There is a saying circulating in the trading circle: If your principal hasn't achieved breakthrough gains after a year, it might not be luck but a misunderstanding.

Based on years of practical experience—from starting with 50,000 yuan to making 30 million yuan in profit—I have seen too many traders repeatedly fall into the same traps. If you are also stuck in this dilemma, these ten cognitive gaps are likely the key to your breakthrough.

**1. Small capital requires restraint, not full position**
Dare to go all-in with less than 50,000? That's basically self-destructive. The real strategy is: focus on capturing one strong, certain main upward wave throughout the year, and stay out of the market otherwise.

**2. Demo trading is not practice, it's laying the foundation**
Complete a hundred simulated trades before going live. Don't underestimate this step—it’s like using virtual failures to build your cognitive system.

**3. When good news is announced, start to withdraw**
Many do it backwards: on the day of major positive news, instead of entering, start planning to exit. The next day’s gap-up is often the last chance to escape. The market has already digested most of the expectations.

**4. Reducing positions before holidays has reasons**
Don’t hold more than 30% of your position before holidays. This is a survival rule learned from countless accounts blown up.

**5. Keep cash for mid- to long-term flexibility**
Always reserve 30% cash. Reduce positions at key resistance levels during swings, rather than fantasizing about riding the entire trend—such ambitions often wipe out all your principal.

**6. Short-term trading depends on liquidity**
Only trade assets with a daily turnover rate exceeding 15%. Avoid places with dried-up liquidity—they’re not battlefields, they’re swamps.

**7. Speed of decline determines rebound strength**
Slow declines usually correspond to weak rebounds, while sharp drops often trigger strong rebounds. There’s a positive correlation between the speed of decline and the magnitude of the rebound.

**8. Stop loss at 3% loss**
Exit immediately if floating loss reaches 3%. Many people can’t bear that small loss and end up losing their entire account. Protecting your principal is always more important than chasing opportunities—only traders who survive can participate in the next bull market.

**9. 15-minute chart is the key to intraday trading**
A 15-minute candlestick chart combined with volume spikes can help you catch over 80% of intraday reversals. This isn’t mysticism; it’s a repeatable pattern.

**10. Master one move thoroughly than ten half-understood tactics**
Practice a single entry signal until it becomes muscle memory. It’s far more effective than mastering ten unfamiliar strategies. Depth beats breadth.

Behind these ten points are seven-figure lessons. In this zero-sum game, the real barrier is never information gap but the gap in thinking. Master a systematic attack and defense system, turn discipline into instinct, and integrate risk control into your decision-making logic—this is the ticket to breaking through bottlenecks.