Becoming Bad&ss Traders, a Real Time Experience
We love having these periodic check-ins with ourselves, our progress, our experiences, and our general growth. There’s that saying right, what you measure changes. Just the fact of measuring our outcomes and growth and experiences and then reviewing what that is showing us week over week provides valuable insights into where we are headed and how it's going! This is that bigger picture bird’s eye view on our progress that we want to focus on this week with you all.
We recorded this episode on Sept. 8th at the end of the first full week of September and Becky started out with a rough trading day on Tuesday after the Labor Day holiday. But then doubled down on her PROCESS and reminded herself of her edge and generally effective system, and then had 3 nice clean strong trading days thereafter, with a nice net green end to the week. So, trading-wise, Becky feels good about it and so grateful for her edge in the markets! She is still young enough in her trading career to expect and take seriously that she will have learning red P/L days and that they are totally ok if she uses them to grow from and keeps them within her risk tolerance overall. This is solidly within her process and in congruence with where she is at in her journey. That’s the logical side of it all.
But the psychological and emotional side of it is still a bit anxious, uncomfortable, and uneasy. But - that also is more and more ok as she matures because she is growing to understand that better now too!! What Becky is recognizing about it in herself is that this discomfort is the sensation associated with her CHANGING. It’s her challenging her status quo in real time, forcing quiet the lingering imposter syndrome and limiting beliefs and instead doing her best to take control of and write her own narrative that “I AM a consistently profitable day trader and I can accomplish this day over day.” And that a red day mixed in is not a sign that she is not good enough to be profitable. But rather is a sign that she gets into her arena every day and tries at something crazy freaking hard. And all of that - it can be super uncomfortable at times. Trading the next morning after ending a day red, there’s a psychological hurdle there to push past and it’s not yet as easy as we’d hoped. But, Becky chooses to channel strength to hold steady despite her nerves and intermittent hesitation or unwarranted insecurities every day.
In our recent episode on overcoming setbacks (https://youtu.be/eynlnQJSnDs?si=unbqRhrcy5qgxufS), Becky was pretty real about a stumble she had this summer in her trading journey that circled around a significant physical injury. But in coming out of that season, Becky is re-energized and choosing to purposefully aim her thoughts to be factual about her skills. To give herself credit for the work she has done and the trader that she is right now. There’s been massive ups and downs in her last few years as a developing trader and in hindsight, it’s pretty freaking cool. She survived day after day some very hard work that would have long ago scared off the average Joe. It wasn’t always pretty and she reportedly cried many days to people in her inner circle or in private. But she also contemplated, journaled, replayed, studied, asked questions and GREW! Those are the facts of that nauseating but exhilarating roller coaster ride. She earned THIS place.
This exact situation and timeline is what invalidates any thoughts of an imposter syndrome worry. Her relentless fight is bringing her to profitability. Not hiding from the ugly parts, but using them for the purpose of her bigger goals is literally changing her outcomes, and she thinks that is how it works. We did an episode back in March titled Upgrading Your Life in 2024 (https://youtu.be/LJAPfVFYCok?si=KC9tkYmTJX7YJpPL). Becky now feels like that is the type of energy that she is still working on and through and likely will always respect as a never ending effort. Becky has a friend who is a successful trader and he has said that once you reach your first million, you’ll realize it’s not actually that much money. And to that, we have once or twice rolled our eyes. But also, it’s a great point. As we grow, expand, stretch and meet metrics, we aren’t going to always be so easily satisfied. That goal-achieving just adds to the hunger!
As we do hit those marks, our skills and habits will have grown to get us there, so we will naturally then see higher goal targets from that next vantage point. We’re not sure who originally said this, but we love the saying “what got you here won’t get you there.” It’s a perspective shift with each new level and as we are on the climb, we definitely feel the truth in that. Each level up changes us at our core and it does take time, but we can feel we are turning into different people as our experiences and surrounding lives change too. And in real time, it feels like the concept of upgrading our identities. We think true masters can look back at their growth and point to this exact shifting phase and name it the same - the upgrading period. But as with our trading, Kendra and Becky are on this podcast in real time as we are putting in the work to make these changes. So, bear with us. We are far from perfect. But we’re real for damn sure.
“Failure is a sign that you are pushing toward something that is hard. Thereby, failing and learning why and how you can fail less in pursuit of the goals of that future self - that is the path that will get you there.”
~ Becky Gaskell
As Becky was thinking about this goal growth and her journey, she dug into her memories and the work she has done and is doing to think about how she is accomplishing it so that she could try to articulate it both for herself and to share with anyone who listens to our podcast/reads our blog. And what she thinks the core of it is for her is that she has had to upgrade her standards and habits to break through her barriers. If what Becky was achieving as an early trader stayed stagnant as her standards now, she would still be right back where she was. Only donating to real traders and institutions month over month with no clear edge. No. She’s now pushing her minimum standards toward what she needs to expect and allow in order to start gaining consistency at a higher skill level, both with intentional risk management and strong trading outcomes. She loves the concept she read about wherein you want to upgrade your standards not to your current outcome, but instead to your goals that are in sync with the future self you are striving towards. And that makes so much sense. As a futures day trader, she wants an acceptable risk and a strong entry price with each trade with a reasonable profit target that works with her view and understanding of market context and the times of day and type of trades that she most clearly can see setting up. That means she honors her standard of pre-defined risk management, profit taking strategy, business management, and weekly goals - both in P/L but also in process.
And it’s ok to set a high standard and to then fail. Lasting, influential change is not supposed to be easy. Failure is a sign that you are pushing toward something that is hard. Thereby, failing and learning why and how you can fail less in pursuit of the goals of that future self - that is the path that will get you there. Slowly, she is failing less, and forcing out the habits that are holding her back. She is having less tilt days and controlling the potential tilt days sooner, thereby containing their impact. This is learned from her failures. And her accounts can grow more by these actions.
Becky does practice visualization, in vivid detail, of who she is as a successful, influential, inspirational, profitable female trader who is living her example with her trade executions and in her behaviors, while simultaneously also giving back to her communities. And so, all of her habits NOW need to be in that image. Not who she was last year. Or even last month. It will be a constant process, but hard work has never scared her off. And now that she is starting to realize some of her early goals, such as a family trip funded by her trading income in fall 2024, then she swears it is turning her even more into a dog with a bone! Becky craves the relentless showing up and striving. Because she can taste her future self and she’s pretty badass. It’s been said that with every new achievement, your confidence can grow as a byproduct of the actions you successfully execute. In this way, confidence and personal belief is earned and will be more stable and lasting. Makes sense and is all wrapped up in the process too. It all is intertwined and with constant purposeful effort, we can change and upgrade our identities. That’s the energy she is coming into this fall with anyhow.
This type of energy is not a one time thing either. It’s like with New Year's resolutions. They don’t last without a discipline that holds steadfast once that motivation wanes. That’s how this trading journey feels also. The statistics of the failed traders are all the peeps who gave up on those resolutions when it got too hard. But we say beyond just the discipline, it also has to take courage and a commitment to that image of your future you. Call her to the now, as Becky’s mentor Jermaine pointed out in his first interview with us last year (https://youtu.be/qei5vcN1gL4?si=Qtk_OmYwANuE7Dkd). Be flexible enough to recognize old habits that feel “normal” and baseline are not actually where you want to live. But also try for patience to let her grow organically and with time, because there is bound to be some loss and mourning with leaving old behind. Maybe you outgrow habits that keep you tied to certain people or places. But they won't serve the you of your biggest dreams. So, have a moment to mourn, but we have to keep climbing to our next levels.
It’s like an inner drive. And if you’re still here this deep into this blog, then this must resonate with you in some way too. You might also have that inner drive and it helps us to embrace it. Focus on that future fulfilled self and let the rest shed off as we go. Purge old unhelpful habits and behaviors to allow the new, more powerful ones to more fully blossom in that space. Just like with trade management. No longer allow poor risk management because that is simply not in alignment with who we are and who we are cultivating. So we no longer tolerate those behaviors. It's a commitment to ourselves and what we know in our hearts we are worthy of and capable of. And each time we honor that with our day, it’s a vote for Becky/Kendra 2030. And she is a damn force! So for us - no more auto-pilot for the easier in the moment. Rather, we are building for her and our families. It’s an eyes wide open energy to all the opportunities and the choices that bring those outcomes and goals to fruition.
The energy Becky talked about in that must read episode the other day on The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck (https://youtu.be/W1oHsX5MlMQ?si=5A6tYyHDevIH7QNp) - at one point he covers the idea that every action you take is your choice, so own it in every way. That was an aha moment for Becky and it’s completely in sync with this energy. She wants an upgraded life, so she has to act like it because that is the only way it will actually happen! And lastly, in her daily pursuit of her future even more badass Becky, she wants to make sure to always appreciate her efforts and little wins with sincere gratitude along the way. Those are her fuel. Every day she honors her intentions and processes for building those dream outcomes. She wants to appreciate her work and use it to propel her into another great day. Keep stringing them along, day after day. And as they compound, recognize the masterpiece she is creating.
So that is where Becky is at with working diligently to become her best self and actualize her biggest goals. And these lessons can apply to all of us in this space. Retail traders who survive and persevere beyond year one and their first blown account, they will get into this territory of needing to grow OR call it. And for those of you here to grow into your best badass, let’s go!!! We all are capable of so so so much for ourselves and our families. And Kendra and Becky are here for all of it with you all.
Thank you to everyone who is subscribing to our podcast, reading our blogs, and providing us feedback! We are here to talk openly about everything that may help us all level up within our lives, be it day trading or otherwise. We wish you all the very best for your lives!