The Billy Big Balls MomentA trader reached out to me by direct message here on Trading View highlighting a challenge that many of us face from time to time. We’re talking about self sabotage. That moment you know what to do - but do something entirely different and get a result that frustrates the **** out of you.
Follow along, I hope this helps.
BUT FIRST
NOTE – This is a post on mindset and emotion. It’s not a trade idea or strategy designed to make you money. My intention is to help you preserve your capital, focus, and composure so you can trade your own system with calm and confidence.
Here's a scenario you might be familiar with...
You nail a sequence of trades.
Precision. Flow. Everything lines up.
And then something flips.
You start pushing harder, sizing up, breaking your own rules.
A few minutes later, you’re staring at a screen wondering,
“What the hell just happened?”
It’s not lack of discipline nor is it a technical problem.
You have an emotional pattern that hasn’t been mapped out yet.
This pattern has roots into your subconscious and it’s sabotaging your efforts.
WHATS REALLY HAPPENING AND WHERE DOES THE DRIVER REALLY COME FROM
When you start winning, your brain gets flooded with dopamine , the chemical of reward and anticipation.
If your nervous system has ever learned that success leads to loss, losing control, losing safety, losing connection it quietly associates “winning” with risk .
The mind says, “Let’s keep this going.” Deeper down though is the silent warning … “This isn’t safe.”
Doesn’t sound logical right? It’s not. It’s emotional. Deeply embedded in your psyche and activated whenever the mind feels that familiar feeling again.
The mind wants to go forward - the body wants to intervene. And so you get an internal split. A moment of pressure that your mind just has to resolve. And the fastest way the subconscious knows to relieve that pressure… is to end the win.
So you do something impulsive, not because you want to fail,
but because deep down, you're trying to protect yourself or believe or not, you might be even trying to punish yourself.
Weird stuff happens in the subconscious.
That’s why the sabotage happens right after a run of success.
It’s not logic breaking down.
It’s the mind trying to restore an emotional equilibrium.
HOW TO CATCH IT BEFORE IT HAPPENS
Listen. The moment you size up impulsively is not random.
It’s a repeatable signal that your emotional system has been triggered.
You can’t fix what you can’t see - so start tracking it.
1. Notice your signature cue.
For some, it’s tension in the chest or a fidgety feeling of restlessness.
For others, it’s the need to “just check one more chart.”
For you it might be something else. Pay attention and start to become aware of what comes up for you.
2. Map the pattern
Keep a short log : what happens right before you go rogue?
Notice the time of day, physical tension, thoughts.
You are looking for a repeatable sequence.
3. Identify your threshold
There’s always a tipping point where clarity narrows: your breath shortens, attention tunnels or you start fantasising about bigger gains.
That’s your signal.
4. Interrupt the pattern and create a recovery plan (as you notice the cues)
Physically step away from the desk.
Exhale through the mouth long, slow, 6 seconds.
Let your eyes rest on something still . This shifts the nervous system out of fight-or-flight and back into focus.
This isn’t about controlling emotion.
Its about expanding your capacity so emotion doesn't control you.
Next time you’re on a hot streak, notice where focus ends and thrill begins.
That’s the edge that makes or breaks the run.
