Sometimes I wonder why the successful people in cryptocurrency trading are always in the minority. There are tons of indicators on the market, main funds, volume-price relationships, various technical patterns—talking about them all night wouldn’t be enough. Yet, those who can actually make a living and earn steadily are always just a few.

It took me a long time to understand that the killer move of top traders is never the few techniques they have. It's not about how many techniques you know, but how you view problems and think about this business. Today, we're discussing those five foundational mindsets that can elevate a person to the 'top of the trading pyramid.' How many do you have?

01

The first type of thinking is process-oriented, not result-oriented.

This is truly the first lock that keeps countless people outside the door of financial freedom! When I first started, my account was fluctuating between red and green, and my heart raced along with it. Every single trade, whether gaining or losing, directly affected my mood. When I made money, I felt like the reincarnation of Buffett; when I lost, it was like a thunderstorm, and I questioned my life.

But top traders don’t think this way at all. They only care about long-term statistical results, not the correctness of single trades. Have you seen a casino? Does the dealer care if some guests occasionally win? The logic is simple: the odds are in their favor, and as long as the number of games played increases, they will win. Trading stocks or futures is the same; as long as the system and method can consistently yield positive expectations, short-term losses and gains are just background noise.

I remember there was a time when the market crashed. One of my friends, Xiao Li, managed a small loss thanks to his system, while everyone else was panicking and cutting losses. I asked him, 'Aren't you afraid of losing more?' He said, 'I just follow the rules. Each result is random, and no one can predict it. I only look at the overall account.' That's the difference between experts and us.

02

The second type of thinking is to break free from recent biases and not let recent market conditions blind your eyes.

Too many people around me, especially beginners, always take the recent volatility as experience. 'This thing increased fivefold last year, so I’m going all in this year!' 'Isn't the system that just broke even capable of long-term compound wealth?' This is a typical 'recent bias'—when the market performs well, everyone overestimates the long-term sustainability of everything, as if good fortune will last forever.

But the truth is, the market changes every day, and past experiences can easily become worthless. I personally took a significant loss after relying on a trend strategy for three months, only to give back all the profits in the fifth month. Experts know that history cannot guarantee the future; the market is like a changing snake, and clinging to historical experiences will only get you bitten.

What is the mindset of top traders? Whether the market is bullish or bearish today has nothing to do with yesterday. Strategies are not set in stone; they must be dynamically adjusted based on market conditions. They always hold a sense of 'awe' rather than overflowing confidence.

03

The third type of thinking is straightforward—if you have the ability, give up on predictions!

How many people think 'losing money is entirely due to my prediction errors'? Many traders around me stare at the market every day, saying, 'I think this wave will rebound,' 'It should be close to the bottom'... But the truth is, no one can accurately predict the future. Even Buffett and Soros can’t do it; we shouldn’t fantasize about getting rich through predictions.

The core quality of top traders is not the ability to predict but the ability to respond. What do you do if the price rises? Should you increase your position or lock in profits? If things don’t go as expected, can you decisively stop losses? Experts have completely abandoned the obsession with predicting the future; they take it one step at a time and adjust in a timely manner—this is the key to avoiding major pitfalls.

Once, a friend who trades options told me very frankly, 'No one can confirm market trends, but what I can confirm is how I will react if the direction is wrong.' To be honest, seeing this mindset puts me at ease.

04

The fourth type of thinking relies entirely on probability, rather than 'I want to win every trade.'

Beginners always want to seize every opportunity, fearing they might miss out. But seasoned traders understand—the real determinant of wealth is 'win rate multiplied by profit-loss ratio,' not winning every time. Even if you have nine small losses out of ten trades, if you win big on the tenth, you still end up in the positive.

There’s a saying that goes well: Can’t chase new highs? Not necessarily. Sometimes, a new high is a signal of trend continuation. As long as you control stop losses and have a large enough profit-loss ratio, you can still win in the long run. Top traders calculate overall probabilities; when they are wrong, they take small losses, but when a big bull market comes, they profit immensely.

My friend Xiao Wang used to always think, 'If I make one mistake, I’ll deny myself entirely.' I told him, 'Never think about zero mistakes; we are here to do business, not to get a perfect score like a good student.' Top players only care about whether this particular bet is worth it—everything else is secondary.

05

The fifth type of thinking is to take 100% responsibility for all your results.

Is losing money due to market manipulation by major players? Is it due to leaked information? Or is someone leading the charge against me? Many people think this way.

But top traders are not like that. They always ask, 'Where did my system go wrong? Am I emotionally imbalanced? Did I violate my own principles?' Ultimately, in the market, some people make money while others lose, and the difference lies in the human heart—no one can make money or lose money for you; everything must be borne by yourself.

I have a mentor, an old trader. When he loses, he always first asks himself if there’s a problem with his process, never passing the blame. After fixing it, he improves for next time. This self-reflective mindset is the key to continuous improvement.

Trading is not about who has the best information or who is the boldest. It’s about who can survive longer, who can grasp long-term probabilities, and who can continually review and update their strategies. 99% of people are defeated by the market, not because their skills are too poor, but because they haven't mastered these five mindsets.

You think about it—

Do not be misled by single wins or losses, do not blindly trust historical experience, let go of the obsession with prediction, embrace probabilistic thinking, and take full responsibility.

It looks easy, but it's truly difficult. Battling human nature and fighting against the market is the hard work that top traders must do every day.

Ultimately, what we compete with in trading is not K-line techniques, but the underlying structure of your thinking, your mindset, and your attitude.

I want to ask all my peers, which of these five types of thinking resonates with you the most? Do you have your unique insights? Feel free to share your stories and insights in the comments section—it might just be the key to the next big breakthrough!

What do you think? $BTC