Overview: Gavin, a chartered accountant, spent 15 years stuck in cycles of over-analysis, hesitation, and frustration. After trying fundamental analysis, technical tools, ETF strategies, and even SPA3 Investor without fully committing, he realized the problem wasn’t the markets… it was his mindset. By applying Trading in the Zone principles and Atomic Habits to a rules-based system, he finally achieved consistent, stress-free trading.
Most traders chase new indicators or strategies, but consistency comes from habits and psychology. If you’ve been trading for years without steady results, Gavin’s story shows what it takes to break the cycle and trade with calm confidence.
What Went Wrong in the First 15 Years?
When Gavin first started trading in 2005, he assumed his background as a chartered accountant gave him an edge. He leaned heavily on fundamental analysis, scanning company reports and balance sheets.
But over time, he noticed the problem: fundamentals moved slower than markets. By the time earnings or ratios revealed a shift, prices had already moved.
“I thought if I just dug into the numbers hard enough, I’d find certainty,” Gavin recalls. “But markets don’t care about certainty.”
So he turned to technical analysis. At first, it felt promising; charts offered clear buy and sell signals. But the more indicators he added, the less decisive he became.
Like many retail traders, Gavin slipped into analysis paralysis. At times, he wouldn’t act at all, and at other times, frustration pushed him into over-trading, another common pitfall. In fact, Dalbar’s Quantitative Analysis of Investor Behavior shows the average investor underperformed the S&P 500 by more than 6% annually over the past 30 years, largely due to emotional and behavioral mistakes.
Gavin was no exception.
Why Do Smart Traders Still Struggle?
Even with technical knowledge, many traders fail to make consistent profits. Why? Because trading is less about finding the “perfect” system and more about execution.
Gavin assumed his accounting background gave him an edge. He dug deep into company reports and balance sheets, but by the time fundamentals shifted, markets had already moved. Switching to technical indicators seemed promising, but too many signals created confusion instead of clarity.
Takeaway: The real risk isn’t picking the “wrong” system; it’s failing to execute any system with consistency.
What Mistakes Held Gavin Back for 15 Years?
Here’s what Gavin tried before things finally clicked:
- Fundamental analysis: too slow to keep up with market moves.
- Technical indicators: too many signals led to analysis paralysis.
- ETF strategies: discretionary choices created second-guessing.
- SPA3 Investor: proven edge, but he never committed fully.
Every tool produced conflicting signals. One said buy, another said wait. The result? Hesitation, missed trades, and frustration.
Takeaway: Complex, conflicting strategies drain energy. Simple, rules-based trading saves time and reduces stress.
What Changed Gavin’s Trading for Good?
The turning point came when Gavin stopped searching for the “right” indicator and looked inward instead. Inspired by Tom Basso, he listed his strengths and weaknesses:
- Strengths: perseverance, analytical skill, detail focus
- Weaknesses: procrastination, perfectionism, emotional discipline
That’s when he re-engaged with Share Wealth Systems, not just using SPA3 Investor mechanically, but combining it with mindset training based on Mark Douglas’ Trading in the Zone and James Clear’s Atomic Habits.
With this shift, he built new habits:
- Daily affirmations to reinforce probability-based thinking
- Fixed entry and exit routines to avoid procrastination
- Journaling trades and emotions to build awareness
- Starting small to reduce stress and let habits grow
“It sounds simple, but it was transformational,” Gavin says. “The system didn’t change, I did.”
Takeaway: Identity-based habits, not motivation, create effortless trading.
What Results Did Gavin See?
Within months, Gavin noticed clear changes:
- Trades were executed automatically, without hesitation.
- Losses no longer triggered spirals of doubt or revenge-trading.
- His focus shifted from single outcomes to long-term expectancy.
- He spent less time watching markets, more time living life.
Most importantly, Gavin began to trust both himself and the system.
“It’s not about winning every trade. It’s about flawless effort, doing my job, and letting the edge play out. That’s when trading finally felt effortless.”
And the results showed: while Gavin doesn’t share exact figures, he reports his performance now aligns far more closely with SPA3 Investor’s verified long-term edge of 12%+ annualized returns over the last 20+ years.
Why Gavin’s Story Matters for Other Traders
Research confirms that most retail traders lose money, not because their systems don’t work, but because they can’t execute them consistently. A 2019 study published by the Journal of Financial Economics found that less than 5% of active traders outperform the market after costs.
Gavin’s journey is proof that consistent execution, anchored in trading psychology and right habits, can turn years of frustration into calm, repeatable success.
Final Thoughts
Gavin’s story highlights what most traders eventually discover: the hardest part isn’t finding a new indicator or scanning another balance sheet. It’s learning to trust the process.
For 15 years, he battled doubt, second-guessing, and conflicting methods. The breakthrough finally came when he stopped searching for certainty in the markets and started focusing on building consistent habits based on a rules-based system.
That shift, from trying to control outcomes to owning his trading with the right mindset, is what turned trading from his source of stress into something calm and repeatable.
At Share Wealth Systems, this is the change we aim to support: freeing traders from the cycle of over-analysis so they can finally experience trading without fear, conflict, or chaos.
Team Reflection
Gavin’s journey shows the heart of what Share Wealth Systems stands for. His shift wasn’t about finding the “perfect” strategy but about breaking the constant cycle of doubt, second-guessing, and stress.
As Gary often reminds members:
“Trading is never really about the markets. It’s about you. Once you learn to step back, trust a rules-based process, and remove the noise, trading becomes simple. That’s when consistency starts to show up.”
For us, Gavin’s story is proof of why we do this work. More than performance numbers, it’s about freedom, confidence, and the calm that comes with finally being in control.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why do most traders struggle to make consistent profits?
The biggest issue isn’t finding a winning strategy; it’s executing it consistently. Many traders let emotions like fear, greed, or hesitation dictate their actions, which leads to inconsistent results.
2. What is a mechanical trading system?
A mechanical trading system is rules-based. It removes guesswork by providing clear entry, exit, and position-sizing rules. This helps traders avoid emotional decisions and stay consistent.
3. How does trading psychology affect results?
Mindset often determines success more than strategy. Without discipline, traders abandon systems too early, overtrade, or hesitate to act. Research shows that emotional mistakes are one of the main reasons most retail traders underperform the market.
4. Can habits really improve trading performance?
Yes. Small, repeatable habits like journaling, trading, reviewing affirmations, or sticking to set times help reduce stress and create consistency. As James Clear explains in Atomic Habits, identity-based habits compound over time to shape long-term success.
5. Is trading about winning every trade?
No. Even the best traders lose often. The key is understanding expectancy, the average outcome over many trades. Just like casinos, traders with a verified edge win consistently in the long run, even though they lose on individual trades.