🟣 Tradetopia Field Notes — Issue #29 - September 22, 2025

Stop hiring the voices that sabotage your execution.

You Don’t Have to Hire Every Thought

Every trader hears voices in their head.

• “Take the trade now before it runs.”

• “Move the stop, you can’t be wrong here.”

• “Just one more entry to make it back.”

Most people think those voices are them. But they’re not. They’re just recycled memories, inputs, and conditioning your brain has stored up from the past.

Here’s the truth: thoughts are like job applicants. They show up every day. But you’re the one deciding who gets hired.

The Job Interview Analogy

I used this line with the Syndicate the other week: your thoughts are like job interviews.

Some walk in the door sharp, qualified, and useful. Others show up late, sloppy, or toxic.

You wouldn’t hire every single candidate that sits in front of you. So why do we let every thought that pops into our head run our trading?

Filtering at the Door

Trading mastery isn’t about having zero negative thoughts. It’s about filtering them like a recruiter:

1. Screen them. Does this thought serve me or sabotage me?

2. Challenge them. Where did it come from — proof, or just fear from the past?

3. Replace them. If the candidate isn’t fit for the job, don’t hire it. Swap it for a thought that actually builds your execution.

Simple. Not easy. But over time, the brain starts sending you better candidates.

Why This Matters in Trading

Most traders never get this far. They assume their thoughts are gospel, so they follow every urge.

That’s why they revenge trade. That’s why they move stops. That’s why they keep sabotaging themselves even when they know better.

But when you start filtering your thoughts, you create separation.

• You can feel impatient and still act patiently.

• You can feel fear and still size correctly.

• You can feel FOMO and still stay out of a garbage setup.

That separation is the birth of discipline.

Final Word

You don’t have to believe every thought that walks through the door.

Interview them. Filter them. Choose only the ones that build the trader you’ve committed to becoming.

Because in the end, your results aren’t a reflection of what you felt. They’re a reflection of which thoughts you hired to run your decisions.

Filed: [September 2025] | Location: Behind the Screens [Chicago 🇺🇸]