Good morning, traders…
I spent last week at Tim Sykes’ Inner Circle event in beautiful Las Vegas, NV (70 degrees in January, not too shabby).
Becca and I taught traders about our Smart Money options trading strategy all week…
From helping them set up their charts, to talking through trades, to answering the same questions you probably have right now … we covered it all.
And on Day 2, something clicked.
We opened the Shopify Inc (NYSE: SHOP) daily chart and immediately saw a beautiful setup…
Price falling right into support, scanner lighting up with big orders, compression happening precisely at the low-risk level.
I was ready to nibble at it around $35.68.
But Becca wasn’t touching it.
“I want it at $34,” she says. “I want the yard sale price.”
Who was right, and who was wrong?
Neither of us was wrong.
But understanding the differences in how Becca and I view charts just might help you grasp your own approach.
See, Becca learned something about herself after getting burned on breakout after breakout.
She realized she hates the feeling of buying something, watching it drop, then sitting there the next day, hoping it recovers.
That feeling (which she describes as a “strange funk”) ruins her confidence.
So she passed a “personal trading law”:
She’s only entering positions at levels with low risk (even if it means missing some upside moves).
Me? I’m okay with taking a small position at higher levels, then adding more as it proves itself at lower levels.
Different tolerance, similar standards.
That’s the lesson I want to talk about today:
You can’t trade like someone else and expect to carve out a unique, repeatable edge for yourself.
Let Me Show You How To Trade Like Yourself…
The Dangers of Copying Strategies
Trying to trade another trader’s strategy is like wearing someone else’s shoes.
Even if they’re your size, they feel wrong because the pressure points are different. The wear pattern is different.
It just feels … off.
Your trading strategy should fit like a glove, perfectly matching your personality, account size, and risk tolerance.
- Who you are dictates what you value.
- What you value dictates the standards you set.
- Your standards determine your consistency.
Above all, Becca values peace of mind, low stress, and no tension.
That’s who she is outside the market (her favorite pastime is baking bread with her kids) … and that’s who she is inside the market too.
She has built her trade standards around her self-awareness: “I’m a clearance buyer. I wait for the yard sale price.”
Now I want you to ask yourself the same question:
What’s your trading standard for 2026?
Maybe it’s: “I will not buy a name that doesn’t pull back to the 8 or 21 EMA.”
Or “I will not enter a trade with a stop-loss more than 30% below my entry price.”
Or “I will wait for pullbacks over trading breakouts.”
Whatever it is, it’s personal. Only you can figure out what works for you.
But you must “know thyself.”
Because no matter what, you’re facing one of two pains:
- The pain of patience: Waiting for your setup (and watching others make money while you miss it).
- The pain of regret: Jumping in too early, getting shaken out (and wishing you had waited).
You’re going to feel one of them.
The only choice you have is which you feel (and how you respond).
The Key To Trading Like Yourself
The students who “got it” this week were the ones who stopped trying to trade like me, or Becca, or Tim Sykes, or anyone else…
They started asking:
“What can I actually stomach?”
“What fits my personality, account size, and risk tolerance?”
“What patterns, strategies, and setups do I feel comfortable trading?”
Your homework for tonight?
Write down your trading standard: the minimum you will accept of yourself in 2026.
Not what sounds good. Not what you think you “should” do…
What actually fits who you are.
If you can marry your strategy with your personality, you’ll be way more confident entering setups…
Which is precisely what’s required to win in this market.
You need to be more confident, more tactical, and more ruthless.
That’s why I’m hosting a special 2-day Options Bootcamp next Tuesday, January 27th – Wednesday, January 28th.
Because despite the chaos of the last few months…
We’ve still been able to catch some of the biggest moves in the market, like:
+52% on AAPL (1 day)*
+100% on TSLA (same day)*
+215% on CMCSA (2 weeks)*
+100% on AAPL (1 day)*
+100% on META (same day)*
+200% on HOOD (2 days)*
+294% on GOOGL (4 days)*
I want to show you exactly how we’re doing it…
The scanners, the indicators, and the strategy…
Click here for everything you need to know about the bootcamp.
Happy trading,
Ben Sturgill
*Past performance does not indicate future results
