Use stop losses and do not remove them.
I am 49 yrs old and cannot tell you how the clock is ticking on my life. There is less time available for acting like an irrational.
I am happy to say the past 20 days are over. I took my emotional beating from the market. Refused to sell once, I am stubborn, and hung onto a life changing position.
Quick summary:
1. Sept 20 pre Fed Announcement went long 1 unit NQ, during q&a went long another and finally went long a 3rd unit.
2. during that afternoon, I missed a sale on the first unit by a few tiks. So went long.
3. Also, pulled a SL that would have got me out on Sept 20 with a loss less than $1k
4. Realized, I had made many mental mistakes.
5. Endured 20 days with too much thinking about trading
6. Dreamed that when this was over, I believed that we would rebound at some point, I would do everything different.
7. I also, said I would become a guy with more gratitude for the simple things in life. Hey, Futures.io thanks for this forum.
8. Time to check the emotions at the door, stop aiming for the huge profitable trade.
9. Now I will participate more in traders journal and with the folks on another chat. This will help talk things out with others.
10. Taking the rest of the day off.
Notes
While hanging on...Used TA to have some probability on my side rather than a 100% guess.
Just taking a deep breath feels good as the next chapter for trading looks good.
message to self
Make a plan
Enter your Profit/loss brackets with your orders.
Trade your plan