Process-First Trading Journal & Mentor Marketplace

Today I hit 15k followers... but this isn’t a post about followers, milestones, or numbers. I honestly couldn’t care less about that. What matters to me is being able to share my thoughts, the lessons, the mistakes, the things I wish someone had told me when I first started: I never had a mentor growing up. Nobody to guide me through the chaos of trading, through the emotional rollercoaster, through the self-doubt. Everything I’ve learned came from trial, error, and persistence; from blowing up, rebuilding, and learning how to keep showing up. This is going to be a longer write-up. I have a lot to say, so give me some grace. But if I could sit down with my younger self, the kid who first opened a brokerage account, full of ambition and ego... I’d tell him this: This journey will break you before it ever blesses you. Trading has taken me to the darkest places I’ve ever been. It’s tested my faith, my discipline, and my sense of self more than anything else in my life. There were nights I cried over losing trades, months where I questioned if I was even cut out for this, and moments where I truly thought about giving it all up. The market will humble you in ways you can’t explain, and yet, it will also build you into someone you never thought you could become. When I started this page, I didn’t do it for attention or followers. I started it as a journal, a place to document my thoughts, mistakes, and lessons. Over time, that journal became a community. I’ve met some of the most genuine, talented traders I could’ve ever imagined connecting with. I’ve also seen how toxic this space can get; it took me nearly two years to realize that 99% of X is noise. The highlight reels, the egos, the constant calls for tops and bottoms, none of that matters. What matters is you, your process, and your growth. There are levels to this game, and I’m nowhere near where I want to be. But for the first time in my life, I’m at peace with that. Because trading isn’t about arriving, it’s about becoming. It’s a never ending journey of self-discovery, humility, and endurance. And somewhere in those darkest moments, when the charts blurred and the losses piled up, I found something far greater than a setup or a system: I found my fulfillment in Christ. I realized that no amount of money will ever fill the void of constantly chasing something that would never satisfy me; ONLY faith and purpose can. Trading taught me that I can’t control outcomes; I can only control my actions, my discipline, and my attitude. Every single day I get the chance to show up, to improve, to do it a little better than yesterday, that’s a gift. There’s another thing I wish I’d understood earlier: "Comparison is the THIEF of Joy." It’s so easy to scroll through your feed and see traders posting huge wins, massive positions, and perfect charts, and feel like you’re behind. Like you’re not good enough. Like you’re missing something. But the truth is, comparison kills your focus. It takes your attention off your own process and puts it on someone else’s. You stop playing your game and start trying to play theirs. That’s when mistakes happen. Everyone’s journey is different. Everyone’s risk tolerance, capital base, time horizon, and emotional makeup are unique. Comparing your year two to someone else’s year ten is a losing game. Instead, study other traders. Not to compare, but to learn. - Learn from their mistakes so you don’t have to repeat them. - Learn from their process so you can refine yours. - Learn from their mindset so you can strengthen your own. You’ll grow so much faster when you stop trying to match someone else’s chapter and start focusing on your own. I’ve seen traders come and go, accounts blown, but the ones who stay, who learn, who adapt, who refuse to quit… they make it. Because this game rewards persistence. To everyone who’s followed along this journey, whether you’ve been here since 100 followers or just joined today, thank you. We’re all still early. I’ll look back on this one day and thank God for every loss, every late night, every moment I doubted myself, because all of it led here. To my younger self: Keep showing up. Keep the faith. You’re going to get where you envisioned, but not in the way you think. Here’s to the next chapter. we're just getting started. - iain