I Lost $1,985 Futures Trading: Here’s What I’m Taking w/ Me

Today was a rough one.

I took a $1,985 loss futures trading—and to be honest, it wasn’t because of the market itself. It was me. My decisions. My discipline. Or lack thereof.

I started the morning strong with two solid winning trades. They came quickly and cleanly. Too cleanly. That “easy win” feeling tricked me into thinking the day would just continue to hand me money. And that’s where the spiral began.

Here’s what really happened:

• I ignored my signals. There were wicks on the 1-minute, 5-minute, and 15-minute charts warning me to pause—but I didn’t listen.

• I traded without a pattern. On one setup, I even noted afterward: “There’s no pattern present here.” So why was I in the trade at all? Because I was chasing.

• Greed took over. After those early wins, I felt invincible. I let confidence turn into cockiness.

• I oversized my position. On trade #3, I bumped up to 3 contracts instead of 1. No signal told me to do that. My ego did.

• I didn’t track my drawdown. I wasn’t managing my downside. I wasn’t even watching it.

• I should’ve stopped. After the second wick, that should’ve been my cue to walk away and protect my capital. But I didn’t.

And now I’m here, staring at this chart, journaling my mistakes, and feeling the weight of a $1,985 lesson.

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One More Lesson I Almost Ignored…

There was a moment—right before the worst of the loss—where price action came back close enough to my entry that I could’ve exited for nearly break-even. A minor loss at best.

But I didn’t.

I held onto my bias. I wanted to be right so badly that I watched the trade turn against me—badly. So badly that it completely cleared my upper zone. At that point, I finally accepted the loss and exited the trade. But the truth is, I could’ve cut much sooner and saved myself a lot of pain.

That said, I am proud of one thing:

Once I hit my max daily loss, I didn’t go back in. I didn’t revenge trade. I didn’t touch my settings. I walked away. I let my nervous system recover and reminded myself: I’m a student of this game. This is part of the process.

Pain is a teacher, and today’s class was in session.

What I Want You To Takeaway

Every trader has days like this. What separates the good from the great is what we do with those days. So here’s what I’m taking with me:

• No trade is worth it if the setup isn’t there.

• Winning early doesn’t mean the market owes you more.

• Sticking to one contract until a proper scale-up plan is in place is non-negotiable.

• Overconfidence is the enemy. Always respect the market.

• Your trading journal is your mirror—don’t ignore what it’s telling you.

• It’s okay to take a break. Protecting your mindset is just as important as protecting your capital.

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Today sucked, but tomorrow I show back up. Wiser. Sharper. With a little less ego and a lot more respect for my rules.

See you in the next session.