A green day can still be a bad trade.
Not every green day is a good day.
I’ve had green days I’m not proud of. Here’s one of them.
I increased my size. It wasn’t in my plan. Nothing about the setup called for it. I just did it.
And it worked. The trade paid, and the day closed green.
But I didn’t feel good about it. I felt guilty.
Because I knew it could have gone the other way. Same decision, opposite outcome, and I’d be telling you a very different story right now. The money was real. The decision was still wrong.
That guilt was the most useful thing to come out of that day.
It meant some part of me was still keeping score on the decision, not the dollars. The result said nice job. My conscience said you got away with one. I’ll take the second voice every time.
The danger isn’t one oversized trade. The danger is when that voice goes quiet. When the win convinces you your plan was too careful, and next time you size up on purpose. That’s how real damage gets done. Not by a bad decision, but by a bad decision that got rewarded.
So what did I do with it? I shook it off. The next session, I traded normally. Back to my plan, back to my size.
But I didn’t pretend it was fine. I knew I shouldn’t have done it, and I still know it. I don’t need to beat myself up over one trade. I just need to remember it.
So the next time you have a green day, ask yourself a different question. Not how much did I make? Ask this: would I make the same decisions if this had gone red?
If the answer is yes, keep it. You earned it.
If the answer is no, you didn’t earn that money. The market lent it to you, and the market always collects.
Just like a good cigar, stay patient, let it burn.
— Chris
