10 Trading Goals Every Trader Should Set in 2025
The markets have changed. AI tools are everywhere. News moves faster than ever. But one thing hasn’t changed: consistency still wins.
And that starts with goals.
Whether you’re a beginner or a trader with a few scars, these 10 goals are built for the real-world challenges of 2025—from volatility spikes to burnout, FOMO, and strategy overload. If you stick to these, you’ll not only survive—you’ll grow.
Let’s break them down.
🎯 1. Set a Max Daily Loss Limit
Your first line of defense. Pick a fixed dollar amount or percentage and never cross it.
When you hit that number, step away. Don’t try to win it back. Go for a walk. Hit the gym. Discipline is your edge. If your managing a smaller account the risk management is everything.
Think of it as your circuit breaker. You don’t override it—you respect it.
🔍 2. Master One Trading Setup
Forget trying to trade every pattern you see on YouTube. In 2025, focus is your superpower.
Master one setup—like the first pullback—and become lethal with it.
“The most important goal for beginners is to learn one pattern. Be the master of one. Something you can hang your hat on daily. Being a generalist usually means being unprofitable.” – Kunal Desai
📓 3. Journal Every Trade
You can’t improve what you don’t track. Write down your entries, exits, reasoning, mistakes, and emotions.
Use screenshots. Use color. Use Tradezella. Make it part of your routine.
Journaling isn’t extra—it’s the job.
🛑 4. Avoid Trading in Emotional States
FOMO. Revenge. Tilt. All killers.
Build rules to stop yourself from trading when emotionally compromised.
“Real risk management isn’t about stop losses. It’s about managing yourself. I’ve seen traders blow up because of personal stress—fights with a spouse, work pressure—you name it. Know your triggers. Then build systems to protect you from yourself.” – Kunal Desai
📊 5. Focus on Risk-Reward, Not Win Rate
You can be wrong 60% of the time and still make money if your winners are 2–3x bigger than your losers.
Stop chasing perfection. Chase asymmetry. We are looking for spots where we get asymetric reward to risk ratios. How can we find entries on hot setups where our risk is small because we are nailing the exact inflection point.
Build your system around R-multiples—not the dopamine hit of being right.
💻 6. Learn Your Platform Cold
Hotkeys. OCO orders. Chart drawing tools. Execution shortcuts.
Whether it’s TC2000, TradingView, ThinkorSwim, or Webull—you should move through your platform with zero hesitation.
Seconds matter in volatile markets. Confusion costs money.
📉 7. Adjust Position Size Based on Volatility
Market conditions aren’t static—your sizing shouldn’t be either.
In early 2025, during the tariff volatility spike, QQQ’s ATR jumped from 6 to 26 points. Most traders tried to size up, thinking volatility meant more opportunity. That’s a trap. The higher the volatility, the smaller your size needs to be. Let the range pay you, not your size.
⏳ 8. Be Patient With Entries
Good trades don’t require FOMO. Let them come to you.
Have criteria. Wait for confirmation. Patience is a skill. Learn one pattern inside and out like the First Pullback Strategy.
This will help you get better entries as you will have extreme knowledge and practice over one setup.
Set alerts. Walk away. Act on setups—not feelings.
🧠 9. Track Your Mental State
Before every trade, ask: Where’s my head at?
Add a column in your journal: “Mindset before entry.” Was it calm? Desperate? Focused?
You’re not just trading setups—you’re trading your state.
🤝 10. Surround Yourself With Traders
Trading solo = slow learning.
Get around experienced traders. Join a chat. Find an accountability partner. Recently I went to Madrid and met some of good friends for a conference and we spent the week just trading and hanging out. I learned so much that week because so many of the traders were absolute legends. I came back with so many new ideas on how to get better and bigger in my trades. I’ve been trading with Szaman since 2008. We’ve only met once in person, but we still chat every day. It keeps me grounded.
✅ Quick Recap: 10 Trading Goals for 2025
- ✅ Set a max daily loss limit
- ✅ Master one go-to setup
- ✅ Journal every trade
- ✅ Avoid trading when emotional
- ✅ Focus on R-multiples, not win rate
- ✅ Become a platform master
- ✅ Adjust size for volatility
- ✅ Be patient on entries
- ✅ Track your mindset
- ✅ Build a trading network
❓ FAQ: Common Trading Goal Questions
Q: What’s the best trading goal for new traders?
Master one setup. It builds confidence, repeatability, and performance faster than anything else. TRY this setup here! I have used this for years every single day I have traded.
Q: How do I stay disciplined when I’m losing?
Keep a detailed trade journal and get an accountability partner. The data will tell you the truth—if you listen.
Q: Best tool for journaling?
Tradezella. It’s visual, easy to use, and helps you backtest and improve faster than spreadsheets.
Q: Is 2025 really that different?
Markets are always noisy. Headlines, elections, recessions—they come and go. The key is to have setups that work across all four market cycles.
🔚 Final Thoughts
These aren’t just goals for beginners. They’re the same ones I follow today.
They’re how I’ve stayed in the game for two decades while others blew up, gave up, or disappeared.
This isn’t just about edge—it’s about survival.
🚀 Want Help Achieving These Goals?
The 60-Day Bootcamp is built to help traders:
✅ Stay accountable
✅ Develop consistency
✅ Get real-time coaching from real traders
👉 Click here to join the 60-Day Bootcamp
🖋️ About the Author
Kunal Desai is the founder of Bulls on Wall Street and a veteran trader with over 20 years of experience. He’s trained thousands of traders to master setups, develop discipline, and trade consistently in real time.
