“I just haven’t found my strategy yet.”
If you are honest, that thought has probably crossed your mind more than once. It usually sounds like: - “Once I dial this in, I’ll pass.” - “I know I’m close, it’s just not clicking yet.” - “Other traders have something I haven’t found.” That belief did not come from nowhere. It was built from real experiences. What is usually hiding underneath that thought... “My strategy isn’t good enough yet.”? You have had green days and even green weeks, but could not hold it together long enough to pass. I have watched traders switch strategies every eval and fail them all the same way, not from bad entries, but from breaking rules after a loss. “If I refine my entries, everything else will fall into place." Trading content reinforces this constantly. Better indicators, tighter setups, higher win rate. One of my 1 on 1 students dramatically improved entries and still failed because his sizing doubled after the first red trade. “I trade fine until something random goes wrong.” It feels random because no one ever slows the pattern down. When I tracked it, the same sequence showed up every time. Early loss, "I got to get my money back", forced trade, eval violation. “I just need more discipline.” You assume discipline is a personality trait. In reality, discipline came from rules that worked even when emotions were high, not from trying to stay calm all the time. “Once I pass one, I’ll relax.” So habits never get addressed. But pressure does not disappear. It only changes form. Traders who do not train for pressure repeat the cycle. None of this means you are bad at trading. It means you are human. Another one of my students Adam, believed passing a prop firm was about finding the right strategy. Every day he tweaked entries, watched more videos, and told himself he was almost there. He refused to listen to the strategy I thought would work best for him to use, but continued to try to "beat me". (weird right?) Until one day he noticed something uncomfortable.