I always thought of myself as a 'steady player'.
Until that day, I didn't realize that I didn't lose money; I pushed it away myself.
The incident occurred in September 2023.
The project was called ARB.
📌 The story starts with an investment of 1000U.
At that time, ARB had just launched, and the market was buzzing.
I never thought about holding long; I just wanted to trade short.
I told myself:
‘Play with 1000U, and run if you make a profit.’
As a result, 3 days later, my position changed from 1000U to 6000U.
At that moment, my heart stopped for half a second, and I was stunned.
Then the most fatal thing happened—
I started to drift.
I convinced myself: "If it can reach 6000, doubling to 12000 isn't too much, right?"
I even started thinking about "how to withdraw after reaching 30000U to be the coolest".
The result?
On day 4, the market pulled back, and my position went from 6000U → 4100U.
I panicked.
I told myself:
"If it returns to 5000, I'll sell, guaranteed."
Then on the fifth day, it returned to 5200U.
Do you guess if I sold or not?
Of course not! I started fantasizing again: "Isn't it about to surge again? I'm so lucky!"
Day 6: 5700U → 3800U
Day 7: 3800U → 2400U
Day 8: 2400U → 1100U
Like the tide receding, back to the bone.
I sat in front of the screen, watching that string of numbers.
—— I was completely stunned.
In the end, I crashed out at 1130U, telling myself I didn't want to touch it again.
This is not losing money.
It's walking back from heaven to hell, almost didn't manage to take any water with me.
🧨 The story isn't over yet.
Two months later, ARB started its second round of market.
I didn't dare to get in.
I told myself: "There will be a pullback, wait a bit longer."
The result skyrocketed to a point I couldn't believe.
I calculated
If I sell at 6000U + re-enter at a lower point,
the final position will be 31000U.
In other words——
This money isn't something I can't earn, it's something I threw away myself.
That day I lay in bed tossing and turning unable to sleep.
Not because I lost, but because I clearly won, yet I didn't want it.
💡 After that time, I made three rules for myself.
It's not grand theories, it's survival skills earned through blood and tears:
① Before each operation, write down the "sell script" in advance.
For example:
At 200%, sell half.
At 300%, sell all.
After a 20% pullback, sell half.
📌 The market is always smarter than your emotions.
② Never fantasize about the "chosen one narrative".
You are not the protagonist chosen by the crypto world.
The market will not continue to rise just because you need money.
③ If you hesitate whether to sell, sell half.
The most stable saying:
"Lock regrets at the minimum value."
🎯 The truth I later understood.
In the crypto world, it's not about who is the smartest,
but about who is the most clear-headed.
Losing money isn't scary——
The scariest thing is that you clearly made money, yet you're unwilling to cash out.
You will never regret "selling too early",
but you will never forget "selling too late".
As I write this, I want to say something very cliché but very true——
Making money relies on strength, keeping money relies on rules.
If you've experienced something similar,
You're really not alone.
