One, Early Winter 2016: The First Heartbeat with 5,000 Capital on BTC
I will always remember the scene when I first opened the exchange page, the BTC price on the 19-inch monitor jumped with green numbers, reminiscent of the stock market quotes I sneaked at in high school. I used 5,000 I saved from working to buy 0.3 BTC, and it rose by 20% that night—I rolled on the floor of my rental apartment but didn’t notice the long upper shadow on the K-line chart. Three days later, BTC crashed, and the 5,000 shrank to 3,000; when the landlord came to collect the rent, I was munching on a cold bun, staring blankly at the screen.
The wall still has the trading record from 2016, with a note saying: 'Newbies die from chasing highs, old hands die from bottom fishing'—this was the first lesson I learned: Bitcoin is the barometer of the crypto space, when it falls, altcoins will only fall harder.
Two, May 19, 2018: The USDT Premium Rate Saved My 100,000 Principal
On that Black Friday, BTC plummeted from 8,000 USD to 5,000 USD, I watched the USDT premium rate soar to 5%—remembering what a big guy once said, 'When USDT rises, be wary of Bitcoin falling,' I decisively cleared my spot and exchanged for USDT. Three days later, BTC dropped to 3,800 USD, and I bottom-fished with USDT, making 80,000 back and forth. A colleague at the next desk mocked me for 'running after making a little money,' but later he got liquidated at the same point and has yet to recover.
In the drawer of my trading desk lies the chat records from that time, where a certain big influencer shouted in the group, 'Bottom fishing is just picking up money,' and I replied, 'USDT premium rate is 5%, let’s wait a bit.' Looking back now, the success of that trade relied entirely on the iron law of 'Bitcoin and USDT moving inversely'—when USDT rises, smart money is withdrawing.
Three, March 12, 2020: The Spike at 1 AM Earned Me My First Pot of Gold
On that Black Thursday night, BTC dropped from 7,000 to 3,800, I set a limit order at midnight: to buy BTC at 3,800 for 1,000 USD, and ETH at 100 for 500 USD. The spike at 1 AM unexpectedly executed, and the next day when it rebounded to 4,200, I sold it, earning 1,200 USD—this was my first taste of 'lying and earning,' and I also remembered the magic of 'midnight to 1 AM limit orders.'
The K-line chart from that time is hanging on the wall of the trading room, with the spike point circled in red, next to it is written: 'Do not underestimate the time when the big player acts in the early morning.' Last month, my cousin shouted in the group, 'No one trades at night,' I threw him the chart: 'How many people got liquidated because they didn’t believe in the spike on March 12, 2020?'
Four, 2021 Bull Market: The Trend Judgment at 6 AM Saved 200,000
A certain DeFi coin rose for three consecutive days, and everyone in the group was sharing their profits. I was watching the K-line from 6 to 8 PM: it continued to rise after 6 PM for three days, but on the morning of the seventh day, I noticed the upward momentum slowing down and decisively liquidated my position. Later, that coin fell from 3 USD to 0.5 USD, and those who chased the highs got stuck—this is a classic case of 'morning trend judgment.'
In my trading desk notebook, I recorded the analysis at that time: 'From 0 AM to 6 AM continuous rise, still rising from 6 to 8, the day is likely to fall.' Now every morning at 6 AM, I unconditionally check the market, my wife laughs at me for being 'more punctual than an alarm clock,' but she doesn’t know how many crashes this habit has helped me avoid.
Five, 2022 Federal Reserve Interest Rate Hike: The Terrifying Three Minutes at 5 PM
Before the interest rate hike announcement, I was watching the K-line at 5 PM: BTC fell from 20,000 to 18,000, and suddenly surged. Remembering the pattern of 'American traders starting work at 5 PM,' I decisively shorted it—three minutes later, BTC plummeted to 16,000, and I closed my position earning 30,000. Later I learned that those three minutes were the big players inducing a pump to offload.
Now, my phone is set with an alarm for 16:59, reminding me 'Market Watching Mode On.' The wall of the trading room has a warning that '5 PM is a high-frequency change period,' below is the trading record from 2022: 'Reduce holdings by 50% before 5 PM, avoiding 70% of the plunge.'
Six, 2023 AI Bull: The Survivor Game of Black Friday
A certain AI coin skyrocketed 30% on Friday, and everyone in the group shouted, 'Black Friday must rise,' but I dug up historical data: in the past 10 Fridays, only 4 times did it hold true. I decisively reduced my holdings at the high point, and sure enough it plummeted over the weekend—this was the lesson of 'Black Friday is just for reference.'
In the drawer of my trading desk, there is a 'bloody history' book, with the first page writing: 'On a Friday in 2018, I went all in and got liquidated for 50,000; on a Friday in 2023, I reduced my holdings and saved 200,000.' Last week, a friend chased a certain coin at a high on Friday, I threw him the book: 'Look, don’t believe rumors, believe in data.'
Seven, 2024 Bear Market: The Philosophy of Recovery for Declining Coins
A certain public chain coin fell from 5 USD to 2 USD, I watched the trading volume stabilize and remembered the rule 'coins with trading volume should be held patiently,' and I averaged down in batches. A month later, it rebounded to 4 USD, earning 50%—this trade made me understand: the decline of quality coins is temporary, while the decline of junk coins is permanent.
Now, my trading system has a 'junk coin filter': top 10 addresses holding >50%, no product, and coins that are wildly hyped in the community are directly excluded. The wall of the trading room has a slogan 'Patience is the best averaging down' with the K-line chart of that coin below, noting: 'In the 2024 bear market, hold for 28 days to break even.'
Eight, Now in 2025: The Wealth Code of Holding Long-Term
When BTC rose from 10,000 to 60,000, I looked at the 10 BTC in my account and remembered my original intention of buying at 3,800 in March 2020. Countless times I wanted to trade short-term, but I was pressed down by the principle of 'long-term, less trading'—in the end, I earned 15 times, which is 3 times more than frequent trading.
On my trading desk, there are two frames: on the left is the buying record from 2020, and on the right is my son's drawing of 'Dad's Bitcoin.' Every time I feel the urge to trade impulsively, I look at them—often the most profitable strategy in the crypto space is the simplest one.
Nine, The Ten Warning Walls of Nine Years in the Trading Room Now there are ten plaques hanging on the walls of the trading room, corresponding to nine years of blood and tears lessons:
Bitcoin Barometer: Missing the BTC Rhythm in 2016, Losing My First Capital
USDT Inverse Record: Earning Back 100,000 in 2018 with USDT Premium
Midnight Spike Class: March 12, 2020, Saved My Life by Setting Limit Orders
Morning Trend Judgment: The Key 30 Minutes to Escape the Top in 2021
5 PM Heist: The Three Minutes That Avoided the Rate Hike Plunge in 2022
Breaking the Friday Spell: The Survival Rule of Not Believing Rumors in 2023
Patient Recovery Technique: The Philosophy of Averaging Down in the 2024 Bear Market
Long-Term is Golden Rule: The Foolish Way to Earn 15 Times in 2025
External Influence Book: Lessons from Elon Musk's Twitter That Made Me Earn and Lose
Mindset Cultivation Scripture: Life Philosophy Grasped After Three Liquidations in Nine Years
Epilogue: A Letter to All Crypto Friends on the Road
Last night, my son asked me, 'Dad, is the crypto space fun?' I stroked his head and said, 'Not fun, but it can teach people many lessons.' The moonlight outside shone on the trading desk, and those scratches from years past sparkled—I’ve been in the crypto space for nine years, it’s not about how much money I made, but finally understanding to replace greed with discipline and to use experience to combat risks. And these ten bloody lessons are all survival guides forged with real money.
Now, I always keep 30% cash in my account, and only have on-chain data tools on my phone. Occasionally passing by the exchange where I once got liquidated, I think of that young man crying on the floor—opportunities in the market are never lacking, what’s lacking is the mindset to be responsible for oneself. Once you carve these ten experiences into your bones, it becomes hard to lose.
