A friend of mine was telling me today about his frustration with one of his positions that went bad. He suggested that it had so discouraged him from trading that he was going to stop participating in the market. Don’t give up. If you love trading, don’t give up. Go ahead and take a break. Spend some time evaluating what went wrong and what you could have done to make the trade work out. Unfortunately, sometimes that analysis is useless. Sometimes there is nothing you could have done and the position is overtaken by events. But time away from the market is definitely worth it and you should never trade with a lack of confidence or love for the pursuit of profit. If you find the time off was better without trading, then go ahead and stay away. On the other hand….we all have bad performances but just like a child that falls off his bike, it’s important to get back on - Don’t give up!