Many novice retail investors have experienced the same pitfalls: grabbing a few thousand dollars and rushing into the crypto world, all filled with dreams of "doubling overnight," only to be bloodied by the market. That was exactly how I started—full position with $1,500 leverage, adding to my position desperately when prices fell, and within two weeks, my account was wiped out. It was at that moment I realized that the most deadly thing in the crypto world isn't the market fluctuations, but one's own restless heart.

After years of ups and downs, I finally understood this principle. Last year, I mentored a newbie who started with $1,800 and grew it to $32,000 in three months. Now his account is stable above $55,000, and he's never experienced a margin call. This isn't luck; it's purely because he understood the mantra "Survive first, then make money."

His secret to success is actually very simple—dividing his funds.

The first step I taught him was this allocation: $600 for short-term trades, making only one trade per day, taking profits when the time is right, and never being greedy. Another $600 for swing trading, only entering when the trend is clear, ignoring ambiguous choppy markets. The remaining $600 is completely locked in, not moving even in extreme market conditions—this is his trump card for turning things around.

Most people fail because they go all-in at once, while he survives by leaving himself a fallback. The first two months, his gains weren't much, but the key was that he didn't suffer any losses—just patiently waiting for the right moment. By the third month, ETH rebounded sharply, and his swing trade alone earned 70%. I immediately told him to take 30% profit, and he suddenly realized: "Turns out, making money in crypto isn't gambling; it's about enduring and waiting patiently."

80% of the time in crypto is spent sideways. Frequent trading is just paying platform fees. I keep emphasizing to him: when you don't understand the market, staying in cash and doing nothing is far more valuable than reckless operations. Wait until the trend is truly established before entering; a single profitable trade can offset dozens of reckless moves.

I personally went from $12,000 to financial freedom by sticking to three "Nos": no all-in, no counter-trend trades, no emotional trading. These three sound simple, but executing them requires immense discipline.

I never stop tracking core coins like BTC, ETH, SOL, and BNB. Compared to blindly chasing hot topics, focusing makes it clearer. Every market judgment I make is based on sufficient confidence, not impulsiveness.

The essence of crypto trading is like this—those who can survive longer will earn more. Greed and impatience are the biggest enemies of retail investors. Instead of dreaming of overnight riches, it's better to learn how to survive first.