My mom is visiting me right now! And we also haven’t had an overnight guest in quite some time. That meant dusting off the guest room, moving stored things around, and preparing the space.
But even with preparation, there are always the unforeseen.
And that’s the same in trading. You can plan your risk, place your stops, and map out your strategy — but when you trade a new market, test a new account size, or try a new indicator, you’ll face things you couldn’t anticipate.
The Garage Door “Alarm”
So my husband and I sleep in the master bedroom, which is tucked away from our garage. But the guest room — where my mom is staying — is right next to it.
So when my husband left for the gym at 5:15 AM. one morning, the garage door woke her up. She said her body and the bed were vibrating like a truck rolling through!
She fell back asleep. But then the same thing happened when he returned at 7:15 AM.
Not exactly a restful night.:)
It wasn’t a big deal in the grand scheme, but it caught me off guard. I’d never thought about the noise because I don’t sleep in that guest room. And at first, I felt a little anxious — bad for my mom, unsure what to say to my husband, even brainstorming soundproofing options.
Then I paused and asked myself a simple question — one I think you can apply to your trading:
What’s the simplest short-term solution to prevent this problem from happening again?
Seek Out the Simple Fix
The answer came quickly.
We live in a safe enough neighborhood here in East Austin. Why not just park in the driveway on the nights before my husband leaves early?
That way he can exit the house through the front door (not the creaking garage door), return the same way, and not have to open the garage while my mom is asleep in that adjacent room.
Simple. Clear. Doable.
And the relief I felt once I landed on it was huge — not only could I explain it to my mom right away, but I knew it was a fair request for my husband too.
Your Trading Journal
Think about where this applies in your trading.
When you review your journal — and yes, everyone should be journaling, it’s something I go deep on in the First 40 Trading Club — notice those trades that didn’t go as planned.
It could be:
- A loss
- A trade that broke even
- Or even a win that came in smaller than expected
Now ask yourself:
What’s a short-term adjustment I could make to avoid this same outcome again?
And then:
What longer-term system or refinement might I need to work on to build the future results I want?
That’s it. Short-term and long-term thinking, side by side.
I’ll keep sharing more reflections as my mom continues her Austin visit — and I’d love to hear from you too.
👉 Drop a comment below: What’s one short-term adjustment you’ve made in your trading that made a big difference?
~Hima
Leave a Reply