It was late at night. I was scrolling through Telegram groups, watching people hype a new token with a name that sounded like a joke. The chart was flying. People were posting gains. I had $10 in my Binance wallet.
So I did it.
I bought the memecoin.
Within two hours, it was down 70%.
That’s the short version. Here’s what actually happened — and what I learned.
1. Hype Moves Fast — and It’s Usually Too Late
By the time people are talking about a token everywhere, it’s already pumped.
Most of the early buyers are already in profit — waiting for people like me to show up late, buy high, and hold their bags.
Lesson: If it feels like you’re chasing something… you probably are.
2. I Had No Exit Plan
I just bought it thinking “Let’s see what happens.”
There was no goal, no stop loss, no plan. That’s not trading — that’s gambling.
Lesson: Know why you’re buying something, and what needs to happen before you sell.
3. I Started Paying More Attention After Losing
That $10 loss stung. Not because of the amount, but because I knew I clicked buy without thinking.
After that, I started reading whitepapers, checking token supply, understanding market caps — because I didn’t want to feel clueless again.
Lesson: Sometimes a small loss teaches more than hours of research.
So Was It Worth It?
Honestly, yes.
Losing $10 on a random token taught me more than making $10 on a lucky trade ever would. It forced me to slow down, ask questions, and build my own filter for what matters in crypto — and what’s just noise.
In the next post, I’ll talk about “passive income” in crypto — the good, the bad, and the scams hiding behind staking and airdrop promises.