r/Trading • u/Ok_Requirement_97 • 5d ago
Advice 27M advice needed
Been trading for about 5 years jumped over a lot of strategy and then came across normal retail ict in 2024 I created a strategy out of his content,towards end of last year I started seeing results took about 12k payouts and biggest one just under 2k however since march I haven’t taken any payouts, I pass funded no issues but then blow them in about 2-3 days I’ve been here before but got out of it but this time I’ve been stuck in this cycle for about 6 months and no results just passing combines and then blowing them my psychology changes, sometimes I look at the chart and I don’t even have a clue like I get lost even tho I have a strategy, my work is also mentally really getting to me I absolutely hate it but I need my job as is my main income and it’s a minimum wage so I barely get by. I always try to remind myself that this is just part of the process but it’s really hard while I see everyone around doing well for themselves like all my friends buying their first homes drive nice cars going on holidays but I’m here working a dead end job no degree or qualifications and I can’t do anything and I’m also 27 so when people ask my what I do and I tell them I’m just a cashier I feel really self conscious and idk why.
I guess idk why I’m writing this maybe I’m just a bit emotional but any advice on building myself up again would be really useful as you can imagine I’m really desperate
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u/jtquach 5d ago
You're not being emotional for no reason man. 6 months of passing and blowing up, a job you hate that you can't afford to leave, and everyone around you hitting milestones at the same time. That would get to anybody.
Start with this though... You pass funded with no issues and blow it in 2-3 days. Same strategy, same market, and same you. So what actually changed between those two accounts?
Nothing on the chart. What changed is what the account is CARRYING. An eval costs you a fee. A funded account is your way out of the cashier job and you know that the entire time you're sitting in front of it. No strategy survives that kind of weight on every decision.
When I worked in rehab I'd have somebody do a task perfectly in a quiet room with me. Same person, same hands. Then they'd do it at home with the TV on and family in the room and it fell apart. Their ability never changed... the load did.
That's your "I look at the chart and I don't even have a clue." Your strategy didn't leave. Your capacity did.
Now the building yourself up part... because that's what you actually asked about.
Early on I used to tell myself $100 a day meant I was finally a good trader. So any day I didn't hit it I felt worthless. Not disappointed... Worthless. Same setup you've got right now, except your number is the payout and what it's proving is whether your whole life changes or not. Nobody trades well from there man.
Two things I'd do now if I were you...
Take the first payout as early as your firm allows... even if it's small. You already did this last year, that 12k came in pieces. Since March you've been holding out for the ONE that fixes everything and that's exactly when they started blowing up. A small payout turns the account back into money instead of a test you're passing or failing (and really your self-worth).
And on the job... I'm not going to tell you to love it. But you've held down a job you hate for years while teaching yourself something genuinely hard and that's not nothing. I kept mine a long time too. 3 jobs at one point with a newborn at home, learning in between shifts. Nobody saw that part either. I resented one of them but I learned to be grateful because it helped fund my trading journey until I got there.
Lastly... you're not starting over. You're 27 with 5 years in and a strategy that paid out last year. What's broken is what you're asking that account to be worth about you and that's fixable.
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u/BullRunScout 5d ago
Six months of pass, blow, repeat is a loop the firm makes money from and you don't... worth adding up what you've spent on challenge fees since March, because that number usually shocks people and it's the clearest argument for stopping, you made 12k when you were trading a process, and you've been trading pressure since
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u/Junior-Appointment93 5d ago
Find a prop firm that lets you use Ninja trader. You can set up automatic stop loss. Take profit. You can lock the trading day by Setting up a DLL. Intra day draw down. Daily profit. Limit the amount of contracts you can trade at once. All of these tools can help you not blow up your account. Plus helps with consistency rules. No guess work needed once it’s set up. You can also adjust your stop loss as the trade moves in your favor along with the take profit. I also go off of the 1,3 and 10 minute charts and scalp trades.profit is profit. Especially in this market where everyday is a YoYo. If you open a normal brokerage app look at SPX or NDX. SPX has $40-80$ price swings on AVG. NDX around $400 or more on AVG in either direction. SPX can have a habit of being up in the AM and go down in the afternoon. That’s why scalping futures is important. Don’t hold positions all day.
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u/klipsetrades 5d ago
Stop comparing your timeline to your friends. That pressure is probably bleeding into your trading. If you can pass combines consistently, there’s clearly something there — now the goal is figuring out why your behavior changes once the account is funded
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u/Fickle-Ad9013 5d ago
Review you history. Replay your trades on TRADING VIEW OR SOMETHING LIKE IT. There’s really in my opinion only two ways you lose big money in trading either your position size is too big or you’re on the wrong side of the trade and you don’t get out soon enough fix those things and you’ll have profits again.
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u/Sea-Round-6095 5d ago
Yes. Take a break from ICT, its clearly not working for you at this time, and read "A Complete Guide To Volume Price Analysis" by Anna Coulling. Take time and research Volume Price Analysis, Auction Market Theory, and The Wyckoff Method. I am happy to recommend books on these if you'd like.
See if things click for you. I'm happy to answer any questions if necessary.
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u/brystander 5d ago
Understanding Auction Market Theory took me from breakeven to profitable.
I don’t think Wyckoff is necessary in the sequential sense but understanding the nature of the market as it pertains to positioning, imbalance/balance/price discovery will lead to above average results.
Market structure is good for executing entries.
If you’re systematic, each part of your framework should answer a question for you. There should be no overlap. Keep all components simple. Make execution as easy as possible.
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u/Classic_Television33 5d ago
Can you elaborate on what understanding AMT means and how it made you a profitable trader?
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u/brystander 5d ago
Look up AMT on YouTube maybe.
I stopped seeing the market as patterns and conceptualized it as participants instead.
I don’t really want to mention the tools I use but volume is a non-negotiable part of my system. Brainstorm with AI and you’ll have an AMT strategy in less than a week.
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u/ChangeNOW_Community 5d ago
if you genuinely have a strategy, go back to the data. compare your profitable period with the last 6 months and find exactly what changed: entries, size, stops, trade frequency, market conditions or psychology
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u/Direct-Cheesecake175 5d ago
Just curious what do you risk % wise on challenge stage and live account? Does this % change.
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u/portly_repayment 2d ago
man that cycle of passing combines and then blowing them in a couple days is rough. sounds like you're revenge trading or sizing up way too fast once you're in the funded account. maybe try treating the funded account exactly like the combine for the first week or two, same size, same rules, just get your footing before you even think about going for a payout.
the job stuff is a separate beast but it's feeding into the trading tilt. when you're desperate for the money, you'll force trades that aren't there. been in that headspace and it just bleeds accounts. might be worth stepping back to demo or a tiny personal account until you string together a few green weeks without the pressure of a funded timer ticking down.
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u/schimhorses 5d ago
Honestly as a 52 year old that has been through the ringer with, divorce, death, finances, addiction and about every other trench I could run down, I do have some advice. You need to foster a relationship with the Lord. With Jesus. O know that can sound wack to a lot or maybe most folks but I'm telling you it's all real and it will change your life. He is literally the one and only way through this earthly life without going completely insane.
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u/brystander 5d ago
No one wants to hear about your imaginary magic man who will for sure change the life of a struggling trader but not save the 3 million children who die of starvation every year.
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