Trader Reveals 1.5-Year Struggle Without Payout, Sparks Wave of Candid Advice and Support

In a raw and emotional Reddit post that has since been deleted, a futures trader revealed that after over 18 months of relentless effort, the trader had not received a single payout from prop firm trading — prompting an outpouring of advice, critique, and empathy from fellow members of the r/myfundedfutures community.

The futures trader confessed to feeling like a “loser” and admitted being unable to sleep due to the psychological toll of repeated failure. A screenshot attached to the original post showed a string of failed or closed evaluations with My Funded Futures (MFFU), highlighting the extent of their struggle.

“I’ve been doing this for a year and a half, and I feel like I’m just throwing money away. I don’t know what to do anymore,” the user wrote.

The post ignited a surge of responses from both seasoned and struggling traders alike. While many sympathized with the trader’s emotional state, others offered firm but constructive advice — drawing on their own painful journeys to consistency.

Failure, But Not Final

One highly-upvoted comment reframed the situation:

“You’re not a loser — you’re just using a losing strategy,” a user replied. “You don’t need more challenges, you need discipline.”

Another echoed a similar sentiment:

“It took me three years, 54 accounts, and thousands in fees before I ever saw a payout. But once I slowed down, backtested, and focused on one system, things changed.”

Veteran contributors emphasized that the root of most failures isn’t technical incompetence, but emotional instability. Overtrading, revenge trading, oversizing, and disregarding stop-losses were common traps cited in the thread.

“The moment you start trading for the payout and not the process, you’ve already lost,” one trader warned. “You’re gambling, not trading.”

Roadmap to Recovery

The thread evolved into a blueprint for struggling traders, with dozens offering tactical strategies for turning things around.

Key advice included:

• Stick to one strategy and one funding firm at a time.
• Treat SIM or demo trading as seriously as live evaluations.
• Journal every trade — including emotional state and thought process.
• Avoid trading beyond a strict daily stop or max drawdown.
• Allocate a monthly challenge budget, ideally no more than $100–$200.

“Limit yourself to one funded account attempt per month. If you fail, journal why. Don’t just click ‘buy again,’” one commenter advised.

Others emphasized the importance of slowing down.

“Doctors study for 10 years before making six figures. Why do we think we deserve it in 10 months of clicking buttons?”

Perspective From the Trenches

While some users admitted that it took them years before finding consistency, they encouraged the original poster to stay the course — but with tighter rules and a shift in focus.

“Your goal shouldn’t be to get funded. Your goal should be to become consistent. The payout is just a byproduct,” said another.

Several traders recommended stepping away from trading altogether for a short period — to reset emotionally, reassess strategies, and break harmful habits.

“If you can’t sleep because of trading, take a break,” one suggested. “A fresh mind can see setups a stressed one can’t.”

A Hard Lesson, Shared Widely

While the original poster eventually deleted the post, their experience continues to resonate with many aspiring traders. The vulnerability they shared served as a mirror for a silent majority — traders battling in private, often unaware that others are enduring the same mental battles.

The Reddit community’s collective message was clear: failure is part of the process, but failure without reflection becomes a cycle. And in trading, as in life, discipline is often the difference between falling behind and finding a way forward.

---