When I typed these words in an office building in Shanghai, I had just video-called my parents, who were sitting on the balcony of the river-view apartment I bought three years ago, drinking tea. No one could have imagined that this 32-year-old guy, who has settled down in a first-tier city and owns two apartments, was just a 'newbie' six years ago, holding over 200,000 in savings and barely understanding candlestick charts in the crypto market. Even fewer would believe that when my account hit a low of only 50,000, I didn't cut my losses and leave; instead, I relied on a 'counterintuitive simple method' to endure until my assets broke into eight figures. Today, I’m sharing my survival rules to help friends still struggling in the crypto track avoid pitfalls.
First Iron Law: Mindset is 1, skills are the zeros behind
I've seen too many people holding tens of thousands in capital but dreaming of 'tenfold in six months', fully invested chasing highs and lows, only to end up unable to protect their principal. When I first entered the market, I also made the mistake of being overly eager, only to wake up when my account shrank by 75%: the smaller the capital, the more you need to learn to 'penny-pinching.' My strategy is 'catching the main trend once a year' — in 2021, I seized the DeFi explosion, and in 2023, I'm watching AI concept tokens. The rest of the time should either be light positions and observing, or engaging in stable yield cross-chain arbitrage. Never put all your eggs in one basket; always keep at least 30% of your liquid funds so that when the market changes suddenly, you have the confidence to 'be greedy when others are fearful.'
Second Iron Law: If cognition is not in place, profit is just luck
Many beginners ask: 'Should I practice with a demo account first?' My answer is: 'Yes, but don't get addicted.' The numbers in the demo account lack the pain; you will never experience sleepless nights when your real money is stuck, nor will you learn to 'never hesitate to stop-loss' with determination. True cognitive enhancement comes from falling in real combat — I once lost 200,000 due to being superstitious about a 'big shot's recommendation' on a certain altcoin, and later forced myself to spend 4 hours a day studying white papers and analyzing on-chain data, gradually building my own judgment system. Remember: what allows you to make stable profits is never inside information but your deep understanding of project logic and market cycles.
Medium to long-term vs. short-term: two sets of logic, don't mix them up
If you are trading medium to long-term, you must meet the 'two sufficiencies': sufficient liquid capital + sufficient patience. The core cryptocurrencies I hold are all about buying on dips and selling on rallies — for example, when a certain platform token drops from $80 to $30, I increase my position in three batches, and when it rises to $150, I sell half gradually, which lowers my cost and locks in profits. It must be emphasized that 'stop-loss' is crucial: when a cryptocurrency drops below your psychological expected price, and the fundamentals haven't improved, immediately cut losses and exit. As long as the principal is intact, there is a chance to turn things around.
For friends doing short-term trading, I recommend focusing on 15-minute candlestick charts, using KDJ and MACD indicators to find buy and sell points. But never fall into 'indicator superstition'; I've seen people fixating on RSI overbought and oversold signals, only to be washed out by the main force and doubt life. The essence of short-term trading is 'quick in and out'; set your take-profit and stop-loss points, leave the market when the target is reached, and don't get greedy or linger.
Core Mindset: Break out from 'seven losses, two breaks, one gain', the key is 'focus'. Don't think about trying every model of medium to long-term, short-term, and contract trading. Stick to the trading system you are best at, and grind for 3 months; it will naturally become your 'profit weapon.'
