4 days, turning 20,000 into 210,000, this is not a feel-good story and does not apply to everyone!!
In April 2017, I just stepped into the gold contract market.
With experience in US stocks and a financial background, I was overly confident and didn't even look at the demo account, directly jumping in with 20,000 US dollars.
On my first day trading intraday, I guessed the direction correctly, and that excitement felt like I was on a high.
I didn't sleep for 24 hours, staring at the market, making trade after trade, it became easier and easier.
On the fourth day, my account balance jumped to 210,000—I really thought I had found the cheat code to life.
But the moment I felt invincible was the beginning of my downfall.
I maximized my position size, leveraged up to 400 times, trading recklessly, only thinking about doubling, doubling, doubling.
In just two days, my account hit zero, and I was completely wiped out.
The most ironic part is that three days later, the price returned to where it started; if I had only held my ground, I could have even exited at breakeven.
Unfortunately, 'if' is always the comfort of the loser.
This experience made me realize completely:
Losing money is not because of the wrong direction, but because of a fragile mindset.
I couldn't handle the volatility, simply due to two things—
I didn't truly understand what I was trading;
I had never truly managed my positions, I was just gambling.
Getting rich quick is the sweetest yet most toxic candy for ordinary people.
Many people with small capital foolishly dream of high leverage and high returns to turn their fortunes overnight;
Looking at others' stories of turning 10 U into a fortune, dreaming of turning 100 into a billion.
But the reality is, the smaller the capital, the more you should focus your energy on 'improving your skills' and 'accumulating advantages', rather than fantasizing about getting rich.
After so many years of investing, I still learn and calculate every day, relying on mental labor for stable returns;
I also need social interaction, relying on resource integration to create more opportunities.
Labor is not a lower substitute for capital, but the most core personal asset.
If you treat 'getting rich' as your only goal, it often ends up like this:
Neglecting your main job, giving up opportunities to improve yourself;
Wasting time on ineffective trades, with returns that can't even beat savings;
Being crushed by emotions in the ups and downs, losing your capital and also your confidence.
Investing has never been the main line of life, just a tool for you.
May it add value to your life, rather than become the reason you get harvested.
