"Another liquidation?" At three o'clock in the morning, the analyst's backend is flooded with such comments. You might not believe it, but the one who can analyze the market for you now once had their principal reduced to just 1000 yuan. In the crypto world, this amount isn't even considered 'seedling', at most it's just 'seed'.
But it's this 1000 yuan that has allowed me to turn my capsized life around. Today, let's not talk about fancy indicators; instead, I'll share the honest truth about how I used 'contrarian' simple methods to make a comeback. Newbies can avoid three years of detours after reading this, and seasoned players might be able to recover the principal they once lost.
Phase one: Practice mindset with 1000 yuan, learn to 'stay alive' before making money.
On the day of the margin call, I smashed my phone, laughing to the point of tears at the numbers in my account. The money was gone; what was there to fear? This 'barefoot mentality is not afraid of wearing shoes' instead became the starting point of my comeback. I didn't rush to recover losses, but I set four 'iron rules' for survival that all my students must memorize:
1. Only focus on 'the big market king', don't touch 'air coins'. At that time, various 'hundred times coins' were all the rage in the market, but I only recognized the leaders among the mainstream digital assets. A large market cap means relatively controllable volatility, and unlike small coins that get crushed by whales, for beginners, 'stability' is a thousand times more important than 'speed'.
2. Don't be greedy with leverage, 20 times is the ceiling. I've seen too many people make quick money with 100 times leverage, but a slight pullback wipes them out. I set a firm rule for myself to use a maximum of 20 times leverage; this is not cowardice, but leaving room for error in the market. Unexpected events in the crypto circle occur more frequently than traffic jams during commuting.
3. Open half a position and keep 'life-saving money'. I split 1000 yuan in half, entering with 500 yuan, holding the other 500 yuan tightly in hand. This part of the money is not reserve funds; it's 'special funds for preventing sharp spikes'. How many people get forcibly liquidated because they didn't leave room for sudden sharp moves in the market? Keeping a backup allows you to stand firm in the storm.
4. Set 'alarms' for profit taking and stop-losses, don't fall in love with the market. When I make 10%, I run immediately; when I lose 5%, I cut losses right away, no matter how 'hopeful' the market looks, I won't hesitate. I only do two trades a day, shut down the computer when it's time, eat when it's mealtime, and sleep when it's bedtime. There was a time when I watched the market continue to rise, and after taking profits according to discipline, I ended up making less. I felt bad at the time, but later when that wave of the market dropped sharply, I was among the few who weren't trapped.
Just by 'mechanically operating' for half a month, 1000 yuan turned into 3000 yuan. At this time, I finally understood that the secret to making money in the crypto circle has never been about 'guessing accurately', but about 'staying in the game longer'. If you can't endure even one round of the market, no matter how good your judgment is, it will be useless.
Phase two: From 3000 to 100,000, let 'win rate' help you snowball.
After doubling my capital, some people around me advised me to 'increase my position and go for it', but I didn't move. The inertia of making money easily makes people forget themselves; at this time, keeping discipline is more important than making money. I upgraded my previous methods, the core is just three words: 'roll back, retreat, stabilize'.
'Roll' means rolling over positions and adding more. I still only take half of the 3000 yuan to enter the market, and the profits earned are not withdrawn but directly added to the capital for further disciplined operations. Just like rolling a snowball, it starts slowly but gets heavier as it rolls, and profits will generate their own profits.
'Retreat' means to promptly pull back. Once a stop-loss is triggered, immediately reduce the position back to the initial 1500 yuan. There was a time when I had two consecutive stop-losses, brutally cutting my recently rising capital back to the starting point. It hurt so much that I woke up in the middle of the night, but it was this move that helped me avoid several major corrections.
While others focus on the market for 18 hours a day, busy chasing highs and lows like a spinning top, I only do two trades a day, take a little 'small money' and stop. Two months later, when those 'high-frequency trading experts' were still struggling on the edge of margin calls, my account had quietly climbed to 100,000.
Here’s a candid truth: In the crypto circle, 'slow is fast' is not just a cliché. Those who shout 'double your money' every day mostly can't even protect their principal; instead, the steady 'fools' can slowly turn into winners in the market.
Phase three: From 100,000 to 1 million, leveraging the trend is the real skill.
In the third month, the market came—this was not a minor rebound but a clearly trending major market. At this time, I didn't fall into the 'conservatism trap', but I also didn't rush blindly. I did three key things to fully capitalize on this wave of the market:
First, increase the position to 70%, but never go all in. With a capital of 100,000 yuan, I use 70,000 to enter the market, and the remaining 30,000 is still kept as a 'safety cushion'. Many people go all in when they encounter a big market, and when the trend slightly reverses, they panic—either taking profits too early or getting stopped out, and they can't hold onto the profits. Keeping a good safety cushion allows you to confidently follow the market to the end.
Next, raise the profit-taking to 30%, but tighten the stop-loss. Previously, I would run when I made 10% because the market was volatile; now that the trend is clear, I need to leave room for profits, but the stop-loss line actually shrinks from 5% to 3%. If the trend is right, you have to dare to hold; if the trend is wrong, you have to run faster than anyone else.
In the end, only do 'trend-following trades', don't try to 'catch the bottom or top'. When the market is going up, I only go long; even if there are pullbacks in between, I will never open a short against the trend. Many people always think about 'catching turning points' to make big money, but end up getting stuck at those turning points. I always remember: following the trend is 100 times easier than going against it.
Just like that, one wave of the market turned 100,000 into 1 million. No insider information, no magical indicators, and even the candlestick charts weren't analyzed too complicatedly; it all relied on these six words: 'follow the trend + discipline'.
Finally, a few heartfelt words, keep this article that can save your capital.
After five years of crypto analysis, I have seen too many people: some made money by luck, only to lose it all due to lack of skill; some study advanced indicators every day but can't even place a stop-loss; and some always think about 'getting rich overnight', only to lose their living expenses.
In fact, the threshold for the crypto circle has never been about how complicated the candlestick charts are or how well-informed the news is, but whether you can control your heart.
✓ Controlling risk is not 'cowardice', it's your 'entry ticket' in this market. Never throw all your chips out; keep some reserves, and you won’t fear running out of resources.
✓ Resisting greed is not 'loss', it's the 'safe deposit box' for profits. Don't always think about capturing every segment of the market; just getting a piece of the fish is enough. The fish head and tail can easily prick your mouth.
✓ Admitting mistakes is not 'weakness', it's a 'must-learn lesson' for survival. A stop-loss is not losing face; it's leaving room for the next trade.
If you are currently holding a few thousand yuan in confusion, don't rush; just start trying my 'foolish method'. If you've already lost a lot, don't be discouraged; pick up your discipline; the principal can always be slowly earned back.
