I adhere to a fundamental rule in trading: if you can't explain a trading idea in one sentence, then don't touch that market.

It sounds simple, but it can really save your life. Too many people get caught up in vague hopes—"Maybe it will go up," "Feels like it's about to rise." These are all bad ideas.

What do I want? Three things, at least:

**Clear trigger point**—What event or data will trigger action?

**Clear market response**—What specific price or liquidity change will this event cause?

**Clear time frame**—When will all this happen?

This isn't some fancy theoretical concept. It's a survival rule. When you can clearly articulate "this event → will produce this response → will happen within this time window," you truly understand what you're doing. Everything else is gambling.