The curve everyone walks

First profits convince you it is easy. The first drawdown convinces you it is impossible. Between “going to quit my job” and “what have I done” lies the real curriculum: discovering that the market was never the opponent — your impulses were.

The recovery phase is always the same sequence. Fix your psychology. Keep it simple. Apply risk management. Build a routine. Trust the process. Not one of those steps predicts the market; all of them manage you.

Risk is the entry fee

Position size decides whether a losing streak is a lesson or a funeral. Define the loss before the trade, and the trade can never define you.