The Psychology of Selling

Everyone talks about entries. Few master exits.

Selling is where traders lose the most money - not because of charts, but because of emotion.

Entries feel exciting. They give you hope.

But exits? They require discipline.

Your emotions fight every rational decision - fear when up, greed when down.

You finally catch a breakout. Profit hits +10% - panic.

You sell... then it runs +40%.

Your brain values certainty over reward. That's loss aversion in disguise.

"Maybe it'll bounce." "Just one more day."

Denial is expensive.

Hope is not a strategy - it's a liability.

Cutting losers early preserves mental and financial capital.

You bought at $100. It's now $85. You refuse to sell because you want to "get back to even."

But the market doesn't know your entry.

Stop trading your ego.

You sold for profit. It keeps running. You FOMO back in at the top.

You're not trading data - you're trading regret.

The market doesn't punish emotions. It monetizes them.

Smart traders predefine exits. Stop-loss. Take-profit. No hesitation.

Discipline creates clarity. Clarity removes emotion. Emotion destroys capital.

Backtest your exits. Track every trade. Patterns reveal your bias.

When you know your data, you stop guessing.

Objectivity is the antidote to fear.

The goal isn't to sell at the top. It's to sell by rule.

Selling consistently beats selling perfectly.

If your exits are boring - you're finally doing it right.