One lesson that took me a long time to understand is that a winning trade is not always a good trade.
Most traders judge their decisions by the result.
If the trade makes money, they call it a good trade.
If it loses money, they call it a bad trade.
But markets do not work that way.
A trader can follow a solid plan, manage risk correctly, and still lose because no setup works 100% of the time.
At the same time, someone can ignore risk management, enter randomly, get lucky once, and think they made a great decision.
The problem is that short-term outcomes often hide long-term mistakes.
The traders who survive are usually the ones who focus on process rather than individual results.
Before entering any trade, I try to ask myself:
Is my risk defined?
Do I know where I'm wrong?
Is the potential reward worth the risk?
Am I following a plan or chasing emotions?
A good trade is one that follows a sound process, regardless of the outcome.
The market can control results.
You can only control decisions.
What do you think is harder in trading: finding good entries or maintaining discipline?