If you can't take a small loss, sooner or later you will take the mother of all losses.
In order of importance to me are: 1) the long term trend, 2) the current chart pattern, and 3)picking a good spot to buy or sell.
Pyramiding instructions appear on dollar bills. Add smaller and smaller amounts on the way up. Keep your eye open at the top.
Everybody gets what they want out of the market.
To avoid whipsaw losses, stop trading.
The biggest secret about success is that there isn't any big secret about it, or if there is, then it's a secret from me, too. The idea of searching for some secret for trading success misses the point.