When I first stepped into the crypto world, I was only obsessed with getting rich quick. Refreshing my account at three in the morning, even a decimal point moving over could make my heart race; seeing a green candle on the chart made me feel like a genius. Back then, I believed that 'holding on would lead to financial freedom,' thinking that the bear market was just a temporary pullback, and going all in was a game for the brave.

The first lesson in humility came during the winter of 2018. Watching my assets shrink by 80%, I started to learn self-comforting through 'value investing.' In reality, it was just an ostrich mentality unwilling to cut losses, seeking solace in the fantasies of 'the market makers washing out' and 'institutions accumulating.' The calls for 'hold on, brothers' on social media were just a collective woven illusion of survival.

The craziness of the bull market in 2021 made everyone lose their way again. DeFi, NFT, Metaverse, each new concept felt like a password to wealth. The pain of once being trapped in worthless coins was overshadowed by FOMO, and I once again heavily invested in the shout of 'this time is different.' It wasn't until LUNA collapsed overnight that I saw the so-called 'consensus' was nothing but a mirage.

Now, ten years have passed, and I've finally seen the biggest illusion in the crypto world: we always mistake luck for skill, crediting the bull market to our vision and blaming the bear market on the market. In fact, retail investors have never been competing against market makers but are fighting against human greed and fear. Those 24-hour market fluctuations are merely a magnified reflection of humanity.

Those who have truly survived in the market understand: there is no holy grail in crypto, only probabilities. What can be taken away is not the myth of financial freedom but an everlasting respect for the market. Those hundredfold coins that once made your heart race have ultimately turned into cold numbers in transaction records—some went to zero, some cashed out, and many more have become stories not worth mentioning.

The biggest enemy of retail investors has never been the market but the arrogance of thinking they can conquer it.

Once I stumbled alone in the dark, now the light is in my hands.

The light is always on; will you follow? @币来财888