I’ve been on a personal training journey for over two years now. In the beginning, I was lifting light weights, with limited range of motion. But two years in, I can see the changes in my body. It’s easy to notice the progress when you zoom out — six months, a year. But it’s the small, steady changes in between that make all the difference.
Like today.
I did a workout I’d also done two weeks ago. I didn’t remember the exact exercises or numbers — my trainer had that covered. So I just followed her lead, did the reps, and noticed how hard it felt.
At one point, I stopped and asked her, “Is it just me, or is this workout really tough today?”
She smiled and said, “You’re doing 50% more weight or more reps on almost every exercise today.”
I didn’t believe her until she pulled out her notes. Sure enough — one move that used to be with 10-pound weights was now with 15 lbs!
So of course it felt harder. I had leveled up, but I hadn’t noticed.
And that moment reminded me how much that same pattern shows up in trading.
We look at our account balance at the start and end of the year — maybe we check mid-year. But we don’t always notice the small gains: learning a new strategy, ditching one that no longer works, cleaning up trade management.
Those moments? They’re where real growth lives.
The Hidden Power of Incremental Gains
Why We Miss What’s Working
Many traders only check their growth through results: win/loss ratio, net P&L, maybe their balance over time. But those are lagging indicators. They don’t reflect what’s actually building consistency.
That’s where the smaller gains come in. The ones we don’t always catch in the moment — but we feel their impact over time.
Like lifting 50% more weight in two weeks without realizing it. Or sticking with a trading plan even though the market’s choppy. Or walking away from a screen after a loss without revenge trading.
Those changes might not show up in your balance today, but they’re shifting your whole foundation.
And the best part? You don’t have to notice them right away. You just need a way to record them — or someone to track them with you.
Gaps vs. Gains: A Better Way to Measure Progress
There’s a book called The Gap and The Gain by Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy. I read it last year. It didn’t land with me immediately — but one part stuck.
Toward the end of the book, they suggest measuring your gains each day.
That changed everything.
Instead of looking at how far you still have to go — the gap — you look at how far you’ve come — the gain.
This works in trading too. It’s easy to get stuck comparing your current results to your ideal: “I should’ve nailed that setup,” or “I should be more consistent by now.”
But when you look at the gains — you start to see growth that was there all along.
Even something like stopping the use of a strategy that wasn’t working for you? That’s a gain. So is getting better at trade management. So is simply being more self-aware.
And no — gains don’t have to be positive outcomes.
- They can be lessons learned.
- They can be patterns you caught in hindsight.
- They can be small wins that no one else would see, but you know what it took.
For me lately? A gain is walking past the sugary snacks at the grocery store as I continue working on health and strength in my mid-40s. And in trading, it’s the little decisions that help me stay grounded — even when the market isn’t.
When you track your gains — not just your results — you start to build trust in your process. And that trust is what gives you staying power.
The Role of a Coach in Spotting Growth You Miss
The workout that inspired this reflection? I wouldn’t have known I was lifting heavier if my trainer hadn’t tracked it.
She showed me the numbers. The sets. The reps. She had it all written down. That was the moment I realized: sometimes we’re growing and we don’t even know it.
That’s what a good coach does. In fitness. In trading. Anywhere.
They don’t just guide you — they reflect your progress back to you. They catch things you overlook. They remind you what you’re doing well. And they correct what needs adjusting — like my form, or a squat that didn’t go deep enough.
In trading, a coach might notice:
- You’re finally walking away from marginal setups
- You’re following your rules more often than not
- You’re managing risk without needing to think twice
- You’re handling rough patches with more calm than before
You might not catch these things yourself. That doesn’t mean they’re not happening. It just means you’re inside the experience — and sometimes we need someone outside of it to reflect our growth.
That’s the power of coaching. It isn’t about fixing you. It’s about showing you where you’re already improving — and helping you build from there.
How to Start Tracking Your Trading Gains
If you want to make steady progress in trading, you need a way to spot the gains.
And that doesn’t mean hours of journaling or spreadsheets. Start simple.
Each day after your trading session, jot down three things:
- One thing you did better than yesterday
- One thing you learned — about yourself or the market
- One thing you want to carry into your next session
You can write them in a notebook. A Google Doc. Even a note on your phone.
After a week or two, patterns will start to show up. You’ll see what you’re building. You’ll catch behaviors that are shifting. And you’ll know what to reinforce.
You can also tag them if you want to stay organized:
- Strategy
- Trade management
- Emotional discipline
- Risk
- Confidence
- Setup quality
The categories don’t matter as much as the habit.
The point is to create a space where your growth isn’t tied to your P&L. It’s tied to how you’re developing — and that’s where the real traction comes from.
Reframe the Hard Days
Some days just feel heavy. You’re not in sync with the market. Your setups don’t show up. Or maybe you’re doing everything “right” — and still, it feels off.
Your first thought might be, “I’m slipping.”
But what if you’re not?
What if it feels hard because you’re lifting more weight?
That’s what happened in my workout. I didn’t realize I was working harder because I had progressed. I had built strength — and with that comes a new load.
In trading, it might look like this:
- You hold your stop, even when it stings
- You walk away after three losses, not ten
- You journal, even when you’re frustrated
- You wait for a clean setup, instead of forcing one
Those are signs of growth.
They’re not flashy. They don’t come with dopamine. But they’re proof that your trading mindset is developing.
So next time a day feels unusually hard, ask yourself:
“What am I handling now that I couldn’t have handled two weeks ago?”
That question reframes everything.
Closing Thoughts: You’re Growing, Even If You Don’t See It Yet
The biggest shifts in trading often happen quietly.
They don’t always show up in your account. They show up in your behavior. In your decisions. In how you respond when things don’t go your way.
You’re probably improving more than you think.
Here’s what we covered:
- Small, steady gains shape your trading mindset
- Measuring the “gain” instead of the “gap” changes how you see yourself
- A coach can help you recognize what you’re building
- A simple reflection practice helps you stay aware of your progress
- Hard days aren’t setbacks — they’re signs of strength
If this resonated with you — and you want support tracking your own growth — we’re here to help.
👉 Reach out to our team to learn more about how we work with traders who are ready to develop more than just strategy. We’ll walk with you, and help you see what’s already working.
~Hima
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