I often wonder, what does it really take to survive in the crypto market?

When I first entered the scene in 2018, I only had $1,200 in my account. At that time, I was filled with one thought—waiting for a big trend to double my money. But what happened? The market was very realistic. After two liquidation events, I finally truly understood what respect means.

The clearest moments are those late nights staring at the K-line. Heart pounding as I watch the numbers fluctuate, sometimes ecstatic, sometimes collapsing in despair. It was through this repeated turmoil that I slowly realized a harsh truth—those who make money are not necessarily the smartest, but those who can stick to the rules and stay disciplined.

**The biggest lesson comes from risk management**

In the early days, my biggest problem was greed. Seeing the market move, I wanted to put all my assets in. Risk? That’s something I only learned to value later.

After losing enough, I started to focus seriously on one thing—strictly controlling stop-loss. My current principle is simple and brutal: each trade’s maximum loss does not exceed 1.5% of the principal. Taking $1,200 as an example, the most I can lose is $18.

This number sounds painfully slow, but it’s this "slowness" that transformed me from relying on luck and reckless trading to having a systematic and disciplined approach. In a volatile market like crypto, where swings of 50% happen easily, risk management is not optional; it’s essential.

**Dreams of huge profits shattered; stable returns are the real goal**

I used to think about making 50% profit in a single trend, then quickly entering and exiting. Looking back now, that was basically a gambler’s mindset. The traders who truly survive in this market rely on consistently earning 2%, 3% per month.

A big profit on a single trade sounds exciting, but the speed of account shrinkage can be even faster. My current feeling is that protecting your position is a hundred times harder than chasing quick money. To achieve truly controlled and stable trading, it’s not about being smart, but about ironclad discipline.

**Three rules for survival**

After countless trial and error, I set some strict rules for myself.

First, in contract trading, it’s not about guessing the right direction; it’s about execution. No one can predict market direction perfectly, but you can control the size of each loss.

Second, never go all-in on a single position. Black swan events in crypto can happen at any time. My habit now is to split funds into five parts, managing each independently, so that any extreme market move won’t wipe out everything.

Third, calmness beats passion in making money. Standing firm when the account drops 30%—this kind of composure is what truly separates winners from losers.

Looking back at my trading records, the most profitable months weren’t those with spectacular market moves, but the ordinary months where I stayed calm and consistently followed my trading system. Gradually accumulating, my account grew from $1,200 to its current size, thanks to this unassuming but effective approach.

Rules, patience, discipline—these three words may not sound glamorous, but in the crypto market, they are worth more than any luck.