Introduction
Welcome to my first trading boot camp series here on YouTube. I don’t normally do long educational series outside of trade recaps and outlooks, but heading into the new year, I wanted to put something together that helps you start strong. Over the next 25–30 days, I’ll cover everything from psychology to execution to managing funded accounts. Today, we’re starting with expectations.
Why Expectations Matter
Expectations set the tone for your trading journey. Many new traders come in after seeing others make quick money, and that creates unrealistic goals. When those goals aren’t met, it leads to disappointment. That disappointment often snowballs into:
Overtrading
Strategy hopping
Ignoring rules
Forcing trades that make no sense
Without the right framework, you end up chasing noise instead of sticking to a process.
Thinking in Probabilities
One of the most important mindset shifts is to think in probabilities. You won’t win every trade. You won’t catch every move. But if your process is sound, your edge will play out over time.
Too many traders want to make six figures a year but trade like they need to make six figures in a single day. That mindset burns accounts fast. Instead, come in every day with no expectation of taking a trade. If the market sets up, great. If not, you walk away.
Managing Expectations for Price Delivery
Sometimes you’ll have a bias or an expectation for price action, and the market won’t deliver it. That’s fine. Don’t sit there forcing setups that aren’t there. If your expectation doesn’t play out, your job is done for the day.
Example: I had an expectation for gold to bounce from a daily gap, but the market didn’t confirm it. Once that expectation failed, I stopped looking for longs. That’s how you protect your mental energy and avoid bad decisions.
Common Pitfalls for New Traders
Most new traders are:
Under-capitalized
Overleveraged
Expecting to get rich quick
This combination almost always leads to disappointment and mistakes. You need to accept trading is a hard game. It costs time and money to get good, and the faster you set realistic expectations, the faster you’ll grow.
Building Good Habits
Good habits inside and outside of trading matter more than most people think. If you’re undisciplined in your daily life, that will show up in your trading. Things as simple as making your bed, reading before the market, or going to the gym help build discipline.
In trading, this discipline looks like:
Showing up at the same time every day
Mapping expectations for price
Following your rules without exception
Bad habits lead to self-sabotage. Good habits create consistency.
Forget Monetary Goals
Setting monetary goals is one of the biggest mistakes traders make. If you start saying, “I need to make $10K this month,” you’ll overtrade and force setups. Instead, focus on process goals: showing up, executing your model, and managing risk.
A solid process leads to profits. Chasing profits without a process leads to blown accounts.
You’re Better Than You Think
Many traders know more than enough to succeed—they just get in their own way. Often it’s not about learning another concept; it’s about following the rules you already have. Accountability helps. Share your trades with a trusted peer or mentor who can call you out if you break your rules.
Overtrading and Overleveraging
The reality is 90% of traders lose because of two things:
Overtrading
Overleveraging
To combat this:
Limit your trading window (2–3 hours max)
Stick to your model instead of trading all day
Risk 1% or less per trade, and cut size in half after a loss until you recover
Final Thoughts
Expectations are the foundation. Without realistic expectations, you’ll keep falling into the same traps—forcing trades, chasing money, and burning accounts. With the right mindset, you put yourself in a position to succeed long-term.
This is just chapter one of the boot camp. In the next session, we’ll dive into trading psychology and how to control the urge that kills most traders.