The hard part is to decipher whether you are in the right path and you should keep going until you see the light or whether you are wrong and by keep going you are just worsening things.
%% I see your points LukeZ; or you could study 100 YEARS+ OF stock data , get a private library + make up your mind what you want to do.Maybe i had an advantage? Because after my first year of worse than random short term trading,LOL, i proved the market was NON random. I knew it was non random, before i started. My comments don't really apply to stocks under $5 or 5 minute candle charts
And I agree and experienced and see the same. You know that you are not-random when you bend yourself towards the non-random flow of the market (when it is high volume market, such as futures ES, NQ etc) , then you start to use your mind as a mechanic tool for the next step, not as a great creator of thoughts, as it normally tempting to be and at this point, your account balance shows that you are not-random. Sorry, just my two pennies.
%% Because its just like my banker dad said, ''accidents don't just happen son ,they are caused.'' Insurance rates are not random also; that is why they charge youngsters more..... LOL + true. Thanks for your question, Fred F.