Find Your Why as a Trader
A practical reflection on trading goals, identity, and the deeper purpose that gives discipline and persistence a clear direction.
Happy New Year — here's to a consistently profitable 2026.
Let's not start this year by asking how we're going to do that, but with why we're doing it—and, above all, who you need to become in 2026 to achieve it.
Most traders start with what: "Which trade do I take today so I can make money?"
Serious traders move toward the how:
- plan/strategy → checklist
- logging → reflecting → learning.
But only once you're truly clear on your why - and who you need to become for it - does everything change. Then you gain real momentum that carries you toward your bigger goal.
Mindset makes the trader. And mindset can be built.
I can teach you a lot about the technical side of trading, but just as much about the mental side. In the end, it's how you look at it that determines your success.
My why is not "making money". Money is simply a means of fulfilling my why.
My why is: experiencing freedom, having control over my own life, being able to choose how I live and where I live. To achieve that I had to let go of traits that didn't serve me, develop new skills and build a system that works for ME - a system I fully own, understand, and keep refining. I keep going until I achieve the result I want - and then improve it further still. A trade without all of that... is just a trade. Nothing more.
It starts with believing your success is possible, envisioning it, and then doing what it takes to achieve it. That means making choices. Bigger goals require deliberate choices.
The key principles in that process: consistency and discipline.
Students who work consistently and with discipline, and are guided by a clear why almost always achieve what they set out to do - often faster than they themselves expect.
And maybe your why is actually very simple, something like this:
"I just want to become a really good trader who earns enough money."
Even then you have choices to make, you need to work systematically, consistently, patiently and with discipline.
And realize: becoming successful takes time. Time, patience, perseverance, resilience, purposefulness, calm and control.
"The special ops guys and the firefighters around the world have this great phrase. They say, 'Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast,' and that is true. Everything I've accomplished in my life has been because of that attitude."
--Jeff Bezos, Founder Amazon
I wish you a year in which you not only reach your goals, but above all develop a crystal-clear why and - with my help - build a system that carries you there.
Housekeeping note
Your program has a fixed duration. The sessions with me are periodic - for most of you weekly. Make sure you schedule them, because they can't be made up later. Be disciplined and consistent about that too. Exceptions: illness, vacation, the week of Christmas 2025.
Can't find a slot in my calendar? Let me know - then we'll work something out together.
Below you'll see the Frankfurt (DAX) and London (UK100) morning sessions from Friday, January 2, with several entry opportunities - and my 2R short on the US30 later that afternoon. To save time you can set the playback speed to 2x via the gear icon.