Here’s something to really sit with: Even when you’re trading at your worst chasing setups, revenge trading, overexposing you almost never lose 10 trades in a row. That alone says something important: Your edge is probably more solid than you give it credit for. The issue isn’t the strategy it’s what happens when emotion takes control. So why do traders blow up? It’s not a perfect streak of losses that sinks accounts. It’s one oversized position that flips against you. It’s the spiral that starts with one tilted trade and turns into doubling down without thinking. It’s risk stacking during frustration, not logic. That’s where things go off the rails. It’s rarely the strategy it’s how you manage yourself when the strategy stops delivering short-term comfort. Most people don’t go under because their system failed. They go under because they pushed size too fast, ignored their own rules, and tried to force a comeback before they cooled off. This is why risk management isn’t a formality. It’s everything. Keep your size steady. Not necessarily small but consistent, sane, and sized to survive. That’s how you stay in the game. If you’re still standing after the drawdown, you’ve already won half the battle. You’ve bought yourself space for your edge to play out. Because the wins will come but only if you're around to catch them. The real skill isn’t picking tops and bottoms , it’s surviving the in-between. Not nuking your account when things get uncertain. Not getting greedy when things are hot. Risk expansion during emotional highs or lows that’s what drains most traders. Not lack of knowledge. Not poor analysis. You don’t need new indicators. You don’t need another secret system. You need to stop self-sabotaging through panic, through tilt, through ego. So when things feel shaky, remember: Your job isn’t to win every trade. It’s to stay alive long enough to let your edge work. Survival isn't passive. It's discipline in action. And it’s the most valuable skill in trading.