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New Year, New Trader: Start Strong and Stay Focused

  • 🎯 Reflection on Past Performance: In this video Mark encourages traders to evaluate their trading performance over the past year, focusing on personal growth rather than just profit and loss figures.
  • 🛠️ Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses: Traders are advised to identify what they did well and pinpoint areas needing improvement, such as discipline, journaling, or trading strategies.
  • 🧗 Planning for Growth: Mark emphasizes setting specific, actionable goals for the upcoming year to address challenges like over-trading or emotional decision-making.
  • 💡 Highlighting Hidden Dangers: Identifying potentially risky behaviors, such as trading on tilt or taking oversized positions, is crucial for long-term success.
  • 🚀 Incremental Progress: Small, focused improvements on key aspects of trading can lead to significant progress over time.

This year is your chance to level up your trading. Here’s how to reflect, plan, and grow without overcomplicating things.

Step 1: Reflect Without Fixating on Numbers

Look back on last year, but don’t obsess over profits and losses. Instead, ask yourself:

  • What did I learn?
  • What did I do well?
  • Where did I fall short?

Even if it was a rough year, you’ve likely improved in some way—maybe in journaling, discipline, or understanding market patterns. Recognize those wins and build on them.

Step 2: Fix Your Biggest Issue

Identify the one habit or weakness holding you back—overtrading, chasing losses, or hesitating to act—and focus on fixing it. Tackling your biggest challenge will create the most noticeable improvements.

Step 3: Watch for Hidden Dangers

Be honest about risky behaviors that haven’t burned you yet, like emotional trading or taking oversized risks. They may feel harmless now but can cause big problems later. Address them proactively.

Step 4: Build a Simple Roadmap

Set actionable, realistic goals:

  • Create a consistent trading routine.
  • Track one key improvement each week.
  • Focus on steady progress, not perfection.

By focusing on small, impactful changes, you’ll build momentum and set the stage for long-term success.

Trading isn’t about quick wins; it’s about creating better habits that lead to consistent growth. Reflect, plan, and commit to incremental improvement this year—you’ve got this! 🙌

About the author

Andy Richardson

Andy began his trading journey over 24 years ago while in graduate school, sparked by a Christmas gift of investing money and a book. From his first stock purchase to exploring advanced instruments like spread betting and CFDs, he has always sought to expand his understanding of the markets. After facing challenges with day trading and high-pressure strategies, Andy discovered that his strengths lie in swing and position trading. By focusing on longer-term market movements, he found a sustainable and disciplined approach. Through his website, Andy shares his experiences and insights, guiding others in navigating the complexities of spread betting, CFDs, and trading with a balanced mindset.

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