I was born in 1995, and I've been a full-time cryptocurrency trader for six years. My assets are now stable at the tens of millions level, and I withdraw 150,000 every month to cover living expenses, which has almost no impact on my overall position — no need to squeeze into the subway, no need to deal with the twists and turns of the office, I live my life at my own pace every day. This kind of freedom is something I couldn't even imagine when I first entered the circle.
There are always people saying, 'With this little money, you can't make waves in the cryptocurrency world,' but my experience of starting with a small account of 5,000 and rolling three waves of mainstream cryptocurrency trends to reach 80,000 perfectly breaks this misconception: the size of the capital has never been a barrier. The real skill is being able to hit the right rhythm and use the profits correctly.
In this wave of market, I didn’t do anything complicated: after making a profit in the first wave, I didn’t rush to withdraw the money but kept the floating profit in the account as 'seed money'; when the second wave came, I added the newly earned profits, gradually increasing my position. By the time the third wave of the main surge came, I was able to fully capitalize on the trend, with my account jumping from a few thousand to 80,000. Many people don’t understand that this kind of 'rolling position' is not about one-time profits, but about 'reusing profits' as compound interest - every time you earn money is not the endpoint, but 'ammunition' for the next round of entry, allowing the profits to roll with the market; that’s how it’s done.
Survival 'Nine Principles' in the crypto market: the core to avoid three years of detours.
When I first entered the market, I also fell into traps: invested 80,000 in mainstream coins and made a bit of profit, then got carried away, went all in on altcoins and contracts, and within six months was left with only 16,000. Later, I managed to rise again, all thanks to my own 'Nine Principles'. Looking back now, this is actually the underlying logic of the crypto market, understanding it can save you at least three years of detours.
One word: stable - even if the market is crazy, do not touch opportunities you don’t understand.
Two words: control desire - don’t be greedy when you’ve made a profit; taking profit is not cowardice, it’s securing profits.
Three words: follow the rules - execute your stop-loss and take-profit lines as determined, don’t compete with the market.
Four words: calm layout - don’t rush into trading based on news, first think through the logic before acting.
Five words: follow the main force's rhythm - watch open interest and volume, don’t get stuck with retail investors.
Six words: anchor value targets - don’t touch garbage coins even if they rise, mainstream coins have their bottom.
Seven words: trade within your understanding - don’t act on patterns you don’t understand or coins you haven’t researched, no matter how tempting.
Eight words: learn real things from the market - don’t trust the 'gods' exclusive secrets; market feedback is the truth.
Nine words: know when to advance and retreat, with strategy and tactics - don’t hesitate to add to your position when it’s time, and don’t dawdle when it’s time to cut losses.
Why do most people fail to make money? They fall into two traps.
I’ve seen too many people go from profit to total loss, and it really boils down to two issues:
Either you panic and run as soon as you make a small profit - for example, selling after a coin rises by 10%, only to find out later that there was still a 50% increase ahead, effectively cutting a large profit down to 'mosquito meat'.
Either go all in with leverage at the start - seeing others doubling their investments in MEME coins, you throw all your capital in and add 5x leverage, and a slight market pullback leads to liquidation.
Over the past few years, I’ve been able to maintain stability by adhering to one rule: only using floating profits to roll positions, not touching the principal. This way, even if the market performs poorly, the loss is only what was previously earned, and the principal remains safe; but once the market moves in the right direction, the profits rolled out from floating gains will snowball and become increasingly significant.
Winning strategies in crypto 'Five Strategies': if you want to rely on trading coins for a living, you must remember these.
If you plan to stay in the crypto market long-term, or even rely on it for a living, I suggest you save these 'Five Strategies' and ponder them repeatedly.
Take profit and cut losses as a baseline - we trade coins to make money, not to 'date coins'. Sell when it reaches the target, don’t think about 'just a bit more'; if it goes against you, cut losses, don’t wait for 'a chance to break even', dragging it out will only lead to more losses.
Don’t chase extreme highs and lows - the market has no absolute 'lowest point' or 'highest point'; ordinary people simply can't grasp them. If you can buy at the bottom range and sell at the top range, you’ve already outperformed 80% of people.
Only enter the market when volume and price resonate - just looking at price increases is not enough; you need to check if the volume follows. If the coin price hits a new high but the volume is decreasing, it’s very likely that the main force is unloading; don’t chase, it’s better to miss out than to make a mistake.
React quickly to seize opportunities in the first tier - when good news comes out, first grab the mainstream coins in the first tier. If you miss that, quickly look for the second tier in the same track; don’t hesitate, being a step behind could mean missing the opportunity.
Only those who know how to rest can make money - the main surge in the crypto market only lasts a short time, the rest is either sideways or correcting. Don’t think about trading every day; when it’s time to rest, stop trading, recharge, and wait for the next opportunity; not losing is earning.
Practical skills: Bollinger Bands + contract data to judge short-term trends.
Many people get 'fooled' by trading contracts: clearly seeing from the technical analysis that it should drop, yet it rises instead; thinking it will rise, only to suddenly crash. Actually, using 'Bollinger Bands + changes in contract positions + long-short ratio' can explain this, for example, in this wave of market:
The coin price tested the middle track of the Bollinger Bands three times, each time quickly retracting after a spike - this indicates 'not dropping when it should', showing strong support; looking again at the long-short ratio, it had been rising but suddenly began to drop, while open interest was increasing - this means retail investors are leaving while the main force is quietly building long positions. Combining the two, the probability of subsequent increases is very high.
The contract market currently has a significant impact on short-term trends; even if you only trade spot, you need to pay attention to these two data points:
Long-short ratio: if the number of retail investors going long increases, and suddenly breaks the trend line, a correction is highly probable.
Open interest: if the price rises and open interest also rises, it indicates that the main force is still entering; if the price rises but open interest falls, it may mean the main force is quietly unloading.
Six iron rules in crypto: if you adhere to them, you at least won’t lose everything.
Finally, a few realistic words: the crypto market is not a 'money-picking ground', it’s a 'battlefield'. If you adhere to these six iron rules, you can at least survive in the market; living long enough makes it possible to earn money.
Asset allocation of 3-5 types is enough - don't go all in on a single coin, and don't buy a dozen types to 'spread the risk'. Buying too many will lead to chaos, and in the end, the average increase won’t outpace Bitcoin.
Think through all scenarios before buying - are you doing short-term or medium-term? What if it drops by 5%? If it rises by 20%, how much will you sell? If you can't figure it out, don't buy, or you will either get stuck or miss out, and only end up regretting your decisions.
Avoid contracts if possible - I have friends who traded contracts, made 20 million during the bull market in 2021, but due to greed and leverage, two years later, they not only lost everything but also owe millions. Winning ten times in contracts is not hard, but losing once will wipe you out.
Only invest spare money, do not borrow - do not use money for buying a house or retirement for trading coins, and definitely do not borrow money or use credit cards. The crypto market has long bear and short bull cycles; those who borrow cannot withstand corrections and will end up cutting their losses at low prices.
If you're optimistic, buy enough at once - don't just buy a little at a low price, and then chase the price up, which will artificially raise your average cost. If the market turns, it's easy to get trapped.
Value investing requires holding - if you recognize a mainstream coin, don’t panic sell just because it drops in the short term. Truly valuable coins will reward you over time; downturns can actually be opportunities to add to your position.
In reality, trading coins is like life; it’s not about luck, but mindset and discipline. At the beginning, I studied 'secret techniques' every day, but later realized that what is truly useful are the simplest principles: spend 80% of your time researching and 20% of your time trading; don’t be greedy, don’t panic, and don’t rush. If you can achieve these, you have already surpassed most people. As for 'whether trading coins for a lifetime leads to success', the answer is simple: being able to earn consistently and live the life you want is success; if you keep losing and remain obstinate, then you need to cut your losses promptly and not fight against yourself.
