“A trader’s real skill is not prediction — it’s adaptation.
The market rewards those who shift with it.” — Kaliamma
This week, the market once again revealed patterns I’ve seen many times before.
The US market opened high but closed low.
The Indian market opened low but closed high.
The directions were opposite. However, both were driven by familiar forces —
short covering in one market and long unwinding in the other.
Different outcomes, same behaviour.
Just like many phases I’ve personally experienced,
the market can lift you up in the morning and shake you by the evening.
These shifts usually arise from:
- Sudden changes in sentiment
- Quick profit booking
- Traders cutting risk
- Position adjustments
- Or simply fear entering the system
The direction may differ,
but the nature of these moves remains the same.
And every time, the market teaches the same lesson:
adapt — or get left behind.
⭐ The Tamil Wisdom That Always Helped Me Adjust
There is a Tamil proverb that has guided me many times:
“ஆடுகிற மாட்டை ஆடி கறக்கணும்,
பாடுகிற பாட்டை பாடி கறக்கணும்.”
“To milk a dancing cow, you must dance.
To milk a singing cow, you must sing.”
Meaning —
adjust to the environment, flow with the trend, align with the market.
Whenever I resisted this truth, I suffered.
Whenever I accepted it, I survived.
⭐ A Painful Trap I Have Faced Before: Revenge Trading
In situations like this week, I’ve personally experienced how easily revenge trading can creep in.
It starts small:
A losing trade hurts.
Emotions rise.
And suddenly the mind wants to “win it back quickly.”
In the past, I’ve seen how this leads to:
- Oversized positions
- Impulsive entries
- Margin calls
- Forced square-offs
- Emotional exhaustion
- Avoiding good setups out of fear
- Entering bad setups out of frustration
And the worst part?
If a revenge trade wins once, the brain gets rewarded — and the cycle continues.
It took time and discipline to break that pattern.
⭐ The Rule That Saved Me
“If the Market Shifts, I Shift.”
Years ago, I created a simple rule for myself.
This week reminded me why it still works:
“If the market shifts, I shift.”
No ego.
No prediction.
Just alignment.
⭐ Practical Steps I Follow to Stay Aligned
1. Accept Being Wrong — Exit Early
One of the hardest lessons I learned:
exiting early is strength, not weakness.
A small loss protects both the account and the mind.
Wait too long, and both suffer.
Sometimes, I simply reduce position size until clarity returns.
2. Obey the Stop-Loss Immediately
Earlier in my journey, delaying a stop-loss cost me heavily.
Now, I treat SL as a non-negotiable rule —
it is protection, not punishment.
3. Stop Predicting — Start Following
Over the years, I understood this deeply:
Prediction is ego.
Following is clarity.
The market doesn’t reward predictions.
It rewards discipline.
⭐ Capital Protection Always Comes First
In every situation I’ve been through —
from volatile days to unexpected reversals —
one truth has remained constant:
Protect your capital before trying to predict the market.
When capital is safe:
- You think better
- You trade better
- You stay in the game longer
The trader who shifts with the market survives.
The trader who resists reality breaks.
⭐ Final Reflection
Patience has rescued me many times.
Flexibility has guided me.
Accepting reality has kept me grounded.
This week reminded me again:
The market can change at any moment.
The wise trader changes with it.
Move with the flow.
Protect your capital.
Shift when the market shifts.
And trading becomes clearer, calmer, and wiser.
With warm regards and gratitude,
Kaliamma
