How to have a great year of trading in 2025 [25 lessons]

Hey, and Happy New Year!

My name is Sam, and here are 25 lessons to help you have a great year of trading:

1. Set goals and make a plan to achieve them
Start by setting specific goals for your trading, such as aiming for a 30% return. Then, write a set of rules to achieve those goals, including how often to trade and how much to risk.

2. Trade less
Most traders trade too often or with too much risk. You only need to trade enough to meet your goals. Any more than that is likely overtrading, which puts your plan at risk.

3. Have a monthly cut-off point
By setting the maximum amount you can lose in one month, you can protect your capital and gain confidence to pursue your goals, knowing your risk is limited.

4. Your win rate doesn’t matter
How often you win isn’t important. What matters is how much you win when things go your way, and how little you lose when they don’t.

5. Make your trading about small risks for big gains (Asymmetrical risk/reward)
Achieve this by letting your profits run, or adding on to winning trades. The best trades are those where you do both.

6. Keep it simple
A simple plan that maximises risk/reward and is executed with discipline is all you need to succeed.

7. Play the odds
Take trades when the odds are in your favour, and get out quickly if the trade doesn’t work.

8. Stay focused…
To be a successful trader, focus on one market, place one trade a day, trade one pattern, and risk no more than 1% per trade. It’s a big world – pick your part of it and stay focused.

9. …But float like a jellyfish
When you spot a high-conviction trade on another market, don’t hesitate to take it. These opportunities might only come up a few times a year.

10. Grind it out
Don’t aim to get rich quickly. Focus on making small, consistent gains each month. Over time, these gains will add up.

11. Go for a 100% year
Once you’ve achieved steady returns of 20–30%, aim for a 100% year. One or two of these over your trading career can make a huge difference.

12. Let go
Once a trade is done – win or lose – let it go. Don’t let past trades influence your next one. If you like reading, check out Letting Go by David Hawkins.

13. Cut your trading costs
We all know the magic of compounding gains, but costs compound negatively. That’s why we built MarketMates – to help traders cut costs by not paying spread, finance or commission markups.

14. Record all your trades
Keep a detailed record of your trades. This allows you to review what worked and what didn’t – and do more of what worked, and less of what didn’t.

15. Treat trading like a game
Trading is serious business, but it’s best approached like a game. Focus on the process and the rules, not the money.

16. Follow the process
Stick to your trading plan. Don’t worry about the outcome of individual trades. If your process is sound, the results will come.

17. Think for yourself
In a world of social media and attention-grabbing content, it’s more important than ever to think independently. You can’t borrow someone else’s ideas – you need to understand ideas deeply and make them your own.

18. Learn and grow
If you’re not successful, seek a mentor. If that’s not possible, read the Market Wizards books.

19. Trading principles are timeless
The same principles Dickson G. Watts wrote about in Speculation as a Fine Art (1880) still apply today – add to winning trades, control risk, balance courage and prudence, and do nothing when conviction is weak.

20. Accept your account won’t grow all the time
There will be times when your account stagnates, and your strategy underperforms. That’s normal. Let it be – things will improve.

21. Master emotional discipline
Emotional control is the glue that holds your trading together. Without it, mistakes will eat into your returns.

22. Trade what’s in front of you
With experience, you’ll develop a sense of what’s likely to happen next. Don’t be stubborn or greedy – make decisions based on what you see, not what you hope for.

23. Be the hero of your own journey in 2025
Trading is a long journey with many bumps along the way. Like any good hero, your job is to confront challenges and keep pushing forward.

24. Be happy
Relax, don’t try too hard, and don’t worry about what others think. Approach your trading with calm confidence and enjoy the process.

25. Be compassionate
If you have mates who trade, be kind and supportive. Don’t brag about your wins or complain about your losses. Respect where they are on their own personal journey.

Cheers!

Sam