Translated by: Blockchain in Plain Language

I stared at my phone screen. 3 AM. My portfolio had dropped by 67%.

Six months ago, I thought I was a genius. Every coin I touched turned to gold. Every decision felt right. Until they weren't.

Do you know what no one tells you about cryptocurrency? It's not the technology that destroys you. It's not the volatility. It's your own inner self.

The Night Everything Changed

In December 2021, I made $42,000 in profits. By March 2022, only $8,000 remained.

Not because of a market crash. But because I made every possible wrong decision.

• Panic selling at the bottom
• Buying in at the top due to FOMO
• Making revenge trades to "get back on track"
• Doubling down on failing projects

I wasn't investing. I was gambling, just with more steps.

Your Brain Isn't Suited for This

It took me three years and five-figure losses to understand: your instincts will kill you in the cryptocurrency market.

Every natural human reaction is wrong:

• When prices surge, you feel buying is safe. That's precisely when you should be cautious.
• When everything crashes, you feel fear. That's when opportunity knocks.
• When you lose money, you immediately want to win it back. That's when you make your worst trades.

Your emotions are not only useless, they actively destroy you.

The Decision Framework That Saved Me

After losing 80% of my portfolio, I did something radical. I stopped trusting myself.

Instead, I established rules. Iron-clad, emotion-proof rules.

48-Hour Rule

Never buy immediately. Note it down. Wait 48 hours. If it still seems reasonable, then consider it.

My worst trades mostly happened in the first five minutes of excitement.

Boring Portfolio

70% invested in Bitcoin and Ethereum. That's it.

Not sexy. Not exciting. Won't 100x overnight.

But also won't go to zero while you sleep.

Learning Budget

10% for experiments. For learning. For money that might be lost.

This is tuition. Education has a cost. Actively pay it, not accidentally.

Mistakes Every Beginner Makes

You think you need to know everything. Technical analysis. Token economics. DeFi protocols.

Wrong.

You first need to understand yourself.

• What makes you panic?
• When do you become greedy?
• How much loss can you truly bear?

Because if you give up at the first red candle, no strategy will work.

The Skill No One Talks About

Patience isn't waiting. It's not acting.

Sitting idle while others make money. Watching opportunities slip away. Accepting the possibility of missing out.

This is 90% of successful investing.

Research isn't scrolling Twitter.

Research is understanding fundamentals. Reading whitepapers. Checking on-chain data. Following development updates.

If your research comes only from influencers' screenshots, you're not researching. You're praying.

Risk management isn't stop-loss.

It's position management. Never invest money that would change your life. Keep enough cash to wait for opportunities.

Most people learn this after losing everything.

The Habit That Changes Everything

Every Sunday, I conduct a decision audit.

• What did I buy/sell this week?
• Why did I make that decision?
• Was it emotion-driven or logic-driven?
• What was the result?

Not to judge. But to learn.

You'll discover patterns. Your triggers. Your weaknesses. Your emotional patterns.

This habit taught me more than 100 YouTube videos.

The Truth About "Correct" Decisions

You might make the right decision and still lose money.

You might make the wrong decision and get rich.

In the short term, cryptocurrency rewards luck. In the long term, it rewards discipline.

The goal isn't to be right every time. But to make decisions you can accept. Based on logic, not fear. Based on research, not rumors. Based on strategy, not hope.

Beginner's Roadmap

First Month: Learn Basics

• What is blockchain?
• How do wallets work?
• What are private keys?
• Don't buy anything. Just learn.

Second Month: Simulated Trading

• Record hypothetical buys and sells
• Observe how you would perform
• Note your emotional reactions
• Still, don't buy anything.

Third Month: Start Small

• Maximum $100
• Only invest in Bitcoin or Ethereum
• Practice using wallets and trading platforms
• This isn't investing. It's training.

The Mental Models You Need

Think in Years, Not Days

Daily fluctuations are noise. Weekly changes are irrelevant. Monthly changes are almost insignificant.

If you don't think in years, you're trading, not investing.

Assume Everything Goes to Zero

Every coin. Every project. Every investment.

If you can't psychologically handle going to zero, you've invested too much.

Learn from Failures, Don't Repeat

Lost money to a scam? That's education fees.

Falling for the same scam twice? That's stupidity.

Conversation with Yourself

Before every cryptocurrency decision, ask yourself:

• Why am I doing this?
• What do I expect to happen?
• What if I'm wrong?
• Can I bear the worst-case scenario?
• Is fear or greed speaking?

If the answer isn't clear, don't act.

This Isn't About Getting Rich

It's about not going broke.

It's about slowly accumulating wealth while others quickly burn through theirs.

It's about being here in five years when 90% of today's traders are gone.

Because cryptocurrency won't disappear. But most participants will—straight to zero.

Your Choice Now

You can read this and forget it tomorrow. Jump into the next hot coin. Follow the next influencer. Make all the mistakes everyone makes.

Or you can decide today: I'll be different.

Not smarter. Not luckier. Just more disciplined.

The market doesn't care about your dreams. Doesn't care about your bills. Doesn't care about your FOMO.

But if you can control your decisions, none of that matters.

Start today. Not by starting to trade. But by making a commitment.

Learning before earning. Patience over action. Discipline above emotions.

Your future self will thank you.

Or curse you.

The decision is always in your hands.

Article link: https://www.hellobtc.com/kp/du/08/6002.html

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