Three years ago, I made a decision that cost me $117,000 in a single day.

it's the reason I'm sitting here writing to you now,

instead of working a soul-crushing 9-5.

Best money I ever lost.

Let me explain.

March 15th, 2022.

I'm staring at my trading account. $150,000 in capital.

Not bad for a guy who started with $2,000 and a dream, right?

But here's the thing - I was getting cocky.

I'd been on a winning streak for months. Every trade seemed to work. Every setup was printing money.

I thought I had it all figured out.

Classic mistake.

Perfect setup. Daily bias was clear. Liquidity sweep had just happened. 

Fair value gap was forming.

Everything I preach noe was lining up perfectly.

But instead of risking my usual 1%, I thought:

"This is such a sure thing. 

Why not risk 5%?"

Then 10%.

Then 20%.

By the time I was done "optimizing" my position size, I had 78% of my account on a single trade.

$117,000 on one setup.

The trade started moving in my favor immediately.

Up 2%. Up 5%. Up 8%.

I was already calculating how much I'd made. Planning what I'd buy with the profits.

Then the news hit.

Some random central bank announcement I hadn't even seen coming.

Price reversed like it was shot out of a cannon.

In 47 minutes, I watched $117,000 disappear.

Not just the profits. The entire position.

Gone.

Most people would have quit right there.

Called trading a scam. Blamed the markets. Blamed the news.

But sitting there, staring at my blown account, something clicked.

The setup was perfect. My analysis was spot on. The strategy worked exactly as it should have.

The problem wasn't my trading.

It was my risk management.

Or complete lack of it.

Speaking of managing risk and capital, I know many of you are working with smaller accounts or looking for ways to grow your trading capital. 

I've got something that might interest you - especially if you're outside the traditional Western markets or just starting out with limited funds.

There's a trading tournament starting the week of August 31st through September 5th with a $2000 cash prize to the winner. 

It's run by InfiniteQuant (they just rebranded, so you might know them by their old name), and honestly, it's a solid opportunity to test your skills and potentially walk away with some serious cash.

To participate, you need to join their Discord and claim your discount code: 

https://discord.gg/sZV7BfZ4

I know plenty of you are grinding with smaller accounts, and this could be exactly the boost you need. Plus, competing against other traders? That's how you really sharpen your edge.

That $117,000 loss taught me more about trading than any course ever could.

It forced me to rebuild everything from scratch.

Not just my account - my entire approach.

I went back to basics. 1% risk per trade. No exceptions.

Proper position sizing. Actual stop losses.

The boring stuff that nobody wants to talk about.

And you know what happened?

Within 18 months, I'd not only recovered that $117,000 - I'd doubled it.

But more importantly, I'd learned the difference between gambling and trading.

After that disaster, I developed what I now call the "Never Again" framework:

Rule 1: Never risk more than 1% per trade. Ever. 

Rule 2: If you're tempted to break Rule 1, see Rule 1. 

Rule 3: Perfect setups don't exist. Good risk management does.

Sounds simple, right?

It is.

But simple doesn't mean easy.

Your brain will fight you on this. It'll tell you "this time is different."

It'll whisper about all the money you're "leaving on the table."

Don't listen.

That voice cost me $117,000.

Here's what most traders don't understand:

Trading isn't about being right all the time.

It's about being wrong in small amounts and right in big amounts.

That $117,000 loss? I could have taken that same trade with proper risk management and lost $1,500.

Still would have stung. But I'd still be in the game.

Instead, I had to rebuild from scratch.

The framework I use now isn't sexy.

It doesn't promise 1000% returns or overnight success.

But it works.

It's the same system I teach inside IFT - the complete methodology that took me from that devastating loss to consistent profitability.

You can find it here

But here's the thing I want you to understand:

You don't need to lose $117,000 to learn this lesson.

You can learn from my mistake instead of making your own.

Talk soon, 

Atif