The midnight candlestick, seven years have passed, and I still get goosebumps when I think about it.

ETH suddenly surged from 1800 to 2400. I went all-in with 3000U, and my heartbeat was racing wildly along with the intraday chart. When the unrealized profit approached 6000U, I pressed the take-profit button—persistently believing it could still reach 3000 before harvesting. During those seven days, I completely lost myself. Eating, I kept an eye on the screen; waking up in the middle of the night, my first reaction was to look at the screen. My mind was filled with the thought, "The money is already mine."

Until the Federal Reserve's rate hike news exploded, ETH dropped back to 1900 within half a day. Profits evaporated instantly. I was still fooling myself, waiting for a rebound, but in the end, the account was wiped out to zero at the original point. It was only then that I realized: no matter how strong a coin is, it can't withstand your greed.

I've paid this tuition more than once. The NFT wave from 32,000U, holding all the way until I had to cut losses and exit; playing BTC swing trades without stop-loss, surviving a brutal 50% drop—behind all this was that "never give up" mindset messing with me. After repeated market friction, I finally figured out three bottom lines for survival.

**First, funds must be split.** Keep BTC in a cold wallet as a stabilizer, and allocate some to mainstream coins like ETH, SOL, etc. Always reserve cash and avoid full positions. No matter how crazy or tempting the market gets, leave yourself an exit. This isn't caution—it's self-protection.

**Second, only truly realized gains count as profit.** Last year, watching ETH rise from 1900 to 2500, I didn't greedily hold on; I took most profits and stored them safely in my wallet. Even if it later dropped back to 2100, I wouldn't panic because those profits were already mine. The numbers on the screen belong to the market; the ones in the bank account are mine. This logic must be clear.

**Finally, stop-loss should be as natural as breathing.** If a single trade loses 2%, I must exit; if the monthly drawdown reaches 5%, I stop trading. No more illusions about "mainstream coins naturally resisting declines." Admitting small mistakes helps avoid bigger disasters—that's the most practical lesson the market has taught me.

The crypto world never lacks stories, never lacks miracles. What’s missing are those who bounce back from the bottom and still manage to stay clear-headed.