Trade Like a Lion: Only Strike When the Odds Are Stacked
Why the best traders don’t chase every setup — and how restraint becomes your edge.
Once, I watched a guy try to square up to a bouncer.
6’5”, arms like tree trunks, just waiting for an excuse to flatten someone.
The other guy?
Maybe 5’7”, scrawny dude… but full of attitude and delusion.
Thought he could win. Thought this was his moment.
It ended exactly how you’d expect. 
This was the late 90s, and he wanted into that club soooo badly, but the bouncer wasn’t having it.
Rather than walk away, say nothing, maybe try again later…
He picked a fight he couldn’t win.
Booze played a part. But that moment?
It was the definition of self-destruction.
And honestly?
Some traders do the same thing every day.
Be the Lion, Not the Idiot
Think about a lion for a moment, king of the jungle.
Fierce. Deadly. Apex predator.
But he doesn’t chase everything.
He doesn’t charge a full-grown elephant.
He doesn’t sprint into a herd of buffalo.
He waits.
He watches.
He picks the moment with the highest probability of success:
A weak deer straying from the herd
A youngster drinking alone
A tired, limping target
The lion is lethal because he’s selective.
He knows his edge. He protects his resources.
He only strikes when the odds are stacked in his favour.
If he chased every opportunity?
He’d burn out. Starve. Die.
Now… think about your trading.
Every setup is not your setup.
Every market is not your opportunity.
If you’re forcing trades in dead zones, fighting chop, chasing every candle…
You’re the guy swinging at the bouncer.
Today, think like a lion:
- Wait for your advantage
- Preserve your capital
- Press hard only when the odds are stacked in your favour
Let others fight over scraps.
You wait for the kill shot.