Yesterday, a friend who just started following me sent a private message: “Bro, should I try trading contracts? I want to take a shot and recover my losses in one trade.”

When I saw this, my hands shook a bit.

That familiar feeling, that familiar mindset—wasn’t I just like this back in the day?

When I first entered the scene, everyone was saying “contracts can get you rich quick.” I believed it. With full enthusiasm and all my savings, I dove in for a big trade. Three days. In just three days, my account was wiped out. Bounce back? Ha, I bounced straight into a pit.

The worst part wasn’t losing money—it was sitting in front of the screen, watching my account balance drop to 0.00. It felt like my soul was being ripped out of me. The silence was terrifying, so quiet you could hear your heart break. In that moment, I understood: contracts aren’t a fast lane to making money—they’re a slippery slide into the abyss.

After getting liquidated, I went crazy reviewing what happened. Was the market too harsh? Was I just unlucky? Lacking in skills? None of that was the real reason. The truth was—I had no idea what “risk management” even meant.

The turning point was meeting an old hand in the space. The first thing he said snapped me out of it: “If you don’t even know how to set a stop loss, what are you dreaming about?”

From then on, I started learning how to “survive,” instead of fantasizing about “getting rich overnight.” It all boils down to three key lessons:

**First, leverage is a double-edged sword.** I used to think 10x leverage wasn’t exciting enough—now I realize that’s just asking for trouble. If you’re new, start with low leverage. Get a feel for the market’s temperament. Don’t rush in and let the market turn you into cannon fodder.

**Second, stop losses aren’t just for show.** I used to love holding onto losing trades—“Maybe if I wait, I’ll break even.” The result? Psychological trauma. Now, when I take people through trades, the first thing I do is force them to set a stop loss. Don’t want to set one? Then don’t trade with me.

**Third, impulsiveness is deadlier than the market itself.** Most of my liquidated trades happened because I was chasing pumps or panicking at dumps. Seeing others make money made me jealous, so I’d follow blindly; seeing a pullback made me panic sell. The market loves to punish people who can’t control their emotions.

At the end of the day, contracts aren’t off-limits—but you need to understand, they’re like fire. If you know how to use them, you can cook; if you don’t, you’ll just burn down the kitchen. For those who can survive, the market will always give opportunities. Those who charge in blindly can’t even recognize what an opportunity looks like.

If you’re thinking about trying contracts, or if the market has already taught you a lesson, feel free to reach out and chat.

Don’t be shy—every seasoned trader started out as a rookie. The only difference is: some people never learn, while others get wiser with each setback. If you want to start by learning how to survive, I’m happy to guide you for a while.