🟣 Tradetopia Field Notes — Issue #25

The Anticipation Trap

The Closer You Get, the Harder It Gets

Here’s something I’ve noticed, the closer you are to the finish line, the harder it gets to actually cross it.

One trade away from passing.

A couple hundred bucks from payout.

Nearly at the target you’ve been grinding toward.

And instead of getting calmer, you start getting reckless.

That’s anticipation. It feels like energy. It feels like momentum. But most of the time? It’s just chaos dressed up like excitement.

The Dog and the Leash

Let me give you an example.

My dog, Maya, can be completely knocked out cold. No need to pee. No interest in going outside. She’s chillin’.

But the second Maya hears the leash jingle? Game over. She’s pawing at the door, crying, acting like we’ve been holding her hostage.

Nothing changed. Ten seconds before, she didn’t want to move. But the signal flipped her brain.

That’s what happens to traders at the finish line.

You’re steady for weeks. You’re patient while the goal feels far away. But as soon as you’re within reach? You lose neutrality.

You rush. You force. You trade outcomes instead of your plan.

And just like Maya, you’re no longer calm… you’re desperate.

Why Anticipation Wrecks Traders

This is why so many blow it right before the win:

• They size up too quickly.

• They chase setups that aren’t there.

• They stop trading the system that got them here and start trading the feeling of “I need it now.”

Anticipation feels like drive, but it’s really just recklessness wearing a nice suit.

How to Beat the Trap

Here’s what works for me:

1. Zoom Out. I ask: “Am I even going to care about this in 8 hours?” The answer is always no. So why burn myself now?

2. Detach from milestones. Funding, payouts — those are side effects. The real scoreboard is: Did I execute my system?

3. Focus on the next step. Like the boy and the horse navigating in the darkness of the woods, as long as you can see the next step, take it. That’s enough to eventually make your way through.

4. Expect the urge. When you’re close, anticipation will scream at you. If you know it’s coming, you can laugh at it instead of obeying it.

Final Thoughts

Anticipation convinces you to sprint the last mile. To take shortcuts. To blow the system that got you this far.

But the real prize isn’t passing once. It isn’t one payout.

The real prize is becoming the trader who passes and withdraws on repeat.

So when the leash jingles…

Don’t chase.

Don’t sprint.

Take the step you already decided on.

That’s how you win the dogfight.

Filed: [August 2025] | Location: Behind the Screens [Chicago]