Surviving in Crypto: 8 Years Paying Tuition to Understand One Thing — Staying in the Market is the Victory

I entered the crypto market in 2017, during a true “reckless” plunge. Back then, Bitcoin was only a few hundred dollars, and I used all my savings from two years to make a down payment on a house and go all-in. Just over a year later, my account grew so much that I thought I had touched financial freedom. But then the bear market hit, fast and brutal like a huge wave, wiping out almost everything. That fall made me realize a truth: crypto is not a race to see who makes money faster, but a game to see who survives longer. After many account burnouts, losing direction, and paying with real money, I have distilled the following survival principles.

1. Money Beyond Awareness, Absolutely No Touch This market is not short of opportunities, but the rarest thing is the ability to understand what you are doing. I once jumped into projects that sounded very “trendy,” just because the community was large and promised attractive profits. The result was losing money faster than earning it. Later, I set a strict rule: No understanding of the operational model → no investmentLack of transparency in team, source code → skipOnly trust what I can verify myself, not advertising claims Crypto does not reward reckless gamblers You cannot hold more money than your awareness allows.
2. Capital Management Determines Account Longevity Profit only makes sense when you still have capital to continue playing. Currently, my allocation method is very simple but disciplined: 50% core assets: BTC and ETH – market pillars30% stable profit strategy: DeFi with real cash flow, arbitrage20% cash: always ready for opportunities or unexpected risks Thanks to never going “all-in,” I avoid chain crashes that many people can’t recover from.
3. Leverage Is Not a Tool, But a Trap There was a time I believed that just predicting the trend correctly could multiply the account via futures contracts. In reality, just one mistake, and everything resets to zero. Leverage doesn’t make you smarter; it only speeds up losses. For retail investors: No informational advantageNo large capitalThe only advantage is flexibility And leverage strips away that very advantage.
4. Silence the Noise, Turn On On-Chain Data I no longer follow “hot tips” groups or chase KOL predictions. I only trust three factors: On-chain data: money flow, large wallets, coin volume on exchangesProject platform: product, real users, technical updatesMacroeconomic context: interest rates, monetary policies, legal framework The market doesn’t lie; only people lie.
5. Long-Term Thinking: Slow but Steady Wealth Crypto makes many dream of “x100,” but most of those stories end badly. I no longer seek big hits, only aim for steady growth each year. My current strategy is very clear: Market enthusiasm → take partial profitsMarket panic → accumulate systematicallyNo predicting peaks or bottoms, just reacting to scenarios Earning slightly less than others is okay, as long as you’re not out of the game. Conclusion Crypto has no heroes, only those who are sober enough to survive. The winners are not those who boast the highest profits, but those who are still here after many cycles. If you are new to the market, remember three things: Don’t believe in quick wealth dreamsRisk management is more important than profitAs long as you have capital, there are opportunities This path is long. Move slowly but surely, and you will go much farther.