Does your self-worth rise and fall with your P&L?

When the account balance decides how you feel about yourself, trading becomes unbearable — every loss is a verdict on you. Separating worth from results is slow, essential work.

Does your self-worth rise and fall with your P&L? — drawdown and recovery diagram
An equity curve during a drawdown and its recovery

What's your experience?

  • how losses and wins affect your self-view
  • the moment you noticed the pattern
  • what helps you separate the two
Does your self-worth rise and fall with your P&L? — risk-reward diagram
A risk-reward ratio of 1 to 2

The drawdown guide reframes losses as statistical events, not judgements.

Background: Drawdown and recovery: why a 50% loss needs a 100% gain

Losses and gains aren't symmetrical. See how much you need to recover from a drawdown, what losing streaks do at different risk levels and how to set limits.

How much do you need to gain to recover from a 50% loss?

100%. The gain needed is the loss divided by one minus the loss, so larger drawdowns need disproportionately larger gains.

What is maximum drawdown?

The largest fall in account value from a peak to a later low, before a new peak is reached, usually expressed as a percentage.

Read the full guide

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