most traders that we are quick to close losses and and we hesitate to close a trade that is in profit because we always want every last drop. This is my biggest shortcoming in trading.

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I’ve been in these situations also when greed took over :sweat_smile: and I ended up losing even more. :sweat_smile:

Hmm I think it depends on when they happen. If it’s a losing streak for instance, then yeah that definitely affects me. Actually, thinking about it, even winning streaks affect me. It makes me fearful of breaking that winning streak! It’s so weird!

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Well you don’t have to close a winning trade, per se. Just move your S/L up to break- even plus one pip, scalp off 30 - 50% profit and then use a trailing stop on the balance. At worst you have both a scalping profit and a pip profit.

As for losing trades, I do not ever let them run longer than my winning ones, and I never add to losing positions in the hope that they would revert back in my favour. I know only one pro trader who has traded EUR & GBP / USD for decades who would be able to do so.

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My relationship with winning and losing should be as close to the same as possible.

In that case, my emotional state depends on the market. Up, down, up, down. That’s not healthy.

Assuming I’m profitable, my response to winning and losing should be quite similar. Of coursre, winning feels better.

When it comes to trading, my relationship with wins and losses is definitely different. Winning feels good, of course, and it’s always nice to have a successful trade. But I know that every trade carries its own risks, so I don’t get too attached to the wins. With losses, I try to stay positive and look for ways to learn from them.

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Definitely, there is a visible difference between wins of profit and losing money. Wins of profit will strengthen your reaction whereas the other weakens that.

No. You have to check your emotions when you win the same as when you lose. Maybe even more so.

True that!

While winning a trade can be satisfying, I understand that all trades come with risks. Therefore, I don’t become overly attached to my wins. When I experience losses, I maintain a positive mindset and seek to gain knowledge from them.

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Out of curiosity, does the trader you know only trade those two pairs, EUR & GBP / USD?

And how about yourself, do you focus on trading specific pairs or do you trade a variety of currency pairs?

Fundamentally, winning and losing are not the same. Winning feels good, while losing can suck. However, it’s interesting how we tend to learn and grow more from our losses and defeats than from our wins and victories.

It can be argued that we need the experience that comes with defeats and losses to grow, rather than just the gratification that comes from wins and victories.

The same principle applies to trading, where winning feels better than losing. A trade that hits TP is more satisfying than a losing one. However, as traders, we need to accept losses and get stopped out in order to learn, grow, and develop discipline.

Well of course it is different, winning and making money is the ultimate goal of any trader. However, it’s important to recognize that losses are an inevitable part of trading, and as a trader, one needs to cultivate a healthy relationship with losses.

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That’s all we can do, really - strive to avoid letting our wins get to our heads and instead seek to learn from our losses.

Just a few majors for the Pro trader - plus USD/JPY and occasionally USD/CAD.

I focus on 12-14 minor pairs plus a few majors, but avoid any GBP pairs, as I’ve never been successful with those.

Not a lot of people mention this, but I definitely agree. :blush: As someone who used to be super attached to my wins, this is something I eventually got to learn. :sweat_smile:

Definitely. :blush: A healthy relationship with losses really helps you manage your emotions too, cause you see them not as a sign of failure, but rather as a motivation for growth. :blush:

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Yes, the relationship will always be different. But I try to celebrate wins and learn from losses, as they both provide valuable feedback and opportunities for growth.

I think the feelings are clearly different but the same relationship in both scenarios is we need to avoid getting overly emotional. When we have a winning trade, it’s important to avoid becoming overconfident and taking unnecessary risks and when we have a losing trade, it’s important to avoid becoming discouraged or emotional. Instead, use the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and bounce back.

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