My Story: Learning the Hard Way
When I first started actively day trading, I didn’t begin with stocks or futures—I started with options.
And to be honest, at first it felt like I had cracked some kind of code.
I made a lot of money in a very short period of time.
And then I lost all of it just as fast.
When I was first learning about options trading, I subscribed to a service called Black Box Stocks. I want to be very clear here: I don’t believe in blaming others for my own mistakes. I was the one clicking the buy and sell buttons.
That said, this was a call-out–style service. Alerts would ping, and you’d scramble to get into a trade as quickly as possible so you didn’t “miss the move.”
Over time, this environment quietly trained me into some incredibly unhealthy habits:
FOMO — buying at worse and worse prices just to be involved
Greed — wanting to outperform everyone else instead of trading my own plan
Blind entries — entering trades without understanding the setup
Confusion — not knowing why a trade worked or failed
It took me nearly two years to fully flush those habits out of my system.
Why Pick of the Hat Will Never Be a Signal Service
Those experiences are exactly why Pick of the Hat will never be a signal or alert-based service.
I’m not interested in gambling on the next 1,000% gainer.
I’m interested in building healthy investment habits that compound over years—not adrenaline spikes that eventually implode.
The goal here is:
Clarity over chaos
Process over prediction
Sustainability over spectacle
If your story looks anything like mine—or if you’re just starting out and want to build the right foundation from day one—this space is for you.
This is about learning how to think, size, manage risk, and stay grounded.
Not about chasing trades.
Not about copying alerts.
An Invitation
If you’re tired of noise, FOMO, and emotional whiplash—and you want to approach the markets with patience, discipline, and longevity—I invite you to subscribe.
Share your story.
Share your goals.
Learn alongside others who want to do this the right way.
Thanks for being here. 🎩