Why I Stayed Unprofitable for Years

Author

Atif Hussain
March 04, 2025

Hey Mate,

I’ll be honest—becoming a profitable trader took me way too long.

I had the knowledge.

I knew about liquidity.

I had a simple entry model.

But I still couldn’t make money.

Why?

Well for a few reasons...

The Mistakes That Kept Me Stuck

I tried everything:

  • Penny stocks and options

  • VWAP, level 2 data, and complex indicators

  • Forex, futures, and stocks

  • ICT and SMC strategies

I was a professional strategy hopper.

I’d get excited about a new model.
I’d backtest it.
I’d go live.

Then, after a few losses, I’d think, "This strategy must not work."

And the cycle would repeat.

Every time I heard about a new method, I thought, "This is it!"

But guess what? It never was.

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My Unrealistic Expectations

I was convinced I needed a 90% win rate to be profitable.

When my strategy showed a 50% win rate with 3RR, I thought:

"This isn’t good enough. I need something better."

But here’s the truth:

  • A 50% win rate with 3RR can make you a millionaire.

  • At 3RR, your winners are 3x your losses.

  • With a 50% win rate, 1 in every 2 trades wins.

But instead of sticking with it, I kept looking for the “perfect strategy.”

I wanted the holy grail, and that search kept me stuck.

Sadly, there is no holy grail—trust me, I tried looking for it!

The Breakthrough Moment

When I finally stopped strategy hopping, everything changed.

I realized:

  • Profitable traders aren’t chasing the next best strategy.

  • They master one edge and trade it consistently.

  • The markets don’t change—a proven strategy will always work if you stick to it.

Once I started trusting my edge, my win rate increased, my losses felt smaller, and I began to see steady progress.

But the real breakthrough came when I made one final shift:

I stopped seeing myself as a trader who was “trying to become profitable” and started seeing myself as a profitable trader.

If your subconscious mind believes you’re just “trying” to make it, you’ll act like someone who is always trying—never arriving.

But when I changed my mindset to “I AM a profitable trader,” my actions naturally aligned.

I executed trades with confidence, handled losses with grace, and stopped second-guessing my strategy.

And that’s when my results went from random and inconsistent to predictable and profitable.

It wasn’t just a technical shift—it was a complete transformation in how I saw myself.

Final Thoughts

If you’re still not profitable, ask yourself:

  • Are you strategy hopping and chasing new methods?

  • Do you have unrealistic expectations?

  • Does your subconscious mind match your goals?

If the answer is yes, then it’s time to simplify, trust your edge, and reprogram your mind for success.

And I’d love to hear from you:

  • What strategy are you currently using?

  • Do you find yourself constantly searching for the next big thing?

Reply and let me know—I read every response.

Until next time,
Atif

P.S.

If you want to shortcut your path to profitability, I’ve put everything you need inside the Iron Forged Trading Program—the exact system I used to go full-time.

I’m actually adding some special modules in the next few days 😉

Check it out here.