🎯 Expectation Drift — When You Slowly Change the Rules Without Noticing

🎯 Expectation Drift — When You Slowly Change the Rules Without Noticing

🎯 The Lesson

At the start, your rules are clear.
Entry here.
Stop there.
Target there.

But slowly… quietly…
your expectations begin to drift.

You accept weaker setups.
You enter a bit earlier.
You hold a bit longer.
You justify small rule breaks.

This is expectation drift — when your standards slowly lower without you realizing it.

🧠 What Really Happens

Your brain adapts fast.
When you get bored, tired, or emotionally worn out,
your mind starts negotiating with your rules:

• “This is close enough.”

• “It almost fits.”

• “I’ll allow it this time.”

The danger is not one bad trade —
it’s the gradual erosion of discipline.

Nothing feels wrong in the moment.
But over time, your results decay…
and you don’t know why.

Your strategy didn’t fail.
Your standards did.

💡 The Fix: Lock Your Rules in Writing

Rules in your head are flexible.
Rules on paper are firm.

Write down:

• Exact entry conditions

• Exact stop placement

• Exact invalidation points

If a trade doesn’t match what’s written —
it’s not allowed.
No negotiation.

Ask yourself:

“Would I take this trade if I had to justify it in writing?”

If not, skip it.

🔑 Practical Rule: The Weekly Reset

Once a week, review your last trades and ask:

• Did I follow the same standards as before?

• Did I slowly accept worse setups?

This weekly check stops expectation drift before it damages your edge.

🚀 Takeaway

Trading discipline doesn’t break suddenly —
it fades quietly.

The best traders protect their standards aggressively.
Because once expectations drift, results always follow.

Stay sharp.
Stay strict.
Respect your own rules.

👉 Join my MQL5 channel for daily trading psychology insights:
https://www.mql5.com/en/channels/issam_kassas