Mind Games of a Trader: Is Getting It Right More Important Than Making Money?

Evolutionary Instincts and Trading

There are many aspects of investments and trading that go against our evolutionary instincts. We evolved through the principle of natural selection, which implies that a higher percentage of wiser choices leads to better survival success. This principle extends to our lives today.

A series of right choices generally leads to greatness over time. A higher percentage of right opinions among friends results in greater acceptance and relevance. Individuals who “get it right” tend to gain more publicity and recognition. This trend is evident in finance, where public figures often express numerous opinions. However, it’s the ones who consistently “get it right” that usually stand out.

But is being consistently right truly important in trading? This question challenges everything we’ve been conditioned to believe about success. As explored in demystifying trading psychology, understanding the true nature of your trading approach matters far more than chasing perfection.

The Reality of Being Right in Trading

The simple answer is no. Having a higher percentage of right choices does not necessarily result in making money. And having a higher percentage of wrong choices does not necessarily result in losing money.

You may find me writing a lot about one’s “self-transformation” in trading. This might have a mystical sense, but it applies to all the things that go against the societal structures’ “status quo” that a trader must fully embrace towards the path of mastery.

These are things that challenge the common beliefs we grew up with long before discovering trading. As outlined in these proven trading principles, success in the markets requires rewiring how we think about winning and losing.

Embracing Being Wrong

Many traders have had great success being right only 20%-30% of the time because when they are right, they make it big, and when wrong, they lose small. That is a path I follow as well.

Constantly hunting for that dopamine “fix” you get from being right might make you lose the forest for the trees. I can’t think of a single day in my trading career that I haven’t felt even a little bit frustrated.

“Every day the market has its ways of making you feel stupid. There is always a better, wiser choice or series of actions out there every single time. Not getting it right does not feel good.”

— Marios Stamatoudis

That is a reason why many traders quit. They can’t handle the unsettling feeling of not being optimal, the unsettling feeling of not being right. The reason traders stay in the game and find success? They fully embrace that unsettling feeling and try to channel it.

This mental framework is central to how top traders approach the markets—focusing on process over outcome, and asymmetry over win rate.

The Key to Survival and Success

Your only way of survival and success is to say:

You can’t avoid getting humbled by the market; you can’t avoid getting it wrong. The next time you open up a trade, think of the true reason why you chose trading.

So instead of fighting it, just vibe with it. Only when you accept the rules of the game can you embrace those unsettling feelings. Only when you embrace those unsettling feelings will you be able to self-transform, and only when you transform can you get closer to mastery.