What 3 Years of Trading Taught Me: A Real Trader’s Untold Journey to Building a Winning System
After 3 years of experimenting with indicators, strategies, and countless trades, I finally discovered what actually works in trading. This is not just a story it’s a roadmap for traders who are still struggling to find consistency. Learn from my real journey, my losses, my turning points, and how I built my own trading system from scratch.
When I first started trading, I kept switching from one indicator to another MACD, RSI, Bollinger Bands, Moving Averages… whatever I saw on YouTube or Facebook, I jumped right in. Every time, I felt like “Now I’ve figured it out,” but in reality, I was getting more confused. There was no clarity about entries or exits it was just endless trial and error.
But I did one thing differently I focused more on paper trading than real trades. I tested everything on paper, again and again some trades I wrote down in notebooks, others were just in my head or scattered on loose sheets. I kept practicing not chasing profits, but chasing understanding.
And maybe that’s why, even after 3 years, my total real loss was only ₹14,000 across 116 live trades.
For someone else, that may look like a loss.
But for me, it was one of the most valuable lessons in my trading journey.
Phase 1: Searching for Direction Without a Map
In the early days, I was like someone trying to find their way in the dark. I tried everything MACD, Bollinger Bands, Moving Averages, and even different MA settings. If someone online mentioned a new strategy, I would immediately jump into it. I’d spend the day watching YouTube videos and nights applying those ideas on the chart. But no matter what I did, my entry and exit signals were never clear.
In one trade, I’d feel confident… and in the next, I’d be completely confused again. Indicators kept changing, but my mind never got any clarity.
Still, I had one habit that kept me going I wasn’t here for quick profits. I didn’t want to chase shortcuts.
My goal was to understand myself, sharpen my thinking, and grow as a person, not just as a trader.
I wasn’t chasing charts; I was chasing personal growth.
And maybe, that mindset even while wandering gave me the strength to stay on the path.
Phase 2: I Started Gaining Confidence, and Faced My First Real Trading Loss
After about a year of learning trading, I started feeling a bit more confident. Some things were beginning to make sense, but I still didn’t have full clarity. During that year, I placed 116 real trades, and overall, I faced a loss of ₹14,000.
When I met my first trading mentor, I was a little nervous. I thought he would scold me, after all, I had spent one whole year and was still losing money. But when I shared my full trading journey honestly, something unexpected happened.
Instead of scolding me, he smiled and said:
“You took 116 trades and lost only ₹14,000? That’s amazing risk management! Most beginner traders lose way more, they add an extra zero to their losses at this stage!”
That one line changed my perspective.
Yes, I had losses. But they didn’t break me, they taught me something valuable.
I realized that every small loss was actually a step forward in my real trading journey.
Phase 3: I Took a Paid Trading Course, But Nothing Really Changed
At one point, I felt stuck and thought, maybe a paid trading course will finally give me the clarity I need. So, I joined one. I watched the lessons, took notes, tried to apply the strategies… but deep down, nothing changed. My mindset was still confused, and in real trades, I kept making the same mistakes. That’s when my mentor told me something powerful:
“Learning is easy, but if your trading mindset doesn’t grow, nothing will work.”
He told me to focus on the things I found boring, the hard stuff I always tried to avoid. “Practice that daily,” he said, “because discipline is your real teacher.”
It wasn’t easy, but I followed his advice. Slowly, I started to feel real improvement. That’s when I learned a big lesson, just doing courses isn’t enough. To succeed in trading, you need to build a strong system from the inside, and that takes patience, self-awareness, and daily practice.
Phase 4: Kept Changing Strategies Until I Focused on RSI – That’s When the Real Breakthrough Happened
By now, it had been almost 1.6 years of trading, but my mind was still all over the place. Every week, I would try a new trading strategy, sometimes it was breakouts, other times trendlines, or mixing 2-3 indicators together. But to be honest, I couldn’t stick to anything for long. Each time I thought, “Maybe the next strategy will finally work.”
Then one day, I came across the RSI indicator. At first, it seemed like just another tool. But this time, I decided to stop jumping around and really focus on just one thing. I studied RSI every day for a whole month. I observed its movements, understood how it reacted, and most importantly, I started to understand myself as a trader.
That’s when something clicked:
“You won’t find success by running around. What you need will come when you stay committed to one thing.”
That was the moment when my real breakthrough in trading began. RSI wasn’t just an indicator, it became my turning point.
Phase 5: I Understood Plan, Strategy & Risk Management Separately, Then Built My Own Trading System
After understanding RSI, I realized that instead of trying to do everything at once, I should focus on each part of trading separately.
So first, I worked on my trading strategy what to look for and how to take proper entries. Then I learned about risk management, how much to risk per trade, where to set the stop-loss (SL), and how to protect my capital. Finally, I focused on trade execution – how to follow my plan with discipline, without fear or greed.
Slowly, I combined all three, strategy, risk management, and execution, and built my own trading system.
Now, every entry I take is fully planned. My stop-loss is always based on logic, and my exits are disciplined.
But the most important thing?
I now have real trading confidence, because I don’t rely on other people’s strategies anymore.
I trust my own system.
What Has Changed Now?
Now, I no longer run after every shiny indicator.
Even if I see a new strategy on YouTube, I don’t get distracted.
Because now I understand myself and have developed my own trading language.
I don’t need any trading guru’s daily video anymore.
Now I can read and understand my charts on my own.
I know what to look for, how to think, and most importantly, when to stay out of the market.
Action Box: If you’re feeling lost like I was, here’s what you can start doing today:
- Stop changing strategies again and again
- Choose one simple trading strategy and stick to it for at least 2 months
- Make a written plan for every Entry, Stop Loss (SL), and Exit
- Backtest and paper trade your plan before going live
- And the most important thing
“Build your skill… the money will follow on its own.”
If you also want to build a solid trading system,
visit YuktiHub.com and explore my learnings on RSI and price action in depth.