Today I want to share what might be the most important factor in your trading success. This isn’t an exaggeration: if you want consistently profitable trading, if you want to maximize your returns and stop leaving money on the table, this is one matter you cannot afford to neglect.
The Secret Weapon Most Traders Overlook
Years ago, I learned a powerful lesson during a difficult personal situation. The wisdom I received then has proven invaluable throughout my trading career:
No matter what challenges you’re facing, if it’s important to overcome them successfully, you must take excellent care of yourself.
When dealing with personal crises—whether a divorce, job loss, or health issue—many people turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. But these only make the situation worse. The key is to prioritize self-care because you need your best self to navigate difficult times.
Trading Is a Performance Profession
This wisdom applies perfectly to trading, which is fundamentally a performance profession. Every day, you must show up and bring your A-game to a highly competitive environment. You’re competing against millions of other traders, institutional investors, banks, and brokers—all fighting for the same profits.
Success requires more than just a good system. You need to bring your best self to the markets, and that starts with self-care.
The Evening-Morning Connection
Your evening routine directly dictates your morning performance. Think about it:
- If you stay up late, eat junk food, or drink alcohol, you’re setting yourself up for a sluggish morning
- If you consume a nutritious meal, stay hydrated, and get to bed at a consistent time, you’re priming yourself for peak performance
As Alex Hormozi wisely noted, “Most people don’t need a morning alarm to get out of bed—they need a bedtime alarm to ensure they’re getting TO bed at a consistent time.”
The Components of Trading Self-Care
Effective self-care for traders includes:
- Regular exercise: Your body needs movement to function optimally
- Proper nutrition: Ensure you’re getting adequate calories, protein, and vitamins
- Consistent sleep schedule: Both quantity and quality matter
- Hydration: Often overlooked but crucial for cognitive function
- Structured routines: Both evening and morning rituals that prepare your mind and body
Why This Matters So Much
When you’re not taking good care of yourself, you’re more likely to make costly mistakes—errors that not only impact your profits but also damage your confidence and self-esteem.
You are at the center of your trading operation. Everything depends on you. By prioritizing self-care, you’re giving yourself one of the best competitive advantages possible.
Could you get lucky and trade profitably while neglecting yourself? Perhaps. But why leave it to chance? Why push your luck?
Even on difficult market days (and there will be many), proper self-care helps you weather the storm. On good days, you’ll be fully prepared to seize opportunities and truly maximize your profits.
The True Cost of Neglect
One of the most frustrating aspects of trading is missing opportunities and leaving money on the table that should have been yours. Poor self-care dramatically increases these costly errors.
At minimum, prioritizing your wellbeing means you’ll simply feel better—regardless of market conditions. And a trader who feels better consistently makes better decisions.
Ready to Elevate Your Trading Performance?
Join me for my upcoming masterclass:
“Maximize Your Profits in 2025”
In this transformative session, you’ll discover:
- 3 different ways you’re leaving massive money on the table
- How to get out of the win-some, lose-some cycle and actually keep your profits
- How to win more and lose less
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE MASTERCLASS
This masterclass combines practical trading strategies with the critical mental performance factors that most trading education completely ignores.
To your trading success,
Brian McAboy
Inside Out Trading
P.S. If you’re struggling with your trading and would like to speak with someone who truly understands what you’re going through, I invite you to book a personal call with me at InsideOutTrading.com. While friends and family may be supportive, they rarely understand the unique challenges traders face. Together, we can identify what’s creating difficulties for you and develop a clear plan to move toward profitable trading.
Risk Disclosure
Trading contains substantial risk and is not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing one’s financial security or lifestyle. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
Affiliate Disclosure
The sender of this message may have an affiliate relationship with the organizations referenced in the message. Using these links is effectively the same as going directly to the referenced site, but special links are used to track opens and activity. Clicking the links on this page and making a purchase may create an affiliate commission for the sender at no cost to you.
HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE DISCLOSURE:
Hypothetical performance results have many inherent limitations, some of which are described below. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown. In fact, there are frequently sharp differences between hypothetical performance results and the actual results subsequently achieved by any particular trading program. One of the limitations of hypothetical performance results is that they are generally prepared with the benefit of hindsight. In addition, hypothetical trading does not involve financial risk, and no hypothetical trading record can completely account for the impact of financial risk of actual trading. For example, the ability to withstand losses or to adhere to a particular trading program in spite of trading losses is material points, which can also adversely affect actual trading results. There are numerous other factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific trading program, which cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of hypothetical performance results and all of which can adversely affect trading results. Testimonials appearing on this website may not be representative of other clients or customers and is not a guarantee of future performance or success.
