{"id":578,"date":"2026-07-26T16:53:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T16:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tomknapek.com\/?p=578"},"modified":"2026-07-26T17:01:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T17:01:49","slug":"greed-doesnt-feel-like-greed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tomknapek.com\/?p=578","title":{"rendered":"Greed Doesn’t Feel Like Greed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.7″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]

Greed Doesn’t Feel Like Greed<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you asked me a few years ago what greed looked like in trading, I would have probably said, “Taking huge risks and chasing impossible returns.”<\/p>\n

I couldn’t have been more wrong.<\/p>\n

Looking back, greed never felt like greed. It felt like confidence.<\/p>\n

I remember having days when everything seemed to click. My setups worked perfectly, I was reading the market well, and by lunchtime I’d already reached my daily profit target.<\/p>\n

That should have been enough. In fact, according to my trading plan, the day was over.<\/p>\n

But instead of closing the platform, another thought quietly appeared.<\/p>\n

“The market is moving so well today.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“Maybe just one more trade.”<\/em><\/p>\n

“It would be a shame to miss the rest of this move.”<\/em><\/p>\n

None of these thoughts sounded dangerous. They sounded perfectly reasonable.<\/p>\n

So I stayed. Sometimes I made even more money. Many other times I gave a good portion of it back.<\/p>\n

It took me a long time to realize what was really happening.<\/p>\n

My strategy hadn’t changed.<\/p>\n

The market hadn’t changed.<\/p>\n

My goal had changed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I started the day, my goal was to execute my trading plan. After a few winning trades, my goal quietly shifted to making as much money as possible. That small mental shift changed every decision that followed.<\/p>\n

Suddenly I was holding winners longer than planned. Taking trades that weren’t really there. Increasing position size because I felt “in sync” with the market.<\/p>\n

Looking back, none of those decisions came from my trading system. They came from greed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here’s what I’ve learned.<\/p>\n

Greed isn’t wanting more money. We all trade because we want to make money.<\/p>\n

Greed begins the moment “enough” stops existing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You reach your daily target……and immediately create a new one.<\/p>\n

You hit that one too……and suddenly another opportunity appears.<\/p>\n

The finish line keeps moving. And because it keeps moving, you’re never actually satisfied.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of the biggest lessons trading has taught me is this:<\/p>\n

The market doesn’t care how much you’ve already made today. Every trade deserves exactly the same discipline as the first one. The market has no memory. Unfortunately, our brain does.<\/p>\n

After a series of winners, we start believing we’re seeing something special. That’s usually when greed quietly takes the steering wheel.<\/p>\n

So what can you do when you notice greed creeping in?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first step isn’t trying to eliminate greed. That’s impossible.<\/p>\n

The goal is simply to recognize it before it starts making decisions for you.<\/p>\n

Here are a few questions I now ask myself:<\/p>\n