In the trading world, there is a common belief that you must share your results to prove your success and build credibility. Social media, trading communities, and influencer culture have all contributed to this idea, where traders often feel the need to showcase their profits to gain followers, attract attention, or even validate their expertise. However, while sharing results can be a personal choice, it is not a requirement for success in trading. In fact, focusing too much on sharing results can detract from the more important aspects of trading, such as strategy, risk management, and emotional discipline.

The belief that you must share your results overlooks the reality that trading success is about consistency, discipline, and decision-making, not about proving your success to others.

Why Traders Think You Must Share Your Results

Several reasons contribute to the idea that traders should share their results:

• Building credibility: Some traders believe that sharing their results, especially when profitable, will build their credibility and attract followers, clients, or business opportunities.
• Social media culture: On platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, it’s common to see traders posting screenshots of their profits or live trade videos to showcase their success. This has led to the misconception that sharing results is a necessary part of being seen as a successful trader.
• Competition and validation: Many traders feel compelled to prove their success in order to compete with others or gain validation within trading communities. Sharing results can create a sense of accomplishment and recognition.
• Impressing others: In some cases, traders may share their results to impress their peers, clients, or followers. The idea is that by showing large profits, they can establish themselves as experts or successful investors.

While these reasons may seem valid, they often distract from the core focus of trading — improving your strategy, managing risk, and staying disciplined.

Why You Don’t Have to Share Your Results

While sharing your results may be a personal choice, it is not essential to your success as a trader. Here are several reasons why you don’t have to share your results:

• Focus on the process, not the outcome: Trading success comes from developing and executing a solid strategy, not from showing off your profits. Focusing on the process of consistent execution, risk management, and emotional control is what ultimately leads to long-term success.
• Privacy and personal preference: Some traders prefer to keep their results private. Trading is a personal journey, and there’s no requirement to share your wins or losses with others. Whether you choose to share your results or not should be based on your own preferences, not external pressures.
• Avoiding the pressure of public expectations: When you share your results, especially if you’re a public figure or have a large following, there can be external pressure to maintain a certain level of success. This can lead to emotional trading, impulsive decisions, or even performance anxiety, which negatively impacts your trading outcomes.
• Risk of misinformation: Posting trading results on social media or other platforms can lead to misinformation. Traders might share profits but omit losses, creating a skewed perception of their success. This can mislead others and create unrealistic expectations, which can be harmful to beginners.
• The dangers of comparison: Constantly sharing your results, especially in communities where others are doing the same, can lead to unhealthy comparisons. You might feel compelled to chase profits or enter trades that don’t align with your strategy just because others are sharing their success. This can lead to emotional trading and poor decision-making.

True trading success is not about proving anything to anyone but about consistently following your plan, managing your risk, and improving your skills over time.

When Sharing Your Results Can Be Beneficial

There are a few scenarios where sharing your results can be beneficial, especially in the context of learning or building a community:

• Educational purposes: Sharing your results as part of an educational process can help others understand how strategies are applied in real market conditions. In this case, sharing is not about showing off profits but about demonstrating the practical application of trading principles.
• Accountability: For some traders, sharing results within a small, trusted group or with a mentor can help with accountability. By openly discussing their results, they can receive feedback and improve their approach.
• Building a community: Traders who run trading blogs, YouTube channels, or trading courses might share results to build a community and provide transparency. When done honestly and responsibly, this can help followers understand the realities of trading and build trust.
• Motivation and inspiration: In some cases, sharing your results can be motivational for others, especially when they see that trading success is achievable. However, this should be done with care to avoid setting unrealistic expectations.

In these cases, sharing results can be beneficial, but it should be done with the intention of helping others learn and grow, rather than seeking validation or recognition.

Why You Should Focus on the Process Instead of Sharing Results

The key to long-term trading success is focusing on the process, rather than on showing off your profits. Here’s why:

• Consistency is key: The most successful traders are those who focus on consistent, disciplined execution over the long term. They understand that trading is a marathon, not a sprint, and that short-term profits or flashy results do not define their success.
• Emotional control: By focusing on the process rather than the outcome, traders can avoid becoming emotionally attached to individual trades or results. This helps maintain clarity, reduce impulsive decisions, and stay true to their strategy.
• Risk management: Successful traders are those who prioritize risk management over the pursuit of profits. Focusing on the process allows you to manage your risk effectively and protect your capital, rather than getting caught up in the excitement of posting big profits.
• Learning from losses: Sharing only profits can create a distorted view of trading, where losses are hidden or ignored. In reality, losses are a natural part of the process. Focusing on the process helps you learn from both wins and losses, refining your strategy over time.

By focusing on the process, you can avoid distractions, make better decisions, and ensure that you are always working toward sustainable, long-term success.

Examples of Traders Who Focus on the Process

• Warren Buffett: One of the most successful investors of all time, Buffett is known for his long-term approach and focus on fundamentals, rather than on short-term gains. He doesn’t share his results to impress others but instead lets his investments speak for themselves over time.
• George Soros: Soros is another successful trader who focuses on strategy and risk management rather than sharing his trades publicly. He is known for his disciplined approach and ability to learn from mistakes, rather than boasting about his wins.
• Institutional traders: Many institutional traders and hedge fund managers prefer to keep their results private, focusing instead on building consistent, long-term portfolios for their clients. They understand that the real value in trading comes from managing risk and maintaining a consistent strategy.

These traders have achieved remarkable success not by focusing on sharing results, but by maintaining a disciplined, long-term approach to their trading and investing.

Conclusion

It is not true that you must share your results to be successful. While sharing results can be helpful in some contexts, such as educational settings or for accountability, trading success is ultimately determined by your ability to follow a consistent strategy, manage risk, and control your emotions. Focusing on the process, rather than on showing off results, will lead to long-term profitability and growth.

To learn how to develop a solid trading strategy, manage risk, and stay disciplined in your approach, enrol in our expertly designed Trading Courses today.