MARCH SPECIAL: Save 80% Off Nial Fuller's Pro Trading Course (Ends March 31st) -
Nial Fuller

NIAL FULLER Nial Fuller
Professional Trader, Author & Coach

What’s Really Stopping You From Trading For A Living ?

trading pressureIf you have your hard-earned money on the line in your trading account and you feel like you HAVE to make money from your trading, you’re screwed, to put it bluntly. The single biggest reason you’re not making a living trading is because you feel like you have to making a living and you’ve gone ‘all in’ with your capital and emotion.

What do you think is the root cause of why you are unable to make a living as a trader? You might think it’s because you have not yet discovered some ‘amazing’ trading system or maybe it’s a special combination of secrets that you think will punch your ticket to trading success. I assure you that it is neither of these and it’s probably not because of anything else you might be thinking of right now. The cold, hard truth is that what is really stopping you from making a living trading is simply the self-inflicted pressure to make money.

The following four points discuss the major mistakes that many traders make which result in an amount of self-inflicted pressure that is too much for them to overcome:

1. Bleeding “chips”

In poker, if your chip stack starts taking big hits, it’s called “bleeding chips”. In trading, this is the same thing as not having enough capital to see us through so that we can see our trading strategy play out over a long enough period of time to make us money.

Traders who start with very small trading accounts tend to put unnecessary amounts of pressure on themselves to build their accounts fast. This obviously manifests itself in the forum of over-trading and risking too much per trade. There’s nothing wrong with starting with a small trading account and trying to grow your small account into a bigger one. The problem comes in when traders have unrealistic expectations about how long it will take them to grow their small accounts. Once you start thinking about doubling or tripling your small account in a month and dreaming about quitting your job in two months to trade full-time, you have pretty much sealed your own fate as a losing trader. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way, you have options…

If you don’t have a lot of capital to fund your account with, you basically have two ways of thinking about your trading:

1. “I understand I don’t have a lot of capital to trade with and I understand this means I must trade smaller position sizes for now because I know that if I don’t control my risk I will eventually blow out my trading account, which is even worse than having a small trading account.”

or

2. “I know my account is small, but I think if I can just hit a few big winners here and there and double or triple my account, I will be sitting pretty and then I can start managing my risk properly.”

Now, you probably already know that the first line of thinking is the right one, but most traders tend to think like the second one, especially traders with small trading accounts. The temptation to try and build your account really fast, is very difficult to overcome. But, as I discussed in my Tortoise vs. The Hare article from last week, slow and steady really does win the marathon of trading, and no matter what you think or what you want to believe, this will always hold true.

Thus, if you are under-capitalized, you are going to have to accept your reality for now and trade slowly, with proper risk management. You can build a small account successfully, yes it will take time, but the more you develop the proper trading habits, the easier trading will become for you and the more profitable it will become. The alternative is basically an emotional roller coaster of trading that almost inevitably ends up in blown out trading accounts and possibly even destroyed relationships in your personal life.

2. Scared money

scared moneyThe next thing that induces pressure on a trader, and even more so than being under-capitalized as we discussed above, is trading with ‘scared’ money. By scared money, I mean money you really should not be risking in the market or money that might not even be yours. I know that many beginning traders try to trade with loans from family or even credit cards, and quite frankly this is just beyond insane.

Trading is the LAST thing you should even consider using a loan for. Trading with ‘scared money’ means that you have a greater than normal emotional attachment to the money you are risking in the market, because you know that losing it will have dire consequences. Too often, I get emails from people who are clearly trading with scared money.

If you really can’t afford to risk real money in the market, then you need to “man-up” and accept this reality and not trade live until your reality changes. You can learn how to trade and demo trade in the meantime, but trading with scared money is almost the same thing as taking that money, pouring gasoline all over it and throwing a match on it, because you are almost guaranteed to lose it in the market.

3. The pressure of needing to succeed

It is not at all uncommon for business owners to fail because they start from a point of needing their business to succeed. Think of the restaurant owner who has invested all of his life savings into a new restaurant venture at the age of 55. He is getting close to retirement and thought investing all his money in a restaurant would be a good way to earn some extra money as he gets older. When the business comes limping out of the gate and he is struggling to breakeven every month, the pressure quickly begins swelling up to intolerable proportions. Why? Because he painted himself into a corner, so to speak…he put ALL his money into one business and put himself into a position where failure would essentially mean bankruptcy.

The above scenario happens a lot in the restaurant industry and other industries, it also happens A LOT in trading.

If you wake up every day and think about your trading as a “do or die” venture, as your only source of income or financial security into the future, you are creating HUGE mental pressures that even the most disciplined and patient trader could not overcome.

Successful traders have gotten to the point they are at BECAUSE they understood this ‘pressure’ concept and they figured out a way to relieve the pressure. This might mean they waited to start trading live until they had enough risk capital to unemotionally do so, or it might mean that they remained realistic about their small trading account long enough to build it up to a nice level over time, through proper risk management, aka discipline. Whatever the route they took, any professional trader got there because they figured out a way to significantly reduce or eliminate any type of pressure of needing their trading to succeed.

You have to trade from a clean and clear trading mindset with virtually no attachment to the money you have at risk. You can only do this by having a solid plan B to fall back on, like a job that covers your bills in addition to allowing you to save some extra money each month. Trading is inherently risky, and it tends to attract people who can’t afford to trade or who have dollar signs in their eyes, yet it only rewards those who can afford to trade and don’t have dollar signs in their eyes. You have to make sure you are in the latter category, not the former. If you are not in the correct pressure-free mindset, then do not start trading with real money until you have devised a way to get yourself into that mindset.

4. Not enough experience or education

trading educationFinally, perhaps the most common way that traders put unnecessary amounts of pressure on themselves in the market, is by simply trading live without enough experience or education.

When we try to do things without proper experience or education, there is inherently a certain amount of pressure on us, simply because the thing seems much more difficult than it otherwise would be if we had that education and experience. For example, think of trying to perform surgery on someone without being properly trained as a surgeon, you clearly would feel an immense amount of pressure, whereas a trained and experienced surgeon probably feels very little. This is why people have to go to school so long to be doctors, and go through a lot of training with an experienced mentor before they perform their own surgeries. You would not want an inexperienced doctor operating on you or an inexperienced pilot flying the airplane you’re riding on!

Similarly, traders who try trading with real money, without having first obtained proper training and experience, tend to feel much more pressure and emotion than they would if they had a solid trading education under their belt and 3 to 6 months of demo trading. Many traders try to trade with a live account and “learn as they go”, or so they think. This inevitably leads to them blowing out their trading account. I get emails almost every day from traders telling me that AFTER they start making some money in the market THEN they will get a trading education and learn how to trade properly. Trading is no different than any other profession in that you NEED the education and experience FIRST. It is borderline lunacy to think you are going to step into the market with little to no experience or education and start making consistent money right away. Just as you would not step into the cockpit of an airplane with little to no experience and expect to fly the plane, you cannot trade properly and without massive amounts of pressure and stress if you do not first get training and experience on how to trade properly.

Education is the first solution to the pressure that is stopping you from trading for a living, just as education is the first solution to almost any other problem in life. If you want to get on the right path to eliminating the pressure and stress in your trading by educating yourself and gaining insight from experienced traders, checkout my Trading Courses for more information.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Nial Fuller

About Nial Fuller

is a Professional Trader, Investor & Author who is considered ‘The Authority’ on Price Action Trading. His blog is read by over 200,000+ followers and he has taught 25,000+ students since 2008. In 2016, Nial won the Million Dollar Trader Competition. Checkout Nial's Professional Trading Course here.
Nial Fuller Professional Trading Course Preferred broker 2020 v1

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. gabstar

    a great and ihteligent article

    Reply
  2. Todor

    What a collective wisdom!

    I guess everyone in our community should open their hearts for it but only if they really want to succeed in trading.

    Many thanks, Nial! I feel knowing you. Keep it up.

    Cheers.

    Reply
  3. bruce of Sydney

    nial,

    I’ve been reading you for years. I’ve even bought your course, years ago.
    I’m now starting to stand on my own two feet. At last ( four and a half years struggling).
    Of all you teach, money management is the most important lesson you teach.

    The other thing you once said, and I didn’t understand it, was that you must feel the markets.
    You must have some thing inside you that only comes from experience. And this takes years.

    I couldn’t understand this because everyone else keeps saying things, like no emotions in trading.
    This is just to confuse we traders even more than we already are.

    Good on you Nial.

    Reply
  4. Adeyemi Roland

    My dear Mentor ( Mr. NIAL FULLER). I’m very glad to express my gratitude to you for extending your articles to me, i find them very very educating.

    Thanks a lot.

    Reply
  5. kashif panhwar

    Great, Article Thank you :)

    Reply
  6. Mahdi hatami

    Thank you Nial. great article

    Reply
  7. Res

    Thanks Nial,
    Yet again you managed to hit the nail on the head. Well done!
    What is amazing is that I know this artical means diffrent to diffrent readers,depending on their individual experience. We all take-in a diffrent depth and message from it. What I undrestand from it is diffrent to what I had undrestod last year, or even next year. But, you clearly have been there and done it!
    However, In your artical you missed out one big group of people(traders), I suppose you can put them under number 2- Scared money. and they are the ” Bad Lossers” they are the kind of people that any loss is un bearable for them (regardless as their Account Size). They just can’t cope with loss, and get emotionally devestated! (personal experience!)
    Thanks once again for sharing your thoughts, You are a star.

    Reply
  8. Steve

    Pure Genius Nial

    I am now putting together some profitable months after 7 years of patient practice and education.
    Education is the Number 1 requirement in:
    Trading psychology
    Position sizing, money management
    Trading methodology
    I must say that your trading seminar in Singapore, elevated my trading education to a new level.

    Thank You again
    Steve

    Reply
  9. Matteo Foschi

    SUPER!!!

    Reply
  10. Al

    Bloody hell Nial, me in a nutshell. Have learned the discipline you talk of since following your site, but this article really is BANG ON! Thank you. Only hope other aspiring traders will take note.

    Reply
  11. naveen

    Thank you very much sir for mentoring us.

    Reply
  12. Kevin

    Nial,

    Six months ago after signing up, I emailed you that this was the best $350 I have ever spent.

    I stand by that comment.

    Your mentoring and teaching capacity is immense and worthwhile.

    Thank you

    Kayres1

    Reply
  13. Siyabonga

    Thanks Prof.

    Reply
  14. Gloria

    I agree with you, Nial, when you say ‘scared money don’t make money’.

    Reply
  15. Lyte

    Thanks Nial. As always I look forward to reading your articles. Brilliant!

    Reply
  16. Jared

    This article is an exact blue print of my personal experience, i fully agree that not necessarily one must learn from his mistakes. However i this article impress my heart and readjust my thinking ability regarding FX. thanks a lot once again.

    Reply
  17. samuel

    NIAL, YOUR LESSONS ARE A MUST READ FOR ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL FOREX TRADER. GOD BLESS YOU

    Reply
  18. Joni from Finland

    thats a very accurate article Thanks Nial, though i plan to save and invest all i got with zulutrade and my personal trading. Money need to deal with no emotion attached, knowledge and with a sound trading plan and risk management in my point of view..

    Reply
  19. Geetha

    Dear Sir,
    You are always unique, we all know that, but this time ur article has touched our hearts.

    “REAL EDUCATION” , No more words to describe today’s article.

    Regards
    Geetha

    Reply
  20. Anantha Theerthan

    Education, Experience, Detachment of trading result, Focusing on Consistency & developing positive trading habits, Afford to lose risk capital take the pressure out of trading and make it fun and freedom business.

    Thank you Nial
    for another great article and adding value to us.

    Reply
  21. jide

    Its only a matter of time before i actually become a proffesional trader,as long as i’m loyal and obedient to all your instructions and lessons.The journey may be long and d road rough,but I’ve chosen a course and i’ve decided to stick to it no matter what.I’m sure it’s this bull-dog determination that will actually make all the difference in years to come.Thanks BOSS for another helpful peice of article.GOD BLESS NAIL FULLER

    Reply
  22. william

    Great article

    Reply
  23. Ronald

    Nial you totally spot on, you like a preacher in church who always says the right things. I was in the edge of going to get scared money and start profit cause my small live account don’t seem to make profit compered to my demo. thanks to you I reconsidered the plan.

    Reply
  24. Andrews W Salim

    Dear Nail,

    It is great revelation to me ur Price Action Model, without relying on any other technical indicator, Your Pin Bar reversal model(vice versa too) with inside outside analysis. While trading on 4Hr time-frame, taking cue from Daily, but cross referring even 1Hr ! What a brilliant mind Mr Nial Fuller is having, at this surprisingly young age!. My Hats off to you and I am more excited to see his philanthropic outlook and putting so many really good study stuff freely to the aspiring traders…..Thanks a million Mr Nial, continue ur free stuff too like this for others…..

    Reply
  25. Toby

    Nial,

    I am going through what you say about stress, overtrading, too much risk,etc. with a small account.
    It has recently knocked my account down, so I am “back peddling” and cutting my trades and risk.

    Thanks for the timing of this article….
    Great advice as usual….

    Toby

    Reply
  26. Anton

    I experienced all the things that you write. I totally 100% agree with what you write Nial. Very powerfull article and very enlighten me.
    “If You Thinks Education is expensive try ignorance”
    Quoting JOHNF. KENNEDY….
    Thanks Nial GBU…

    Reply
  27. purpleskye

    Great article. I have experienced all of them except for #2 and #1 plagues me on and off, particularly when I’m tired or not feeling well, then poof all my hard work evaporates in a few senseless trades. I know I shouldn’t trade during those times but I’m too addicted. I will need to make a banner of #1. I can fund a bigger account but I refuse to do so, until I can prove to myself that I really can trade like a professional.

    Reply
  28. Cyrus

    I like this phrase

    ” Trading is inherently risky, and it tends to attract people who can’t afford to trade or who have dollar signs in their eyes, yet it only rewards those who can afford to trade and don’t have dollar signs in their eyes.”

    I admire the patience and time you put into these articles – it shows.

    Thanks.

    Reply
  29. Paul Kelleway

    I agree with you Nial, especially the experience part. I was only thinking the other day about a car mechanic in the same way you describe here. You can go to college and learn to be a mechanic but when your first car come in to you with a problem, it is going to take you far longer to resolve it than your mentor that has ten or twenty years experience. The mentor will have most likely seen the problem before so he can go straight to the cause without wasting time or miss diagnosis. Experience counts for everything. However, I’m not sure how you define experience, you mention 3-6 months but on what timeframe and on how many charts? I would suggest that 50-100 trades is getting experience rather than thinking in terms of months.

    Great stuff and very thought provoking, thanks!

    Reply
  30. john s

    i have done everything you talked about above. i now trade mini lots from a small account and am doing better. thank you for your help!

    Reply
  31. TheDoctor

    another great article, simple things that we might know but many failed to acknowledge that these simple things are what affects trading.

    Reply
  32. Samuel Okoyeocha

    Dear Fuller,
    I am really excited. I always read your article and consequently learn a lot. Thanks and God bless you

    Reply
  33. Robert

    This is the honest truth,thanks Nial

    Reply
  34. KRISTOFA OKENTA

    Infact dear ‘Prof’, Nial you have given me much teaching and coaching.

    I WILL SUCCEED IN TRADING FOREX.

    THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

    Reply