Day trading sounds glamorous: wake up late, trade for 2 hours, make a month's salary, and enjoy the rest of the day.

Reality check: less than 10% of day traders are consistently profitable. And most of those have years of experience, strict routines, and multiple screens — plus a cold heart for losses.

Here's what day trading really looks like:

- Waking up at 5 AM to check pre-market

- Staring at 1-minute candles for hours

- Watching a trade go from +5% to -3% in 10 seconds

- Feeling your heart race with every tick

- Ending the day exhausted, sometimes with less money than you started

The biggest mistake? Overtrading. The market doesn't owe you a trade every day. Some days, the best trade is no trade.

If you still want to try, set a daily loss limit. Stop when you hit it. No exceptions. Your future self will thank you.