The feeling
“He made $2,000 on one gold trade today. I made $80. I’ve been at this for months. What am I doing wrong? I need to trade bigger. I’m falling behind.”
That sinking “I’m behind” feeling is one of the strongest pushes towards bad trades.
The short answer
Comparing yourself to other traders’ screenshots means measuring your whole record against someone else’s best moment. It makes good, careful days feel like failure, and it pushes you towards bigger size, chasing and rule-breaking.
The screenshot hides almost everything that matters: the losses, the account size, the risk taken, and how many trades it is out of. The fix is to compare yourself only with your own past record, in R and rule-following, and to mute the feeds while you trade.
Why your brain does it
- We judge ourselves by comparing. “Am I doing well?” is a hard question. “Am I doing better than him?” feels easier, even when the comparison is unfair.
- We see their highlights and our full story. You know every one of your losses. You see none of theirs.
- Big numbers are loud. A $2,000 screenshot grabs attention. A steady +0.3R a week does not, even though it might be the better trader.
- Feeling behind feels urgent. Urgency leads to bigger size and FOMO.
The luck maths: why winning posts are always there
Simple probability, not a real survey. Imagine 1,000 traders. None of them has any edge: every trade is a coin flip, 50% win.
- After 5 trades, about 31 of them (1,000 × 0.5⁵ = 31.25) have won all five.
- Those 31 feel brilliant. Some post screenshots. Some start selling signals.
- The other 969 had mixed or bad results. Most of them post nothing.
- After 10 trades, about 1 of the 1,000 has won all ten. That one may become a “guru”.
In a big enough crowd, impressive winning streaks happen by chance alone. What you see in a group or feed is filtered: the winners speak, the losers are quiet. This is one reason regulators make brokers publish what share of retail accounts lose money. See why most retail traders lose money.
What a screenshot never shows
| The screenshot shows | What it leaves out |
|---|---|
| +$2,000 on one trade | How many trades lost before and after |
| A big number | The account size: $2,000 on $200,000 is 1% |
| The result | The risk taken: was it 1% or 40%? |
| One day | The month, the year, the drawdowns |
| A “live” account | Whether it’s demo, edited or someone else’s |
Some screenshots are simply fake. Our guide to the fake trading lifestyle shows how edited screenshots and demo “proof” work. And if the poster is selling signals, read gold signal group red flags.
A gold example: the $80 day was the better day
Example numbers. You have a $4,000 account and risk 1% = $40 per trade. Your one planned trade made 2R = $80. Every rule followed.
The screenshot shows +$2,000 on one trade. If the poster had a $5,000 account, that is 40% of it in one trade. To win that much on one trade, the risk was almost certainly huge. The same size on a losing day could have cost a similar amount.
Your $80 day was a good day: a planned trade, a fixed risk, a rule kept. Doing that 200 times is how a method shows what it’s worth. Doing what the screenshot did 200 times usually ends in a blown account.
Warning signs
- You check groups or social feeds in the middle of your session.
- A post makes you raise your size or take an unplanned trade.
- You feel your own small wins “don’t count”.
- You’ve changed strategy because of someone else’s results.
- You hide your own losses because others don’t seem to have any.
Five fixes you can do today
- Mute the feeds while you trade. Groups, social apps and chats are off during your window. Look later, if at all.
- Compare only with your past self. This month vs last month: average R per trade, rule-following score, biggest loss. Use your trade journal.
- Ask the four questions. For any screenshot: what were the losses, the account size, the risk, and how many trades is this out of? If you can’t answer, it tells you nothing.
- Follow people who show process. Prefer traders who share losses, risk per trade and full records, not only wins. Our page on a community vs a paid mentor has more on this.
- Write your own “why”. One line at the top of your plan: why you trade, and what a good month looks like for you. Read it when a post makes you feel behind.
Your rule card
My comparison rules
- ☐ Feeds and groups are muted during my trading window.
- ☐ I compare with my own record only: R per trade, rules kept.
- ☐ Any screenshot: losses? account size? risk? out of how many trades?
- ☐ A post never changes my size or my plan.
- ☐ My good month looks like: ________
A better scoreboard
Instead of other people’s screenshots, keep your own weekly scoreboard with three numbers:
- Rules kept: out of all your trades this week, how many followed every rule?
- Average R per trade: your result divided by your risk, averaged.
- Biggest loss in R: was it 1R or less?
These numbers improve slowly, and they are fully in your control. A month of 100% rules kept and no loss bigger than 1R is a real achievement, even if the money is small.
Common mistakes
- Thinking you need someone else’s size. Their size, if real, may be their next blown account.
- Switching strategy every time someone posts a win. You’ll never collect enough trades to know if anything works.
- Trading to have something to post. Posting your own wins can create the same pressure on you.
- Believing “everyone else is winning”. The evidence that regulators collect says the opposite for most retail traders.
Sources
- The coin-flip example is simple probability (1,000 × 0.5⁵ and 1,000 × 0.5¹⁰), checked by script. It is not a survey of real traders.
- The account and screenshot numbers are example numbers.
- Regulator loss figures are covered, with sources, on why most retail traders lose money.
Educational content only, not financial advice. Trading gold with leverage carries a high risk of loss.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I feel bad when I see other traders' profits?
Because you are comparing your full record, with every loss and doubt, to the single best moment someone else chose to post. Your brain treats it as a fair comparison. It isn’t, and the feeling of being behind can push you to take more risk.
Are trading profit screenshots real?
Some are real, some are edited, some are from demo accounts, and many are real but chosen from many trades. Even a real screenshot shows one trade, not the losses, the account size or the risk taken. Our fake trading lifestyle guide shows how to check.
How do I stop comparing myself to other traders?
Mute groups and feeds during your trading window. Compare yourself only with your own past record, measured in R and rule-following. Ask what any screenshot leaves out: losses, risk, account size and how many trades it is out of.
Why are there always people posting big wins?
Because with many traders, some will have big wins by luck alone. If 1,000 people each took five coin-flip trades, about 31 would win all five. Those are the ones who post. The others stay quiet.
Is it OK to learn from other traders?
Yes. Learning from someone’s method, reasoning and full record is useful. The problem is comparing your results to their best posts. Look for people who share losses, risk and process, not only wins.
Comments
No comments yet.