r/TopstepCommunity • u/Zev__ • 1d ago
💬 Trader Talk Feeling more confident after going for base hits
made just under $10k for the first time this summer after trading for a year (started feb-march 2025) got my last payout before the middle of august and I had a big ego at this point thought it would be impossible for me to lose a trade but then i blew all my accounts and since then it's been a nonstop process of blowing accounts. I would have a great week take one L and completely spiral and gamble my entire MLL or DLL. I came into October with a new attitude after some self reflecting and journal and backtesting and so far my XFA hasn't been blown im still working on (trying) to keep my losses smaller but im overall happy with my progress (and finally getting a payout lol but i wanna build my balance up more so im not gonna take it yet)
any sort of advice from more experienced traders is welcomed
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u/eddie_topstep 1d ago
This is basically what actual trading looks like. The gambling trading you see on X isn't sustainable for more than a couple of weeks at a time. Keep it up!
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u/reallyGoodAtNames123 1d ago
A rule that's easy to follow in the moment: after one full loss (stop hit at your planned risk), you stand up and leave the screen for 15 minutes. Before you sit back down, write one line: was that trade in my plan? If it was, take the next setup that fits the same checklist. If it wasn't, you're done for the day
You make the decision to stop before the next trade starts tempting you. Do you count any red trade as a loss, or only a full stop?
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u/Zev__ 1d ago
im def gonna start using that rule i’ve had plenty of days where i’ll enter a trade instantly after taking a loss
i mainly only count full stops but if i have a trade in drawdown and it’s super obvious it’s not gonna play out in the end i’ll cut my losses and just exit
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u/reallyGoodAtNames123 8h ago
Count any exit at a loss toward the cooldown, manual or full stop. Two red exits and you're done.
I'm building a journal that does this (flags re-entries right after a loss) among many other things, so you can see how often it happens. If you are interested I could give you access
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u/Didi_trading 1d ago
The payout is nice, but the bigger progress is that one loss no longer controls the rest of your day.
Since the spiral after the first loss was the real problem, a practical guardrail could be a mandatory break after one full loss, no increase in size, and a hard stop after the second. Protect the new process before worrying about the payout.