That night, I received a private message.
'Brother, help me, my 3800U principal is down to half, I've been liquidated three times... Please guide me, if you earn, I'll share half with you.'
I originally wanted to refuse. In the crypto world, what is most abundant are the 'myths of guidance' and 'promises of doubling', but the most toxic is often the cup of wine mixed with 'good intentions' and 'greed'.
But hearing the desperation in his almost pleading tone, I still softened my heart.
I said: 'I will help you, not for sharing, just ask that you follow one rule - discipline over luck.'
1. Steady start: 22 days, from 3800U to 76,000U
I made three rules with him:
Total funds divided into 8 parts, with a single bet not exceeding 12%;
30% of each profit is transferred to a cold wallet for locking, absolutely not to be used;
Set stop-loss lines strictly, and do not hold on to losing positions.
Those 22 days, we were like two snipers.
Before the market opens, we analyze the situation together: which coins are on the edge of breaking out, which volumes are abnormal; during the market, strictly adhere to take profit and stop-loss, even if it means cutting losses without hesitation; after the market closes, review until dawn, analyzing why a certain stop-loss was triggered and why a certain coin suddenly dipped.
Account numbers quietly climbed: 3800U → 12,000U → 35,000U → 76,000U.
20 times.
He became increasingly excited, frequently sending 'rocket' and 'money' emoji, saying: 'One more push, and we can completely turn things around!'
But I became increasingly uneasy. In the crypto world, 'doubling' relies on luck, while 'maintaining' relies on strength. I repeatedly reminded him: 'The most dangerous moment in the market is often when you think you can control it.'
He replied: 'Understood, brother, I will listen to you.'
But once a person tastes quick money, they easily develop the illusion of being 'capable of anything'.
2. Collapse begins with overconfidence: one all-in, destroys everything.
On the 25th day, the problem arose.
I found that the account had a daily drawdown of 51%. Upon checking the records: he hid from me and went all in on a popular altcoin without setting a stop-loss.
I immediately called him and shouted: 'Cut your losses! Now!'
He stammered: 'This coin is being hyped by the community; it’s about to launch on major exchanges... If we miss this wave, it’ll be gone!'
A typical FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) mentality—seeing others making money is more painful than losing money oneself, deeply afraid of being left behind by the times.
I forced him to cut losses, but he retorted: 'Didn’t you say to use the Fear and Greed Index? The index is only at 40 now, that’s not greedy!'
Ironically, tools can measure market sentiment but cannot gauge the luck in people's hearts.
He insisted on waiting for a rebound, but on the 28th day, the altcoin collapsed—76,000U evaporated into 8,000U.
What makes me even more heartbroken is that he blamed me: 'If only you had been tougher and stopped me back then!'
3. The hardest part of the crypto world is not making money, but not losing control after making money.
After this matter passed, I often recalled an old trader's words:
"In a bull market, everyone is a genius. When a bear market comes, that’s when you know who is swimming naked."
Looking back at this tragedy, I found three fatal points:
Overconfidence is the beginning of collapse.
Continuous profits make people feel they can 'control the market,' but they forget that trends are given by the wind, not by ability. Once you start frequently chasing prices and ignoring stop losses, liquidation is not far away.
Discipline is powerless in the face of greed.
Even with rules, people always want to find 'exceptions': one time not cutting losses, one time leveraging... And these 'one times' are often the tomb of the account.
Kindness cannot save a gambler's mentality.
You want to help others, but he wants to recover losses—our goals are not on the same channel. In the crypto world, trying to wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep is harder than making money from a doghouse.
4. If I could do it again, I would adhere to three iron rules.
Profit must be 'secured.'
Every time you double your profit, take 50% of the principal to a cold wallet. The crypto world lacks myths but lacks those who can bring money home.
Never do a 'last-ditch effort'.
After the account doubles, take a mandatory three-day break. Operations done when emotions are high are 90% traps.
Don't hand over your judgment to others.
Even the most trusted 'teacher' cannot replace your own risk control. True maturity is taking full responsibility for every trade.
Now, I have saved that conversation record as my phone wallpaper.
"Brother, I promise to stick to the rules."
Every time I feel impulsive, I take a look.
The most painful lesson in the crypto world is not losing money, but learning to have reverence—the market is always a bit bigger than your confidence. And true recovery is not about the explosive increase in account numbers; it's about being able to calmly say after a liquidation:
"I’m still alive and can start again." Follow Xiang Ge to understand more first-hand news and crypto knowledge at precise points, becoming your guide in the crypto world; learning is your greatest wealth!#巨鲸动向 #美联储降息 $ETH
