For sure. Also, I think a lot of people underestimate how much patience and self confidence is required for this job. Even if you have a strategy with a long-term Sharpe of 2, it's hard to distinguish it from noise on a day to day basis.
I think most retail traders care about the outcome too much. They start trading to escape something. They have too much riding on the trades. Figuring out what to do, while a challenge in itself, is just the start. Doing the right thing, no matter what the outcome, is the hard part. So make it meaningless ... trade to be better ... trade to achieve mastery. Accept you may never get there but it will be worth trying anyway. Ah so easy to comprehend yet so difficult to practice.
An interesting article which could help justify telling friends who don't have the magical inner calm and the love of the thing, to stay out of trading. Stress might lead to memory loss and brain shrinkage, study says https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/24/health/stress-memory-loss-under-50-study/index.html The big game hunter. And because it is close to Halloween.
Trading is hard because you make it hard! If you go to You Tube, you can learn to trade stocks. The good thing, it is free. You do not have to pay a mentor thousands of dollars to learn to trade. That said, there are things you must do if you expect success as a trader: 1) practice risk management or your life as a trader will be short lived, 2) have a trading log, how can you correct mistakes you are making if you have no record of it?, 3) have a trading plan, how can you get from point A to point B to point C if you do not have a map?, 4) trade with the trend, not against it, trading against the power of the big hedge funds guarantees you lose your monies, 5) have a trading edge, if you have placed 100 trades and you are losing monies despite, an 80% win rate, you have no edge! A win rate of 40% with a trading edge is far better! Trade like a casino instead, of as a gambler! Gamblers in Las Vegas casinos always lose! They do not have an edge but, the casinos do! All of the things I mentioned are available to Google or on You Tube. You can become a good trader but, it all depends on you! A lot of posters come on Elitetrader but, they are all over the place, like flies! Focus on the important stuff or you are just wasting your time and other people's time! This is JMHO, no BS, no fluff, no nothing! I am not here to sell you anything or even convince you of anything! I taught myself everything and trying to become an even better trader! You just got to keep learning and improving!
I'm not so sure. You will most likely be disappointed sooner or later. But I like that people on internet are getting more transparent.
Seriously, if you want to become a good trader. There is some work involved. If you are not prepared to do some work, you will never make it! Read my entire post. You go to You Tube and Google to figure out how to do the important stuff. No one is going to spoonfeed you everything! I was more than generous to lay it all out for everyone to use! If you cannot see that value in it, keep doing what you are doing! Not here to sell you or convince you of anything!