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Gav's trading blog - Perseverance, Consistency, Confidence

Coffee-Thoughts Series

Coffee Thoughts – Respect the Micro Account

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I used to think trading micro lots was a joke.

Too small. Too slow. “Not real trading.”

That was my ego talking.

Here’s what micro accounts really teach you:
Discipline. Precision. Patience.

You don’t get to muscle your way through mistakes.
You don’t get lucky with size.
You can’t afford to skip journaling or wing it — every trade has to count.

There’s no room for cowboy trading when your position is measured in cents.

But that’s exactly what makes it powerful.

Because if you can stay consistent with a $300 account,
you’ve already built the habits that scale.

Risk control. Emotional stability. Setup selection.
That’s the work. The lot size is just the volume knob.

Big accounts magnify.
Micro accounts reveal.

So yeah, I respect the small.
Because that’s where the real work starts.

— Gav, with coffee

Side note: If you’re building from the ground up, my Back to Basics of Trading series might give you a head start.

Coffee Thoughts – Winning Streak? You’re Not a Genius

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You’re on a roll.

Every setup clicks. Entries are sharp. Exits even better.
It feels like you’ve cracked it.

That’s the danger zone.

Because after a few wins, ego shows up dressed as confidence.
And suddenly, you’re not trading the plan anymore — you’re trading the feeling.

You stop journaling. You loosen risk rules. You skip confirmations.
Why? Because “I’ve got this.”

I’ve been there.

And I’ve burned accounts faster after hot streaks than during cold ones.

When you’re losing, fear keeps you cautious.
When you’re winning, pride pushes you off balance.

The market doesn’t care if you’re on fire or freezing.
It just wants to know – can you manage yourself today?

Wins don’t make you invincible.
They make you vulnerable, if you let them.

So next time you’re stacking green days?
Take the win. But don’t get cute.

Stay boring. Stay sharp. Stay dangerous, in control, not hyped up.

— Gav, with coffee

Side note: If you’ve had a few good trades lately, go read your risk rules again. Then check if you’re actually following them.

Coffee Thoughts – There’s No “Perfect Setup”

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I used to think the perfect setup would solve everything.

The kind of trade where the structure’s clean, price action is obvious, confluence lines up across timeframes, and all the signals say “go.”

So I waited. And waited.

Then watched price take off without me — more times than I care to admit.

Here’s the truth I had to swallow:

Perfect is a fantasy.

Markets aren’t clean. They’re messy, fast, and often unclear.

Clean setups matter. But perfection? That’s procrastination with a halo.

What really matters:

  • Do you understand your edge?
  • Can you size the trade properly?
  • Will you manage it when it moves — or doesn’t?

Good enough with strong risk control beats perfect with hesitation every time.

Now I trade what I see. I manage what comes after. I accept the blur.

Because the edge doesn’t live in waiting for ideal.

It lives in executing well in real conditions.

— Gav, with coffee

Side note: If your charts feel stuck in “almost,” my Back to Basics of Trading series breaks down how I simplified my setup — and got out of my own way.

Coffee Thoughts – Don’t Trade to Prove Something

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At some point, I stopped trading the market and started trading my ego.

I wouldn’t have said that out loud back then.

But looking back, it was obvious.

I wasn’t trading setups. I was trading to prove I was smart.

That I could bounce back.

That I was right and the market was wrong.

That I could silence the doubt in my own head, or someone else’s voice.

You can guess how that went.

Forced trades. Oversized positions. Revenge entries that made no sense.

All because I needed the win; not because the trade made sense.

When your identity gets tied to the outcome of one trade, you’re not a trader.

You’re just a gambler in denial.

This game doesn’t reward pride. It rewards process.

Now? I trade what’s there. Not what I wish was there.

I let the win or loss be what it is, data.

Not a statement about me.

The market doesn’t care what you’re trying to prove.

And the more you try to prove, the worse your decisions get.

So here’s a quiet reminder:

You don’t need to prove anything.

Just trade well.

— Gav, with coffee

Side note: If you’re working on detaching emotions from execution, check out my Back to Basics of Trading series — it’s built for that.

Coffee Thoughts – Clean Charts, Clear Mind

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Ever walked into a messy kitchen first thing in the morning?

Plates everywhere. Spills on the counter. Half a cup of cold coffee from yesterday.

That’s how most trading charts look.

Overloaded. Cluttered. Confusing.

I used to stack indicators like I was building a sandwich — RSI, MACD, Bollinger Bands, moving averages from five different timeframes.

It felt like I was doing analysis.
But really, I was just hiding behind the mess.

Too many lines blur your thinking. Too many signals create noise.

A clean chart forces you to see price action for what it is, not what you hope it’ll be.

Once I stripped it down, I started to see structure. Clarity. Flow.

It wasn’t just easier on the eyes. It made my decisions sharper.

Clean charts, clean trades.

Try it. Ditch the clutter. Keep what earns its place.

— Gav, with coffee

Side note:
If you’re rebuilding your charting workflow, TradingView has the flexibility and tools that make a solid place to start.

Coffee Thoughts – The Problem is You, Not the System

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I’ve lost count of how many systems I’ve tested.

Breakouts, pullbacks, trend following, mean reversion. You name it.

Every time something didn’t work, I blamed the system.
“This doesn’t suit the pair I trade.”
“It’s not made for Asian session.”
“Maybe I need a different indicator.”

Sound familiar?

Eventually, I ran out of systems to blame — and had to face the actual issue:
It wasn’t the strategy.
It was me.

I wasn’t following rules.
I didn’t log my trades.
I sized up too quickly.
I avoided journaling because I didn’t want to see the truth.

No system can fix poor execution.

That’s when the shift happened.

I stopped hunting for the “perfect setup” and started fixing my habits.
Same system — different results.

So before you toss out your strategy and jump to the next shiny thing…
Ask yourself:
Am I the problem?

It’s not a fun question. But it’s a necessary one.

— Gav, with coffee

Side note: If you’re rebuilding your foundation, check out my Back to Basics of Trading series.