“Maybe my rules are actually too strict. They're making me miss good opportunities.”
Have you caught yourself thinking this?
Why do your rules feel most restrictive precisely when they prevent you from taking a trade you want?
What's happening psychologically?
A rule designed to protect consistency can begin to feel like an obstacle. When price moves without you, the restriction is frustrating and the trader may wonder whether the rule is outdated.
Sometimes that criticism is justified, but timing matters. If the desire to change a rule appears immediately after a missed winner, the assessment may be shaped by the known outcome, not by reliable evidence.
There is a difference between improving a system and changing its rules because they prevented something you wanted.
Often preceded by
Missed trades, watching excluded setups succeed, frustration with waiting.
May involve
Motivated reasoning, outcome bias, impatience, discomfort with limitations.
Can lead towards
Looser criteria, inconsistent execution, unreliable strategy statistics.
Catch it
Notice when you want to change a rule right after seeing a profitable move it excluded.
Interruption question
“Would I still want to change this rule if the missed trade had resulted in a loss?”
When this thought might be reasonable
Rules should evolve when sufficient evidence supports revision, best assessed outside an emotionally charged session.