After eight years in the cryptocurrency world, I finally understand the 'subtraction of trading'.
When I first entered the circle in 2017, a senior casually said, 'In the end, trading is about subtraction,' which I only noted down as a motivational quote. At that time, my mind was only filled with 'doubling' and 'financial freedom', and I had no idea what it meant to let go.
Like most newcomers, I desperately read books and followed the strategies of forum experts, dreaming of replicating the so-called 'sure-win system', but I overlooked the most basic skill—reviewing trades. After a year, my account balance remained stagnant, and I even lost more than I earned.
Until one day, I realized I was just an ordinary person with no shortcuts to take. So I began to study the market diligently: from mainstream coins to altcoins, from hourly charts to monthly charts, breaking down and backtesting each trade. The data told me that theoretically, I should be profitable each year, but in practice, I still faced continuous liquidation. That time, a huge bearish candle in ETH left my position empty, and in the cold wind, I wandered the streets for two hours, filled with questions: I clearly understood the method, so why was I still losing?
I tried to reduce my trading frequency and control my losses, but the returns remained erratic. Until one time after a loss, I reread the passage 'The movement of the Way is in its reversal; the use of the Way is in its weakness' from the Tao Te Ching, and suddenly realized: most people pursue high profits, yet losses are inevitable; preserving the principal is the true way. Wanting to grasp the whole situation is 'strong', but only seizing a part of the opportunity is 'weak'; letting go leads to gain.
Since then, I changed my trading method: I first ask myself, 'Can I afford to lose?', and if I can't afford it, I resolutely do not proceed; I only operate on opportunities that I understand thoroughly and have reliable backtests, no longer fantasizing about getting rich overnight.
Many people say they understood these principles long ago, but only those who have truly experienced pain understand: not blowing up accounts anymore is not about being smarter, but about learning to acknowledge ordinariness, learning to put in hard work, and learning to let go. The subtraction of trading is actually about reducing desires, reducing obsessions, and reducing greed and ignorance—by letting go of what should not be kept, one can grasp the true opportunities.
If you, too, are trapped by 'knowing but not being able to do', perhaps you can try to reduce your obsessions a little more.
