How much do you have to earn to exchange it for the words 'I love you'?

Five years ago, when I first entered the cryptocurrency world, I thought I was the chosen one. Whatever I bought went up, and whatever I sold went down. I thought to myself: "Isn’t Buffett just like that?" But within half a year, the market taught me to rethink everything—my account transformed from 'getting rich' to 'losing everything' faster than a girlfriend could change her mind.

During the bull market, I felt like a warrior, shouting 'ALL IN' and 'TO THE MOON' every day! When the bear market hit, I instantly became a philosopher: 'As long as I’m alive, I’m free once I break even.' A day in the crypto world is like a year in the human world.

I’ve tried to catch the bottom, only to end up halfway up the mountain; I’ve also tried to escape the top, only to watch it break through previous highs without looking back. Altcoins treated me like an ATM, contracts treated me like a withdrawal password, and MEME coins made me question life—'Can this thing really be popular???'

It wasn’t until I got repeatedly cut and had no energy left to react that I slowly understood a few blood-and-tear lessons that can truly help turn things around:

1️⃣ Learning to 'back down' is true strength

No more jumping into 'ALL IN' at every turn; position management is ten times more important than hitting a rich coin. It’s better to earn less than to lose heavily.

2️⃣ Trends don’t reason with you, but they do talk about money

Hold coins during a bull market and hold USDT during a bear market; avoid going against the trend with contracts and don’t gamble on a whim.

3️⃣ By the time the news reaches you, it’s already 'old news'

Don’t FOMO into low-quality coins; if you rush in, others are already cashing out.

4️⃣ Acknowledge losses and cut quickly

Stopping losses isn’t failure; it’s an opportunity to start over. Holding onto coins that go to zero is what makes you a true 'retail investor.'

5️⃣ Cycles are more accurate than you think

In a bear market, dollar-cost average to accumulate, and in a bull market, sell in segments; don’t be greedy for that last penny.

Now I’m still in the crypto world, but I’ve learned to: 'Leisurely watch the flowers bloom and fall in the courtyard, and casually follow the clouds roll and disperse in the sky.' My account still fluctuates, but I no longer lose sleep; when I see others getting rich, I’ll like it but not envy it. Occasionally making short trades, often holding stable coins, I don’t inflate during the bull market and don’t despair in the bear market.

The crypto world is still the same, but I am no longer the same me—

Not because of financial freedom, but because

'Understanding trading is not about the myth of getting rich overnight, but about learning to live more solidly amidst uncertainty.'

I am Orange, an old retail investor who has been trading for five years, from liquidation to recovery; this journey has been very precious!