Process vs Outcome
Psychology
What it means
Judging a trade by whether you followed your rules (process), not whether it made money (outcome). A good process can lose; a bad process can win.
Example
You took a setup exactly per your plan and lost $100. That is a good trade (process right, outcome wrong). You chased a FOMO entry and made $50. That is a bad trade (process wrong, outcome lucky).
Mistake beginners make
Beginners reward themselves for lucky wins and punish themselves for disciplined losses. Over time this trains the bad behavior and kills the good behavior -- exactly backwards.
Related terms
- Edge — A repeatable reason your trades should make money over a large sample, paired with risk ma…
- Journaling — Writing down every trade's setup, entry, exit, size, emotion, and the result, so you can r…