@Labcorp this is totally unacceptable. I was told to go into an empty room and when a patient left I walked in and the phlebotomist said “does this look like an empty room”? I left got called in 2 mins later to find the room in video above. Disgusting. This place should be shut down
Here it goes....did lots of trading on small time frames. It was exhausting and let to unnecessary emotional swings and losses ...realized all my profits came from positions. so I took a lesson from my daughters soccer trainer years ago who had the players practice in small spaces with quick touches (lower time frames) so that when they got out onto the open field (higher time frames) it was easier to see the whole field.. same freaking thing. I make lists of all the solid stocks/commodities I want to own and follow them and I look for either way oversold conditions with divergences
or strong breaking out trends
If you get on the wrong train, get off at the first stop.
Trading works the same way.
A stop loss is not an admission that you are a bad trader. It is an admission that this particular trade is not working as planned.
Every trade begins with uncertainty. You can have a strong setup, a favorable risk/reward ratio, and a proven strategy, but the market can still move against you. No setup has a 100% win rate.
Your job is not to avoid every losing trade.
Your job is to keep ordinary losses from becoming extraordinary losses.
Before entering a position, identify the price level that invalidates your trade. That is the point where the market proves your original idea wrong. If the price reaches that level, exit and preserve your capital.
The longer you remain on the wrong side of a trend, the more expensive the return trip from a capital drawdown becomes.
A 10% loss requires an 11.1% gain to recover.
A 25% loss requires a 33.3% gain.
A 50% loss requires a 100% gain just to return to breakeven.
This is why successful trading is not only about finding winning trades. It is also about controlling the size of losing trades.
Small losses are part of the business. Large losses are usually the result of abandoning risk management.
Traders get into trouble when they move their stop, average down without a plan, increase their position size, or hold onto hope after the original setup has failed.
The market does not know your entry price. It does not care how much you need to make back. It will not reverse simply because you have reached your emotional pain threshold.
A stop loss removes hope from the decision.
It converts an emotional reaction into a predetermined rule.
The best time to decide where to exit is before entering the trade, when you are objective and have no emotional attachment to the position.
Once money is at risk, the ego begins negotiating.
“Give it more room.”
“It will come back.”
“I can’t sell at the bottom.”
Those thoughts can turn a manageable loss into a damaging drawdown.
Taking a stop-loss order protects more than just money. It protects your confidence, your mental capital, and your ability to take the next valid setup.
No single trade should ever determine your mental state.
Know where you are wrong before you enter.
Risk an amount you can accept.
Take the exit when your trade is invalidated.
You can always get back into a position if a new signal appears. You can’t undo a catastrophic loss.
The goal is not to be right on every trade.
The goal is to stay in the game long enough for your edge to work.
Cut losses. Protect capital. Catch the next train.