Hey there,

I had a conversation with a colleague recently that led to one of those “lightbulb moments” about why trading is so brutally difficult—even for people who are successful in every other area of their life.

You know the type I'm talking about. Engineers, business owners, project managers, software developers—people in the 95th percentile of intelligence, work ethic, and professional achievement. Yet the failure rate in trading among this group is absolutely devastating.

After years of wondering why this happens, four words came to me that perfectly capture the problem:

“Enough to be dangerous.”

The Setup That Sets You Up to Fail

Here's how it usually goes down:

You hear about trading from a friend, see something on the news, or stumble across it online. You find a broker, open an account, and they roll out the red carpet:

• “Welcome aboard! Fund your account and we'll get you started.”
• “Here's our trading room—watch this guy trade for a few weeks.”
• “Practice on this $50,000 sim account to get comfortable with the platform.”

And that's it. That's the “training” most people get for what is essentially a professional-level occupation requiring real skill.

Maybe you hunt around online for strategies, only to find a jungle of BS systems marketed by people who've never successfully traded a day in their lives.

The Dangerous Zone

The result? You learn just enough to start risking real money, but nowhere near enough to protect yourself from the market—or from yourself.

I know this because I lived it. My first year of trading, I had learned enough to be dangerous but not enough to be good. I could execute trades, follow a strategy somewhat consistently, and risk money trying to make money.

But I didn't know how to defend myself in this jungle. I blew up my account and lost almost $50,000. Nearly lost my marriage too.

Why This Happens to Smart, Successful People

In every other area of your life, you've been properly trained before taking on responsibility. You didn't become an engineer, start a business, or manage projects without proper preparation.

But in trading, you're thrown into the deep end with barely enough knowledge to stay afloat. You're trying to do something that requires serious skill while operating way below the skill level needed—with your own money on the line.

It's like trying to perform surgery after watching a few YouTube videos. The stakes are high, the margin for error is thin, and you're simply not prepared.

The Real Problem

Most traders keep trading with real money while thinking:

• “I just need more confidence in myself”
• “I need to find a better system”
• “I have to stay in the game to make money”

But here's the hard truth: You shouldn't be trading with real money until you have a solid handle on what you're doing and proof that it works.

When You've Actually “Made It”

I had a conversation with a trader named Nancy who'd been profitable for four months. She asked me, “How do you know when you've made it as a trader?”

At first, we thought it was about hitting a good streak of profitability. But as we talked, I realized Nancy was still a bundle of nerves going to the markets every day, even though she was making money.

That's when it hit me: You've made it as a trader when you know you're okay going to the markets. When you're confident, calm, and certain that the odds are in your favor.

And here's the kicker—that shouldn't be a goal you aspire to after months of active trading. That should be where you are BEFORE you risk real money.

The Right Way to Do This

You don't have to take the hard road. You don't have to keep beating your head against the wall, losing money to mistakes and bad trades.

There's a process I borrowed from my quality assurance background that works beautifully for trading:

1. Find a strategy that's a good fit for you
2. Build a solid, highly repeatable process around it
3. Prove it works through proper testing
4. Wire yourself for consistent execution

When you follow this process, you go to the markets knowing you're ready, knowing you're likely to succeed, and able to trade in a calm emotional state.

The Bottom Line

Be brutally honest with yourself. Are you “enough to be dangerous” but not enough to be consistently profitable?

If so, that's actually good news. At least now you can do something about it instead of continuing to accept subpar results.

Stop settling for less than you know you deserve from trading.

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Best regards,

Brian McAboy
Inside Out Trading

P.S. If you'd rather talk through your specific situation and map out the fastest path to get you trading with real confidence, I'm happy to jump on a call with you. Book a call with me at InsideOutTrading.com—let's get you out of the “dangerous” zone and into consistent profitability.