Education, Trading Psychology

How to Review Your Trading Journey Before the Year Closes

• January 7, 2026

There’s something about the end of the year that makes traders suddenly reflective. Maybe it’s the quiet markets. Maybe it’s the holiday spirit. Maybe it’s the realization that you’ve been promising to “clean up your trading journal” since April and now December is staring you down like, “Well?”

Either way, this is the perfect time to step back and look at your trading journey honestly, gently, and with a sense of humor. Because let’s be real: if you can’t laugh at some of your trades from this year, you’re going to cry. And that’s no way to start a new year.

Let’s walk through a human, no-nonsense way to review your trading year.

Start With Your Wins: The Trades That Made You Strut

Open your journal or platform stats and start with the trades you’re secretly proud of the ones you still talk about when no one is listening. The runner that never dipped. The breakout you caught because, for once, you didn’t overthink.

But don’t just pat yourself on the back. Ask yourself:

• What did I actually do right here?
• Was it discipline? Timing? Pure dumb luck?
• Did I follow my rules or did the universe simply decide to be nice that day?

This part matters because your wins often reveal your real strengths. And if those strengths are repeatable, that’s the foundation you want to build next year on.

Now… Yes… The Losses (Deep Breath)

Every trader has at least one trade they still think about when they’re trying to fall asleep. Maybe you sized too big. Maybe you moved your stop “just this once.” Maybe you misread the chart so badly that even your past self would look at you like, “Really?”

Instead of beating yourself up, break the losses down calmly:

• Was the idea flawed?
• Did you follow your rules?
• Were you emotional, tired, bored, or just plain overconfident?

Losses hurt, but they’re also extremely honest. They tell you exactly where to improve, even if the delivery feels like a slap.

Look at Your Trading Behavior (The Real Story)

This is where things get human, not technical.

Ask yourself:

• Did I trade well when I was stressed?
• Did I chase moves out of FOMO?
• Did I overtrade because the market was slow and I wanted “something to happen”?

You’re not a robot. You’re a person trying to make good decisions in one of the most emotional environments on Earth. Your trading behavior says more about your results than your indicators ever will.

So take note of the patterns. The good ones and the questionable ones.

Risk Management: Be Brutally Honest

If you really want a clear picture of your year, look at your risk. Not the ideal risk you wrote in your trading plan the risk you actually used.

Ask:

• Did I respect my stops?
• Was my sizing consistent, or did I go “YOLO mode” sometimes?
• Did I reduce risk during losing streaks, or did I try to “win it back”?

Risk management isn’t glamorous, but it determines who survives long enough to become good.

Identify What Still Works and What Needs to Go

Trading edges evolve. Markets change. Your life changes too.

Look at your strategies:

• Which ones made steady progress?
• Which ones stressed you out for no good reason?
• Which ones need refinement or retirement?

It’s okay to outgrow a strategy. It’s actually a sign you’re getting better.

End With Gratitude (Yes, Really)

Trading is hard. Ridiculously hard. It takes courage to show up, to keep learning, to face uncertainty daily.

So end your review with this thought:
You’re still here. You’re still improving. You’re still fighting for your place in one of the toughest games in the world.

That alone is worth acknowledging.