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I had a thought this morning while considering a few trades:

Maybe part of why I still struggle at trading sometimes is because there’s a part of me that really, really wants to follow an instruction manual to be successful.

In other areas of my life, that mindset serves me well.

I don’t know how to cook—but give me step-by-step directions, and I thrive. When we used to get HelloFresh boxes delivered, I crushed those meals. I followed the instructions, made something delicious and useful for my family, and felt like a total champ.

Following the instructions = success. I like that. I crave that.

But trading isn’t like that.

I can lay out a well-thought-out plan—how to select the trade, how to size it, how to manage it—and still lose money.

The market doesn’t care that I followed the recipe.

There’s no gold star just for executing cleanly.

And yeah, I know a successful outcome in trading is supposed to mean I followed my plan with discipline. I know.

But that doesn’t make a loss feel any better. Which leads to the uncomfortable question I’ve been sitting with:

If I only thrive when I have a proven...

I'm traveling to Toronto with JC, Steve, and the rest of the team in September. It only makes sense that I should continue adding Canadian exposure to my portfolio. 

I wouldn't want to be an impolite guest, would I?

Today's trade is in a speculative Minerals Miner from Canada.

You remember Vanilla Ice. Don't pretend you don't.

He has nothing to do with today's trade, but the name of the stock reminded me of him.

Broker-Dealers are showing incredible strength right now, I want to get long the chart that looks the best of the lot.

Today I closed a winning trade. Booked a gain. The kind of thing I tell others (and myself) to celebrate.

So why do I feel bad about it?

Maybe “bad” isn’t the right word. More like unsettled.

Here’s the situation:

The stock had started to break down a bit on the daily chart, so I followed my process and exited. Textbook move, right?

But here’s what’s bothering me…

The stock is still above its 50-day moving average.

It’s still in a hot sector.

And I had January 2027 calls. That’s over 18 months until expiration!

With that much time, why did I feel the need to micromanage?

This is one of those moments where the trade was technically breaking support, yes — but the bigger question I’m sitting with is: Did I kneecap this trade too early? Did I cut off a potential monster winner because I was too zoomed in?

My risk was defined. I could’ve ridden it longer.

Maybe smaller sizing would’ve helped me let it breathe?

Maybe I’m just overthinking? (I do that.)

But one reminder that helps bring me back to center:

I can always get back in.

Just...

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Lately, I’m noticing more people talking about how the market has “come too far too fast.” Some are even licking their chops, ready to jump in short and try to catch what they’re sure will be an “epic reversal.”

This kind of talk makes me uncomfortable.

Not because I disagree that a pullback could happen — anything can happen. But because I know the psychology behind this kind of positioning. It’s not usually about...

Today's trade goes into the "Hard Trade" bucket. 

I'm buying a stock that has rocketed up 30%+ in just 7 trading days.

But... it has only just cleared overhead resistance which might be the "all-clear" signal from the control tower to ignite the rocket boosters.

As a trader, I live by boundaries.

Stop losses. Profit targets. They’re there for a reason. They say, “This is as far as I’m willing to go.” They define my comfort zone — both for risk and for reward.

If a trade moves beyond my stop, I start losing more than I’m okay with.

If a stock races beyond my upper price target, I start to worry it’s overextended and due for a sharp correction.

These aren’t just technical lines on a chart — they’re psychological lines in the sand. And as much as I know they’re important, I’ll admit: boundaries are hard for me.

Sometimes I break them.

Sometimes I blur them.

Sometimes I forget why I set them in the first place.

And the more time I spend in the markets, the more I realize:

Trading teaches me about far more than markets — it teaches me about me.

Every time I ignore a stop loss or stretch a target, I’m not just failing as a trader — I’m revealing something deeper about how I operate. Because when I struggle to hold boundaries in my trading, it’s usually because I’m struggling to hold boundaries in other parts of my life, too.

In...

From a recent Strazza Letter, Steve mentioned: 

Semis just failed to complete a top relative to the broader market and are now reasserting their leadership.

If this risk-on group is in good shape, then stocks are likely to perform well in the future. So this is a positive development from a broader market perspective. 

So today's trade is in a lesser known semiconductor name that is atop the relative strength leaderboard.

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“You don’t need to take reckless risk. But you do need to stop treating your inner-knowing like it’s a dangerous enemy.”

That line’s been bouncing around in my head all week.

I talk all the time about the importance of having a plan and sticking to it. Because, truthfully, trading without a plan is just gambling with a more expensive costume on. I need a framework — some sense of what I'm trying to do, what I'm risking, and what outcomes I'm aiming for.

Planning is visualizing.

When I build a plan, I’m creating a map of what could happen — the likely, the unlikely, the hoped-for, and the dreaded. Mapping out scenarios helps me prepare emotionally and financially for what may unfold.

But sometimes, the market veers off-script. And in those moments, another voice enters the chat.

It’s not part of the plan.

It’s not in my trade journal.

It’s not even easy to explain.

But it’s real — and it’s been right more...

Today's trade is in a name that specializes in 3D geolocation technology, offering positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) solutions—especially in situations where traditional GPS fails.

And I think it's got all-time highs in it's sights.

Today I closed out a trade in $CRK that I opened back in mid-March — a September 22/30 Bull Call Spread I bought for $1.85.

The most that spread could have been worth on expiration day is $8.00. I closed it today for $5.40:

So naturally, the question is:

Why didn’t I hold out for more?

Simple: Time and risk.

There are still 93 days left until expiration. Yes, the stock is trading above my short strike, and yes, in theory this spread could still work its way up to full value.

But holding for that last $2.60 of potential upside means I’d be risking the $5.40 it’s worth today — a healthy open profit — for a maybe.

That’s not a tradeoff I like.

I know, I know — once both strikes are in the money, a debit spread becomes a positive theta position. Every day the stock stays above the short strike, a little more value seeps into the trade. I get that. But the key word is “a little.” Theta drip is slow and steady. The risk of a sharp reversal, especially after the run $CRK has just had, feels much more significant to me.

In other words:

I’d be risking...

The title for this post was too easy.

Today's trade is in a $29B ultra-processed packaged foods giant that has been struggling since 2023 and feels like its hanging on the precipice of a deeper fall.

Whether or not that comes to pass, this stock feels like a good place to put on a slightly bearish bet to give my bullish portfolio a bit of diversification in case the broader market stalls here.