iffHODL I started my trading journey full of optimism and excitement. Armed with $3,000 in cash, I was eager to dive into the world of crypto. I believed that over time, the market would favor my investments and I'd see profits. But I quickly realized how wrong I was.

1. Buying Crypto with $3K Cash

I thought investing in cryptocurrencies would be a sure bet. I bought into a few popular coins, expecting steady growth. However, what followed was a sharp realization: many cryptocurrencies lose value over time. I watched as my $3,000 started shrinking in value, and panic began to set in. It wasn’t just about holding; it was about understanding that the market is volatile, and nothing is guaranteed.

2. Leverage Trading – A Dangerous Gamble

In my desperation to recover my losses, I turned to leverage trading. It seemed like the perfect solution to make quick profits. At first, I had some success. The wins were thrilling, but they were short-lived. I didn’t fully grasp the risks involved with leverage trading. The more I tried to make up for my losses, the deeper I fell.

Here’s what I didn’t realize early on: leverage is not your friend. It's a tool designed to amplify both your gains and your losses. The market algorithms are faster than any human could be, and they’re constantly working against retail traders like me. Even when I thought I had a solid strategy, big players were moving the market in ways I couldn’t predict, and my account was getting wiped out faster than I could keep up.

Why I Lost Everything

The turning point came when I realized I was no longer trading based on strategy or research. Instead, I was trading out of panic, trying to recover losses by doubling down on riskier trades. That’s when I lost it all.

A New Approach

I’m not giving up on trading; I’ve learned too much from my mistakes. Moving forward, I’m changing my entire approach. Instead of chasing trends and trying to outsmart the market, I’m going to focus on understanding market psychology. I want to predict where the majority of traders will go—and position myself