Why Most Traders Don’t Need a New Strategy — They Need Structure
- Anand Siva Kumar
- May 30
- 2 min read
"It's not the market, your broker, or the strategy. It's how you react when the pressure arises."
You’ll find thousands of people changing strategies after every loss. They go from price action to indicators to option selling to algo bots — all in six months.
And yet, the outcomes remain eerily familiar.
That one oversized position. That late entry because they hesitated. That panic exit… just before the actual move happens. Sound familiar?
The Truth Most Traders Avoid
Most of us don’t need more technical knowledge. We need mental structure.
We need a system not just for trades — but for:
How we think before the trade
How we respond during volatility
How we process regret, hesitation, revenge and FOMO
Because if your mind is chaotic, even the best strategy will fail.
Where Does the Chaos Come From?
Confirmation bias: You look for reasons you’re right.
Overconfidence: You assume this time is “certain.”
Outcome bias: You think a win means you were skilled.
Loss aversion: You hold on because the pain of exiting is worse.
These aren’t personality flaws. They’re psychological defaults. And unless they’re addressed, they don’t go away — they repeat.
Structure Beats Emotion
In my trading now, I follow one mantra:
“If it’s not in the plan, it’s not in the trade.”
No last-minute changes. No impulsive bets. No praying at the screen.
Because structure gives you freedom. Not rigidity — freedom from second-guessing, reactivity, and emotional spirals.
Start Here
If you’ve been jumping from system to system, try this instead:
Journal every trade for the next 10 sessions
Write why you entered and how you felt before and after
Rate your emotional state (1–10) pre-trade
You’ll soon realize that most of your losses had little to do with the market — and everything to do with mindset.
Final Thought
If trading is your profession, your mind is your most important tool. Start treating it like one.
Rewire. Reflect. Rise.— Anand Siva Kumar, CMT, ERP - TraderPsyche
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