After trying for years, after all the losses – you finally passed your first evaluation.
You’re a funded trader now.
Something changed in your brain
Once you get your first funded account, something changes. Significantly.
You know for sure it’s possible now. You’re not just trading to get funded accounts anymore. You’re trading to make real money. Get actual payouts.
The life you’ve been working toward suddenly feels closer than ever.
You start to think about finally quitting your job. The freedom. Buying that house, that car, going on that vacation, whatever.
And you don’t just think about it, you feel it. Intensely.
All you have to do now is get the money.
How do you do that?
You trade.
But consistently making money as a trader doesn’t come from simply opening positions. It comes through managing risk, sticking to your rules, following your system, and most importantly: sitting on your hands or walking away when there is no opportunity in the market.
But your brain shuts that out. Because now you anticipate a reward. A big one. A life changing one.
Anticipating a reward spikes dopamine, which can impact decision making in the prefrontal cortex. This can cause you to shift into a state of low impulse control and impulsive reward seeking behaviors.
You need to control what you focus on.
If you focus on the reward, you’ll start to open positions even though your setup isn’t actually present. In the moment you genuinely believe it is.
But once you review the trade in your journal later, you’ll notice the setup you thought you saw was never actually there.
You wanted it to be there, so your brain convinced you it was.
This can quickly contribute to the loss of your first funded account.
So keep your attention on the process.
Focus on trading, not on the results. Focus on following your system, sticking to your rules and on taking high quality setups.
The payouts are a by-product of consistently doing those things—not something you can force through willpower.
If you notice yourself looking for setups, step away. Even if just for 10 minutes. Don’t look at the charts. Don’t go on social media. Walk around or sit in silence, take some deep breaths and adjust your focus.
High quality setups stand out immediately. You don’t have to look for them.
Let the setup come to you, don’t chase it.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
