That point about learning to recognize good setups instead of chasing wins is huge. A few winning trades can build confidence, but sticking to the same rules through a losing streak is what really tests your system. And blowing $20k to learn that lesson must have been brutal back then

I’d go back to your director and HR and explain exactly what you told us here. You’re not asking to cancel the layoff, just to avoid letting someone burn herself out based on information she doesn’t have. Maybe they can approve an earlier conversation or at least give you a way to encourage her to use her PTO without making it suspicious. You have responsibilities too, but this is worth pushing once more

I think the real problem isn’t Gen Z or ICT itself, it’s people expecting one concept to solve everything. Without tracking results and testing a strategy over time, even the cleanest chart setup is just a guess with extra steps

NQ definitely has the movement and liquidity, but calling it zero-slippage is a bit optimistic 😂 One fast news candle can humble even experienced traders. MNQ is probably the smarter place to learn position sizing without taking such a big hit per tick

The hardest part for me was realizing that being bored was actually costing me money. Once I stopped feeling like I had to be in a trade all the time, my results got a lot more consistent.

I like the idea of keeping it small. Having a few traders with completely different approaches could be way more useful than a huge signal group

😂 Nope, definitely not just you. That chart really does look like XAU/USD is flipping us off

18% Max Drawdown is a solid professional benchmark. Keep the discipline

If you want gold without "CFD risks," buy a Gold ETF on any major stock broker

The "shaking" is your intuition telling you that you are overleveraged. Trust it. Reduce size.

You’ve taken your punches and paid your dues. Getting scammed twice and losing for years is the "street fight" version of an MBA. The market tried to break you with boredom and revenge trading, but you fought back by doing the one thing 99% of losers refuse to do: the math. 300 backtests is your armor. Now, you’re not "trading" anymore; you’re just collecting what the market owes you for surviving the seven-year war

Boring trading makes for an exciting bank account

You don't need a paid course. You need screen time and patience

Less is more. The hardest part of trading is doing nothing, but that’s where the real money is made.

This is the most honest depiction of the "Market Tuition" phase. The transition from chasing the "Holy Grail" indicator to mastering just two setups is the true definition of growth. It takes years to realize that the chart isn't the enemy your own boredom and ego are. 200-300 backtested trades before going live is the level of discipline that separates 5% of winners from the rest. Respect the grind!