Having been involved in the crypto world for eight years, now at 36 years old, I have experienced several complete cycles of bull and bear markets and have almost encountered all the pitfalls that beginners can face. To be honest, surviving until now is not because I am particularly smart, but because I learned to respect the market before my luck runs out.

People of my age around me are still stubbornly stuck in traditional industries; working in factories or e-commerce can be exhausting and risky. In contrast, the crypto space may seem glamorous, but the number of people who can truly survive multiple cycles is decreasing.

Early on, I realized one thing: relying on a fixed salary to turn things around is terrifyingly unlikely; but betting on reckless emotions to get rich quickly is even faster to fail. So I chose to go all in on trading, but the key is to be rational in all-in decisions, not impulsive.

I have experienced losses, margin calls, doubted myself, and even thought I was on the wrong path. It wasn’t until later that I realized— the problem has never been the technology itself, but knowing when to place a bet and when to walk away. The most deadly thing in the market is not the sharp drops caused by panic selling, but the upward trends that look comfortable.

A rally that is fast and smooth? Usually not an opportunity, but a sign that emotions are at their peak. After a decline with little trading volume, if it starts to rebound, it’s probably just a trap to lure you into the last buy-in.

Many people make decisions based on trading volume, but they don’t think about what the volume really means. High prices still rising with sluggish volume? That’s not strength, but a warning sign. Sudden high volume at the bottom? Don’t rush to buy; it’s likely the market makers testing retail investors’ psychology.

The real signals for action are actually quite dull: several days of continuous volume increase, while the price remains steady; no one is rushing to sell, nor are people blindly chasing high prices—this is true accumulation of chips. Those seemingly passionate rallies often occur right at the turning points.