Ten years ago, in a 14m² room filled with heat, I sat in front of the screen, deleting the 12th CV full of lines like “administrative”, “synthesis”, “report writing”. The pressure felt like a stone weighing on my chest. Next to me was a savings book with 50 million—my entire 3 years of savings. That night, I decided to bet on what everyone called “the red and black game”: the crypto market.

My friend said:

“If you throw this 50 million into the river, you'd hear a 'splash', but in crypto, you lose everything without a chance to react.”

But ten years later, when I saw my wallet currently displaying 8 digits, I finally understood:

Crypto is not a game for the fast – but rather a game for survivors.

1) Survival Rule: Lock Risks in a Cage

I was once a victim of my own greed. In 2017, I held a top coin from tens to nearly 10,000. The balance danced every day making me think I was about to 'retire and chill'.

On the day it peaked, I didn't take profit. A week later, it dropped 60%, nearly returning all profits to the market.

In 2018 it was worse: seeing a small coin surge, I immediately entered a high-leverage order.
30 minutes later – 100 million evaporated, staring at the screen feeling numb.

Since then, I set two ironclad rules, never to break:

  • One coin should not exceed 10% of total assets – no matter how 'good' it is, do not go all-in.

  • Stop-loss 15–20% and let the system trigger automatically. No holding, no hoping.

Crypto is the only market that can take you from 'paradise → hell' in just a few hours. If you want to last long, you must learn to cage risks and not let them escape.

2) Safety Rule: Earning a little is fine – as long as you don't lose everything

In 2020, a major exchange suddenly froze withdrawals. The whole community was like a broken dam.

I was lucky because 80% of my assets had been moved to cold wallets beforehand. Those who kept all their assets on exchanges just had to watch the balance like a wax statue—beautiful but… can't withdraw.

Since then I have followed the principle:

  • 90% of long-term assets → cold wallet (consider it a safe).

  • 10% of assets → exchange for trading or quick transactions.

  • Each time transferring money:

    • Double-check wallet address

    • Be cautious when the exchange shows unusual signs

In crypto, many people don’t lose because of trading, they lose because of losing assets due to complacency.

3) Minimalist Rule: Less is More

In the early years, I was greedy like a tiger:

  • Monitor 20–30 coins

  • Open 5 price apps

  • Stay up until 3 AM 'afraid of missing out'

Result:

  • Buy at the peak

  • Sell at the bottom

  • Take profits when gains are small, hold when losing

  • Transaction fees exceed profits

After 2019, I made a complete change:

  • Only hold 3 core coins

  • Spend 1 hour each week reviewing weekly trends

  • Don’t let daily fluctuations disrupt your mental state

Strangely, when I traded less and focused more, I earned more.

In two major cycles 2021 and 2023, I earned far beyond expectations just thanks to two things:

  • Less trading

  • Maintain the right larger trend

In crypto: Opportunities don’t need to be chased. They will appear when you are patient enough.

Message for Newcomers

Crypto has no shortage of opportunities,
but lacks people who are resilient enough to wait for the real opportunities.

I have seen:

  • FOMO people into the market because of rumors

  • People chasing 'hot deals'

  • A trader like gambling

And they disappear as quickly as they appeared — capital hasn't even had time to increase before it burns out.

I also see:

  • A disciplined person

  • A safety-first person

  • A patient person waiting for the right time

And they go from tens of millions → hundreds of millions → billions.

You don't need to be the smartest. Just need to be someone who hasn't died yet.