Many people's first reaction after losing money is to curse the market, but to be honest, getting liquidated is mostly one's own doing.

Last year, I brought a newcomer friend into the circle, with a capital of only 1600U. After a month and a half, his account balance rose to 25,000U. Sounds like a fairy tale? In fact, it's the result of sticking to a few broken rules.

In the beginning, this guy was just like most retail investors: he would go all in whenever there were tips in the group chat, and his eyes would light up whenever he saw a meme coin project. The result was predictable—his principal would be wiped out every few days, and eventually, he even used his rent money to buy back in.

I really couldn't stand it anymore, so I set three rules for him. There's no profound theory, just three simple phrases.

**Rule 1: Divide the money into three parts to spend**

Split 1600U: Use 600U for short-term trading, take profits once you earn 4%; the other 600U to wait for key support levels before entering; keep the remaining 400U as emergency funds, do not touch it.

He looked disgusted when he first heard it, thinking it was too slow. It wasn't until he saw a few guys next door who went all in get liquidated that he figured it out: in this market, being steady is ten thousand times more important than being fast.

**Article 2: Close Your Eyes During Volatile Markets**

I told him one thing: not to trade during sideways movement is the best trading strategy.

I remember one time SOL was moving sideways for an entire week, and he was so anxious that he messaged me in the middle of the night asking: "Should I ambush in now?" I just replied with two words: "Wait for a breakout." On the third day, SOL surged with volume, and he ended up making a 16% profit.

Since then, he has figured it out: when the market is stagnant, holding back is the greatest skill.

**Article 3: Use the system to manage yourself**

Set the stop loss for each order at 2.5%. Cut it immediately when triggered, without hesitation; if the profit exceeds 7%, immediately move the stop loss to the cost price to break even.

Once he was trading ETH, and as it approached the stop-loss level, he got an itch to cancel the order and take a gamble. I directly sent him a screenshot of his previous Get Liquidated. The next day, ETH plummeted by 10%, and he finally understood: a stop-loss is not being cowardly, it's to stay in the game.

But the story doesn't end here.

After the account broke through 20,000 U, this guy started to get carried away. He mixed into various signal groups, fully invested in MEME coins, and as a result, his principal directly retraced by half. At three in the morning, he sent me a message: "If I had gone all in back then, wouldn't I have already hit 50,000?"

I dug out the moment he posted "Thanks to risk control for saving my life" on his social media, without replying a word.

The market never specifically targets the poor; it only punishes those who do not follow the rules. Later, I deleted him, leaving only one sentence:

From 1600 to 25,000 U, it has never relied on luck or market conditions, but on whether you can stick to the rules. The rules keep you alive, while arrogance leads you straight to zero.

**In the end: Discipline in this industry is worth much more than talent**

The market can deceive you, candlesticks can deceive you, but the rules you set for yourself will never deceive you. Those who survive in the crypto world are not necessarily the smartest, but rather the ones who adhere to the rules.

The opportunities for mainstream coins like BTC and ETH have always been there; the key is whether you have the fate to seize them. In the past, people were stumbling around in the dark, but now the light is here, shining. Will you follow or not? It's up to you to decide.