Recently, I talked with several 'old players' in the crypto space and found that their paths to making money seem diverse, but actually hide a common underlying logic. Rather than calling it 'luck', it's better to say they have thoroughly understood 'human weaknesses' and 'market rules'—sharing a few real observations may inspire those of you who want to enter the market.
1. 'Foolish People' Earn Long-Term: Dare to heavily invest when 'no one is paying attention', but remain calm when 'the crowd is clamoring'.
The most ruthless example I've seen is a programmer who bought 20 Bitcoins with his year-end bonus in 2016. At that time, everyone around him was saying 'this thing is just a pyramid scheme', but he spent an hour every day studying white papers, convinced that 'decentralized ledgers are the future.'
- While others were chasing rising prices and cutting losses, he increased his positions when Bitcoin fell below $3,000 (2018) and hoarded when ETH was below $100 (2020);
- When others shout 'the bull market is coming, let's rush to trillions', he was selling in batches when Bitcoin was at $60,000 and ETH at $4,000—what he earned was not 'short-term surges', but 'betting on a certain trend over a 2-3 year cycle.'
Core: Those who make big money often dare to position themselves against human instincts at the 'emotional freezing point' of the market, but strictly adhere to discipline when 'the public is celebrating'—they earn from 'cognitive cycles', not from the quick money of 'K-line fluctuations.'
2. 'Rational People' Calculate Carefully: Treat trading as a 'math problem' rather than 'gambling'.
I know a friend who does quantitative trading, and his desktop is always running 3 Excel sheets:
- A document recording the 'profit and loss attribution' of each trade (for example, 'entered due to favorable project airdrops, took profit after reaching expected gains, correct'; 'followed the trend to buy popular coins, no fundamental support, lost 5% and stopped loss, incorrect');
- A chart calculating 'position management' (always keep 30% cash on hand, no single asset position exceeds 20%, leverage never exceeds 5 times);
- There is also a chart marked 'Market Sentiment Indicator' (for example, buying in batches when the fear index is below 30, and reducing positions in batches when above 70).
He never believed in 'getting rich overnight', but realized stable compounding by 'earning 5%-15% each time and making 20 correct trades a year'—last year's bear market, he made a 40% profit by 'buying low and selling high on mainstream coins.'
Core: True traders engrave 'risk control' into their bones—how much you earn is luck, how much you lose is skill, and being able to survive means you can talk about making money.
3. 'Smart People' Find Angles: Not chasing the mainstream, but digging for 'information gaps in niche tracks'.
Before the NFT boom last year, a friend who was into art curation quietly entered the market:
- While others focused on high-priced blue chips like BAYC and CryptoPunks, she studied 'on-chain art protocols' and found that an artist's work on a niche platform had a floor price of less than 0.1 ETH, and the author had exhibition experience in the traditional art world;
- She hoarded more than 20 pieces of art in 2 months, helped the authors gain exposure on Twitter, and later the platform was acquired by a leading exchange, making her collection's average price rise 10 times—essentially, she earned from 'art world resources + early crypto dividends' information gap.
Core: The crypto space is never short of opportunities; what it lacks is the ability to 'jump out of mainstream perspectives and go deep in niche fields'—when others are crowded into trading coins, you research on-chain tools; when others chase hot trends, you dig for 'the next unexploited essential scenario.'
4. 'Lazy People' Earn Spare Money: Using 'anti-actions' to counteract human nature can outperform the majority.
The most disruptive understanding comes from a 'Buddhist-style coin hoarder':
- Every month when the salary arrives, automatically allocate 15% to buy Bitcoin (regular investment for 5 years, unwavering);
- Never watches the market, doesn't even have a trading app on her phone, only spends 1 hour at the end of each year reviewing 'how many coins I hoarded this year, and what was the average cost';
- At the peak of the bull market in 2021, his portfolio yield reached 300%, but he only sold 20%—the reason was 'didn't understand the market's peak signals, better to hold on for the next cycle.'
It seems 'laid-back', but it actually aligns with 'the simplest path': ordinary people lack the energy to monitor the market and the ability to analyze, thus avoiding the traps of 'frequent operations' by relying on 'using spare money + long-term regular investment'—over the past 5 years, his returns have been higher than 90% of active traders.
Core: The essence of making money sometimes is 'doing fewer foolish things'—not chasing after rising prices, not touching incomprehensible coins, and not gambling with urgent money can outperform the majority who are 'too clever for their own good.'
Finally, I want to say: the crypto space is not a 'casino', but a mirror of 'cognitive monetization'.
You will find that those who truly make money either 'understand the trend half a step earlier than others', or 'have a higher level of risk awareness than others', or 'have established a unique advantage in a niche field'—but the prerequisite is that they all understand a core principle: earn money they can understand, earn money that fits within their capability circle.
When ordinary people enter the market, rather than focusing on 'how much others have earned', it's better to first ask themselves:
- Can I bear the risk of losing 50% of my principal?
- Am I willing to spend 3 months studying a project's white paper?
- Can I avoid being swayed by emotions and making rash decisions during a market crash?
The crypto space is never short of opportunities, but always lacks 'clear self-awareness'—understanding who you are first, then thinking about how to make money, may be the true 'first lesson of entering the market.'
Do you have any 'low-key money-makers' in the crypto space around you? How do they make money? Feel free to chat~
