Series 9 | Change Your Life Through Trading #4

Set Goals Not by Amount but by Action

Hello, this is THE DAYTRADE.

“This month earn 100,000 yen,” “Double your funds by the end of the year.” Are you setting trading goals by amounts like this?

In #2 we talked about how money-only goals don’t last. In this continuation,here’s exactly how to set goalsthat you can actually achieve.

1. Why a monetary goal ruins trading

Monetary goals have a big pitfall.They ignore market conditions.

Some months gold moves a lot, others have no clear direction and almost no entry opportunities. Even so, if you fix on “10,000 yen this month,” it turns out like this.

• As the month ends, you enter trades even in weakly justified setups
• You try to make up the shortfall by increasing position sizes
• When you hit the target, your discipline loosens and rules become sloppy

In either case, the rules crumble. A monetary target damages the most important part of trading.

2. Behavioral targets are ones you can 100% keep

Behavioral targets aregoals you can always achieve regardless of how the market movesby your own control. For example, like this.

• Every day, recognize the market in the order 4H → 1H → 5M
• Enter only in setups that meet the rules
• Decide the stop-loss level before entering and don’t move it
• Record every trade
• Review the records once a week

All of these can be kept even in months when the market doesn’t move. And you can clearly judge whether you kept them with a circle or a cross.

3. How to set action targets: 3 tips

① Keep the numbers small
Initially 2–3 items are enough. If you list 10 items but can’t keep them, it’s meaningless.

② Make them measurable with yes/no
Instead of “I’ll analyze properly,” say “draw lines on the 4H high and low.” Vague goals don’t show whether they’re kept.

③ Break the period into short intervals
Instead of “I’ll endure for a year,” aim for “this week” or “this month.” Achieving a yes in a short period fuels the motivation to continue.

4. See monetary goals as a report card on behavior

This isn’t saying to ignore money. It’s about changing how you view it.

When you check profits and losses at month-end, compare first to your behavior yes/no marks.

• Behavior Yes · P/L Positive：Keep going at this pace
• Behavior Yes · P/L Negative：Markets didn’t align this month. If you kept the rules, don’t be too pessimistic
• Behavior No · P/L Positive：Most dangerous. You might have just gotten lucky
• Behavior No · P/L Negative：First fix the behavior

Viewed this way, money isn’t a “goal” but arecord of whether your actions were correct.

5. What to do today

In your smartphone notes, write your this-week behavioral goalsthree onlyand every day before bed mark them with a circle or cross. That’s all.

After a week, count how many circles you have. That is the true measure of your trading performance.

Summary

Monetary goals ignore market conditions, making it easier to break the rules.

Set goals you can 100% keep in the form of “actions.” Use money as a report card to confirm whether those actions were correct.

Pursue correctness more than win rate. Also set your goals with correct actions rather than monetary amounts.

*Trading involves risk of loss. Results vary by individual and profits are not guaranteed.