Trading like you’re desperate essentially means you are “desperate” to make as much money as you can as fast as you can, and this is what prevents most traders from actually ever making money, ironically. When you do things like trade when your edge isn’t there, or increase your position size beyond what you know you’re comfortable with losing or otherwise deviate from your trading plan, you are trading as if you’re “desperate” to make money. Things like having a trading plan, being disciplined and not over-trading or risking too much per trade, holding your trades longer, placing your stops further away, etc.