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Monday Motivation: Fantasy vs Reality

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Written by Timothy Sykes
Updated 4/3/2026 7 min read

It’s easy to start something that can change your life (like trading)…

But it’s even easier to quit when it gets difficult. I call that…

The fantasy vs reality dilemma.

A good example is gym memberships.

90% of people with gym memberships don’t go to the gym (they just pay every month).

If you look at gym attendance, it’s high in December and January because…

“I’m going to finish the year off strong and crush my New Years’ resolutions.”

Then attendance dips until April/May when people want their summer body.

But only consistency wins in the long run. The same goes for trading…

Show up every day, study hard, and avoid chat rooms run by fake gurus and filled with delusional newbies.

Their fantasy nonsense only leads to pain.

Which is why we’re seeing THIS reality play out almost every day…


The Setup: Welcome To the Short Squeeze Supernova

Bitter toxic lemon short sellers are a perfect example. They live in a fantasy dreamscape conjured up in sketchy Discord chat rooms.

The weird thing is, they’re not wrong about the companies (most of these companies fail). But they’re WAY wrong about how far penny stocks can run. And the past few weeks shorts have faced harsh reality after harsh reality.

For example, urban-gro Inc (NASDAQ: UGRO), which squeezed from the $2s to $47:

Source StocksToTrade, UGRO 3/23/26 to 4/2/26, short squeeze supernova
Source StocksToTrade, UGRO 3/23/26 to 4/2/26, short squeeze supernova

Next up was VisionSys AI Inc. (NASDAQ: VSA). It went from 60 cents to $2.90:

Source StocksToTrade, VSA 3/23/26 to 4/2/26, short squeeze supernova
Source StocksToTrade, VSA 3/23/26 to 4/2/26, short squeeze supernova

Then PMGC Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELAB) squeezed shorts from the $1s to the $14s:

Source StocksToTrade, ELAB 3/23/26 to 4/2/26, short squeeze supernova
Source StocksToTrade, ELAB 3/23/26 to 4/2/26, short squeeze supernova

And there were many, many more. Shorts are getting crushed, especially on days the overall market is up.

The good news is, short seller fantasy leads to endless opportunities for longs.

Watch for this pattern and stay disciplined (and THANK YOU short sellers for your sacrifice).

Remember, easy is the fantasy. Discipline and consistency will always win out over time.

Now, get inspired…


Millionaire Moves

Here are two great examples from students. Their journeys are very different, but there’s a golden thread that runs through all my top students’ journeys.

First, check out Jack Kellogg’s X post from last week:

$100k a day keeps the real job away, right? But what most people fail to realize (or forget too easily) is that Jack lost for his first year. It took him two years to cross $100k.

Everyone wants to live the fantasy and make $100k in a day like Jack. But very few people are willing to put in the effort to get there.

Now check this out, from long time student Himmeny in Trading Challenge chat:

04/02 4:03PM HIMMENYtimothysykes: new best day ! +$907.08 and new best week! +$2,128 !

Here’s what you don’t know…

Himmeny has been a Trading Challenge student for almost 10 years. 10 freakin’ YEARS!

In his first four years, Himmeny lost $3,582…

Source Profit.ly
Source Profit.ly

Then, in a Friday night chat room conversation with Jack, Himmeny realized success would only come when he dropped the fantasy and faced reality.

In this 2021 blog post, Himmeny 2.0 was born…

“This time I will try harder than ever, I will push myself beyond my limits, and if it doesn’t work, I will restart again. There is no failure other than quitting. Quitting is not an option. This is my passion.”

Himmeny isn’t a millionaire yet (not even close). But look at the difference in his profit chart since he did a total reset:

Source Profit.ly

Get inspired by Jack AND Himmeny.

I don’t know how long it will take Himmeny to join my 50+ millionaire students. But as long as he stays humble, I believe in him.


Himmeny and all my 50+ millionaire students started in the same place.

If you’re ready to drop the fantasy, face reality, and find freedom…

Apply for My Trading Challenge Today

More Breaking News


Catalyst Watch: War Torn Whipsaw

You’ve probably noticed that since the Middle East conflict started, markets have been all over the place. One day, the war is “almost over.” The next, it’s going to take “a few more weeks.”

Ugh.

When it’s “war on,” the indexes are down and oil is up. “War off”… oil drops and the market goes up.

Keep an eye on the news because roughly 75% of stocks follow the market. That gives you a starting point every day.

Remember, your job is to react and take what the market gives.


On My Radar 

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  • I wasn’t even born when the last astronaut moon shot happened. Get inspired by today’s lunar flyby.
  • The Labor Department released the latest jobs report on Friday. Let’s see how the market reacts.
  • Last week I travelled to Thailand for a very special new Karmagawa charity mission. My first stop in Bangkok is always Nobu with a view…


It’s up to you.

Will you fall into the fantasy trap?

Or do you get up every day, excited to study and learn?

If you can accept the reality that becoming a profitable trader is a marathon and not a sprint…

You can achieve anything.

Now go crush it this week.

Cheers



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Author card Timothy Sykes picture

Timothy Sykes

Tim Sykes is a penny stock trader and teacher who became a self-made millionaire by the age of 22 by trading $12,415 of bar mitzvah money. After becoming disenchanted with the hedge fund world, he established the Tim Sykes Trading Challenge to teach aspiring traders how to follow his trading strategies. He’s been featured in a variety of media outlets including CNN, Larry King, Steve Harvey, Forbes, Men’s Journal, and more. He’s also an active philanthropist and environmental activist, a co-founder of Karmagawa, and has donated millions of dollars to charity.
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* Results are not typical and will vary from person to person. Making money trading stocks takes time, dedication, and hard work. There are inherent risks involved with investing in the stock market, including the loss of your investment. Past performance in the market is not indicative of future results. Any investment is at your own risk. See Terms of Service here

The available research on day trading suggests that most active traders lose money. Fees and overtrading are major contributors to these losses.

A 2000 study called “Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors” evaluated 66,465 U.S. households that held stocks from 1991 to 1996. The households that traded most averaged an 11.4% annual return during a period where the overall market gained 17.9%. These lower returns were attributed to overconfidence.

A 2014 paper (revised 2019) titled “Learning Fast or Slow?” analyzed the complete transaction history of the Taiwan Stock Exchange between 1992 and 2006. It looked at the ongoing performance of day traders in this sample, and found that 97% of day traders can expect to lose money from trading, and more than 90% of all day trading volume can be traced to investors who predictably lose money. Additionally, it tied the behavior of gamblers and drivers who get more speeding tickets to overtrading, and cited studies showing that legalized gambling has an inverse effect on trading volume.

A 2019 research study (revised 2020) called “Day Trading for a Living?” observed 19,646 Brazilian futures contract traders who started day trading from 2013 to 2015, and recorded two years of their trading activity. The study authors found that 97% of traders with more than 300 days actively trading lost money, and only 1.1% earned more than the Brazilian minimum wage ($16 USD per day). They hypothesized that the greater returns shown in previous studies did not differentiate between frequent day traders and those who traded rarely, and that more frequent trading activity decreases the chance of profitability.

These studies show the wide variance of the available data on day trading profitability. One thing that seems clear from the research is that most day traders lose money .

Millionaire Media 66 W Flagler St. Ste. 900 Miami, FL 33130 United States (888) 878-3621 This is for information purposes only as Millionaire Media LLC nor Timothy Sykes is registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser. No information herein is intended as securities brokerage, investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes cannot and does not assess, verify or guarantee the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, the suitability or profitability of any particular investment, or the potential value of any investment or informational source. The reader bears responsibility for his/her own investment research and decisions, should seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before making any investment, and investigate and fully understand any and all risks before investing. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes in no way warrants the solvency, financial condition, or investment advisability of any of the securities mentioned in communications or websites. In addition, Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information. This information is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decision, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns.

Citations for Disclaimer

Barber, Brad M. and Odean, Terrance, Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors. Available at SSRN: “Day Trading for a Living?”

Barber, Brad M. and Lee, Yi-Tsung and Liu, Yu-Jane and Odean, Terrance and Zhang, Ke, Learning Fast or Slow? (May 28, 2019). Forthcoming: Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=2535636”

Chague, Fernando and De-Losso, Rodrigo and Giovannetti, Bruno, Day Trading for a Living? (June 11, 2020). Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=3423101”