The thrill of turning 100,000 into 1,000,000, where a single bad trade can wipe it all out. This isn't a hypothetical—it's happening every day.

In the futures market, 90% of people ultimately end up the same way—account wiped out. But the main cause is almost always the same: unwillingness to cut losses.

I've seen too many stories like this firsthand. Some have successfully doubled their accounts, only to lose everything because they couldn't bear to cut their losses once. I’ve also had my own setbacks: in March 2023, watching BTC drop from 26,000 to 35,000, I held a 5x short until my account was wiped out. Even more brutal in January 2024—SOL at 120, I went long with 10x leverage, it spiked to 90, and I was wiped out again.

These experiences teach a key lesson: risking your principal repeatedly—maybe nine times out of ten you profit, but that one time can send you out of the game. Liquidation is never sudden; it always starts with "just a little longer."

How to survive? The logic is simple.

Set a stop-loss at the moment you open a position, and determine the stop-loss distance based on leverage. With 20x leverage, you can only lose 5%; with 10x, only 10%. It sounds restrictive, but in reality, it’s a protective moat.

When you make a profit, keep your rhythm. When earning 5%, move your stop-loss to break-even, so you can attack or defend. At 10% profit, lock in half; at 20%, lock in 15%. It’s not greed—it’s about lasting longer.

What about when emotions take over? Stop immediately. If you lose three trades in a row, close the software and take a walk. When you’re making big gains, it’s even more critical—take out 50%, and the remaining half is truly for fighting.

Many see stop-loss as giving up, but it’s actually the essential lesson for survival. Opportunities in crypto are endless, and cycles are normal. But your principal only happens once; once lost, the game is over. Blindly trading leads to a straightforward outcome: losses eat profits, and sometimes you even pay tuition. Changing your mindset elevates your level, and only then can you change your results.