Reward is a guess. Risk is a plan

Reward is a guess. Risk is the only number you actually know.

When you enter a trade, you pick a target. Maybe it gets there. Maybe it gets halfway. Maybe it turns before it moves at all. The upside is a hope with a number attached. The downside is different. If you set a stop, you know the maximum you plan to lose before you click. That is the one part of the trade you control.

This is why experienced traders start with the risk and not the reward.

Amateurs ask: how much can I make?
Professionals ask: how much can I lose, and can I afford it?

A trade built around the reward feels exciting and ignores the only fact available. A trade built around the risk feels boring and survives the times you are wrong.  You will be wrong often. Everyone is.

So spend your attention on the number you know. Let the number you are guessing take care of itself.