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.