This Is When Most People Quit—Don’t Be One of Them

This Market Hurts. But This Is Where Real Traders Are Built.

Let’s not sugarcoat it. The last two weeks have been brutal.

March was rough. April hasn’t let up.

And when markets move like this, most people panic and quit.

This is when you remind yourself: We don’t trade to feel good.

We trade with systems, plans, and conviction

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Everyone loves trading when the market is going up. But this is where the separation happens.This is where we stop thinking like “retail traders” and start acting like professionals.

The sell-off isn’t just a pullback—it’s a pressure test.

Not of your strategy. Of your mindset.

You can quote 80% win rates on 20-delta puts. But when your P/L looks like it fell off a cliff, probabilities feel like lies.This is when math sounds like poetry—pretty, but disconnected from your emotions.

So here’s the $Maxwell mindset:

• Don’t blow up before the bounce.

• Don’t let short-term pain break a long-term plan.

• Trade small, expect chaos, build slow.

Volatility makes small trades look big. And when VIX is this high, your P/L will lie to you.This is not the time to judge yourself—this is the time to hold steady. Focus on the notional value of your put sells. Shares NEVER expire...

If your screen is red and the news feels like fear…Pause. Zoom out.

And write things down.

• What did you actually do?

• What do you wish you had done?

• What can you learn from this?

This is how real traders grow. Not when everything’s working.But when nothing feels like it is.

So what now?

• Look at the weekly 100 and 200 MAs

• Stick to your mechanics

• Keep some cash ready—not to chase, but to act when things settle

• Focus on quality names and sectors less impacted by headlines

Don't go all in.

Don't go full bear.

Just don’t disappear.

This is the hard part. But this is where wealth is built.

I’ll see you next week.

-$Maxwell