Ava is back the next morning, coffee in hand, calm as always.
“Diversification gave you a hull,” she says. “Now we build a trade that behaves when the water moves. Tempo first. Then steps. Then the compass. Then the autopilot.”
You’re staring at ETH coiling under resistance. The old reflex wants one perfect entry, one heroic click. Ava shakes her head.
“Cadence beats courage. Stop hunting bottoms—build a base.”
You schedule $250 a week for four weeks while the structure holds. Fills arrive without drama: 3,050, then 2,980, then a wick at 2,905, and finally a reclaim at 2,965. Your average is 2,975. Not clever—reliable. The noise in your chest fades. No bargain with every candle. Just progress.
“Good,” Ava says. “Now build in steps, not leaps.”
Same risk budget, $100. At $3,000 with an 8% stop, one ETH would cost you $240. Too big. The math says 0.4167 ETH. Ava splits it into four clips—0.1042 ETH each—spread at 3,000, 2,940, 2,880, and 2,970 on the reclaim. They fill across the day. The realized average is 2,947.50. With the −8% invalidation, risk per ETH is 235.80, so the whole position risks $98.25. Under budget. You feel the difference in your body—no single click carries the weight anymore.
“Now you need a compass,” Ava says. Two maps lie open:
— Stop 8%, target 12% → 1:1.5
— Stop 8%, target 20% → 1:2.5
“Same uncertainty,” she says. “Different life.”
You trace the math: five trades at a 40% win rate. At 1:2.5, the week ends +$200. At 1:1.5, you break even. At 1:1, you bleed. And when you cut winners too early, the numbers turn cruel—you can “win” twice and still lose the week. The compass doesn’t lie.
“Last piece,” Ava says, pointing at the order ticket. “Autopilot.”
You write it down: stop-market at 2,760. First target 3,240, take a third, move the rest to break-even. Final target 3,600. The plan is boring, which is why it works.
When the wick comes, you feel your pulse rise. Bid depth collapses; the stop fires at 2,758. −$107. Contained. Later, a clean push tags 3,240; partial fills, rest protected at break-even. Snapback returns time, not capital. On the next leg, price rips through 3,600. The order closes itself while your heart rate stays steady.
Ava closes her notebook. “Tempo. Steps. Math. Autopilot. In that order. You just built a trade that expects randomness—and survives it.”
Pocket anchors
Field drill (2 min • order template)
Stage four limit entries sized off a $100 risk and −8% stop. Pre-set a 1R partial and a break-even stop. Write the plan once, then promise yourself you won’t touch it mid-storm.