Stop Playing Small. Think Like a Kid Again.

🟣 Tradetopia Field Notes — Issue #31 - October 6, 2025

Somewhere along the way, you traded curiosity for fear.

The Lesson in Falling

I was in Puerto Rico a couple years back, watching one of our trader’s kids run around a new Airbnb. She was curious about everything… every door, every drawer, every corner.

Then she tripped. Fell hard.

And for a second, I thought: oh no, here comes the crying, the fear, the shame.

But nope. She popped right back up, dusted herself off, and kept running. No hesitation. No self-judgment. Just pure curiosity again.

That’s when it hit me: kids haven’t learned to limit themselves yet. They haven’t been imprinted with fear of failure or judgment.

And that mindset? That’s what most traders lose the older they get.

Why Adults Forget

By the time we hit our 20s and 30s, most of us have already been “realistic-ed” to death.

• “Be careful.”

• “Don’t dream too big.”

• “Play it safe.”

Those inputs stack up and eventually become self-imposed limits. The result? You stop imagining. You stop taking risks. You stop running after what excites you.

And in trading, that mindset is lethal. Because if you believe a 6, 7 or 8 figure accounts are outside your capacity, you’ve already lost.

The Optimist’s Edge

Here’s the truth: pessimists are right all the time.

They’ll tell you trading is hard, most people lose, payouts are rare. And they’re not wrong.

But optimists are the only ones who actually get the upside, because they keep the door open.

Children are natural optimists. They imagine first, figure out the details later. That’s why they fall and keep running. That’s why they try without fear of looking dumb.

As adults, as traders, we need that edge back.

Think Like a Kid Again

So here’s the challenge:

1. Catch the cap. Notice where you’ve already told yourself “this isn’t possible.”

2. Ask what a kid would do. Would they hesitate? Or would they just run, fall, and get back up?

3. Re-open the door. Imagination isn’t irresponsibility. It’s access. If you can’t see it, you can’t scale to it.

Trading isn’t just charts and systems. It’s identity. And the traders who refuse to put a ceiling on themselves are the ones who break through.

Final Word

Kids don’t stop to check if falling makes them look weak. They don’t pause to wonder if they’re “ready.” They just move.

Somewhere along the way, we trade that curiosity for fear.

But if you want to build the life you actually want, you need to think like a kid again.

Fall, get up, and keep running.

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