#SPK# From family separation to standing up again: A blood and tears lesson from an old coin holder

At three in the morning, the cigarette box was empty, and the rain outside was tapping on the glass, reminiscent of the sound she made when she slammed the door during our divorce. In 2024, I’ve turned my life into a joke - I lost all my savings in coin trading, my wife and children left me, and when I stood on the balcony looking down, even the wind seemed to mock my embarrassment.
But now, I dare to sit here and type these words, not because the comeback is so glorious, but to tell you: the coin circle can destroy a person, but it can also help one see the essence of living. If you are stuck in the mud, perhaps my story can offer you a straw.
Don't even talk about turning things around; just getting through the toughest times is a difficult task!
This answer is quite long; if you can't read it, scroll to the end of the article. There is a sentence that summarizes the blood and tears lessons and experiences I've gathered from over a decade of investment and trading, worth millions! It needs to be understood repeatedly~
Those heart-wrenching questions are the fuel for survival.
When we divorced last year, my ex-wife held the child custody agreement and said, "You can't even come up with 3000 for child support, how do you expect to have visitation rights?" That day, I squatted at the entrance of the civil affairs bureau for three hours, my head hurt so much it felt like it was going to explode, and I almost collapsed on the curb.
Later, I kept asking myself: how does a person ruin a good hand of cards? Until one night, I asked myself 7 questions in front of the mirror, my back soaked with cold sweat -
How old are you this year?
Do you have any debt now, and can the money you earn support your life?
How old are your parents now?
If your parents needed a life-saving amount of 300,000 now, could you take it out immediately?
If your partner lost their job now, can you afford to live for two?
Will you make your partner unable to hold their head up in front of the person they have the best relationship with?
Are you afraid of the question above?
Afraid? My hands were shaking while I was holding the mirror. But it was this fear that became the fuel for me to get back up later.
What was shattered in the darkest hour is not just money.
In this lifetime, there are always a few moments when you fall off a cliff. The worst time I fell was when I exchanged 40 BTC and 90 ETH for a bunch of altcoins — looking back now, how could I have dared to go all in on coins whose codes I didn't even understand?
During that time, the account balance was dropping by five digits every day, and my phone was full of debt collection messages. When my parents called, they only dared to say "I'm busy with a project." One night, I came across a video of my son in kindergarten and suddenly squatted down and cried loudly.
The darkest moment is not having no money, but having your confidence, judgment, and even your expectations for life shattered into pieces. You start to doubt yourself: Is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life? Do I really not deserve to earn money?
But later I found that those who can climb up from the cliff have a common point - they first accept that they have "broken". I admit that I am greedy, foolish, and always want to take shortcuts, admitting that those altcoins were lost due to my own luck. Accepting "I can't do it" allows me to look up and see the road.
The essence of being poor is never about lacking money.
The first step to crawling out of the mire is to understand why you fell in. I flipped through "The Nature of Poverty," comparing it to my past self, and the more I looked, the more I was alarmed —
I used to be the kind of person who couldn't keep "money in my hands warm": as soon as I earned a little, I would buy a new phone, get sneakers, and eagerly volunteer to pay for friends' meals, only to turn around and need to borrow money for rent. But when it came to spending money to learn something? No way, "this money can't be spent immediately on enjoyment."
I always think I'm smart, looking down on those "stupid people who just hold mainstream coins": "So dumb, trading altcoins for a few days can double, who wants to waste time with you?" And what happened? Those people held BTC and made ten times their money, while my traded altcoins went to zero.
Guo Degang said, "The beggar doesn't have breakfast; if you can get up early, you wouldn't have to beg for food." I used to be too lazy: too lazy to study project white papers, too lazy to look at macro cycles, too lazy to review losses, always waiting for others to give me the code, give me the points, and it would be best if they just handed me the money.
These flaws are the root of poverty.
Want to make money by trading coins? First, engrave these few points into your bones.
My account is slowly recovering, and it's not just luck; it's the lessons learned after countless falls. Here are a few heartfelt words for the new investors:
1. SAR Indicator: A "lifesaver" for beginners, the buy and sell points are so simple that you "don't need to think". Many people believe that the more complex the indicator, the more powerful it is, but in fact, the SAR indicator is the "expert hidden among the masses". It looks like this: small dots follow the coin price; if the price is above the dots, it means an increase, and if it's below the dots, it means a decrease. It's so simple that you can learn it in 5 minutes.
Using SAR to determine "bullish or bearish" is 10 times more reliable than MACD.
The price is above the SAR point (the points are below the K line), which indicates a "bull market". Don't rush to sell, even if there's a pullback, as long as it doesn't drop below the SAR point, keep holding on. In 2021, Ethereum rose from 2000 to 4000, and the SAR point was always below. By adhering to the "don't sell if it doesn't break the point" strategy, I made an extra million.
The price broke below the SAR point (the point is above the K line), indicating a "bear market", and it is necessary to sell. Last year, Bitcoin dropped from 69,000 to 30,000, and the SAR point "flipped above" when it was at 50,000. I decisively liquidated my position and avoided the subsequent halving.
Remember these 2 "angle" signals to avoid 80% of the pitfalls.
If the SAR points are running at an angle greater than 45 degrees upwards, it indicates a strong rise, so don't rush to sell (for example, in 2023, SOL rose from 20 to 100, and the SAR points were almost vertical upwards; selling at this time would mean losing money);
When the SAR points are angled downwards greater than 45 degrees, it indicates a sharp decline, so never try to catch the bottom (for example, during the LUNA crash in 2022, the SAR point angle was close to 90 degrees, and all those who tried to catch the bottom ended up getting liquidated).
Key reminder: SAR will fail in "volatile markets" (it fluctuates repeatedly), so don’t operate during this time; wait until the trend is clear before proceeding — its strength lies in "capturing trends", not "guessing volatility". 2. Support and resistance levels: Understanding these two points can increase profits by 30%. Many people buy coins without knowing where to sell, and sell without knowing where to buy; it actually comes down to "two points": support level (the point where it can’t drop further) and resistance level (the point where it can’t rise further).
When the support level is broken, it becomes a resistance level; when the resistance level is broken, it becomes a support level.
For example, if a certain coin repeatedly fails to rise above 6800 yuan (3 attempts have failed), this is the "resistance level"; later, if it crashes through 6000 yuan with a large volume (support level), then 6000 yuan becomes the new resistance level - when it tries to rise back to 6000, it will encounter a lot of trapped positions selling off, making it difficult to surpass.
When I traded FIL last year, I relied on this pattern: it had 3 supports at 40 dollars (it would rebound when it dropped to this level), I bought at 40 dollars each time and sold when it rose to 50 dollars (resistance level), making a total profit of 60% over 3 cycles.
To determine "true or false breakout", just look at the "trading volume".
When a resistance level is broken, the trading volume must increase (by more than 2 times the usual) to be a "true breakout" where you can add to your position; if there is no increase in volume, it is a "false breakout" and you should sell quickly. For example, when BTC broke $40,000 this year, the trading volume was 3 times the usual, and I decisively added to my position, which later rose to over $50,000, earning an extra $200,000.
3. Bollinger Bands: The神器 for "guessing direction" during sideways movement, a must-see before a trend change.
The sideways market is the most frustrating: prices don't rise when you buy, and they rise when you sell. But Bollinger Bands can help you "smell" the big market moves in advance - it's like a "rubber band"; when it narrows, it's preparing for a trend change, and when it opens, the trend is coming.
The Bollinger Bands have narrowed to "almost sticking together," indicating that a big move is imminent.
The coin price is moving sideways, and the upper, middle, and lower bands of the Bollinger Bands are compressed into a single line, indicating that both bulls and bears are "tired" and a resolution is imminent. At this point, do not use leverage, and avoid short-term trades (the fees won't even be recouped). Wait for a breakout in either direction before taking action — the larger the magnitude of the breakout, the stronger the subsequent market trend (for example, Bitcoin moved sideways for 1 month in 2023, and after the Bollinger Bands narrowed, it surged by 30%).
When the opening widens, look at the position to determine buying and selling.
After the high position opens and then begins to shrink, it is a "sell signal" (for example, if the coin price has increased by 3 times, the Bollinger Bands open to the maximum, and suddenly narrow, it is highly likely to fall afterwards);
A widening at the lower opening, and the coin price running upwards from the middle track, is a "buy signal" (for example, if the coin price drops by 50%, the Bollinger Bands narrow and then suddenly widen, with the middle track turning upwards, the probability of winning a buy is high).
Reminder: The Bollinger Bands have strong lagging characteristics (they only move after the price moves), do not use them to guess 'reversals', only use them to determine 'whether the trend will continue'. Four, Volume: Trading volume is the 'real signal', everything else is 'fake noise'. Many people look at K-line rises and falls, but ignore 'trading volume' (the red and green bars below). In fact, 90% of the 'violent rises and falls' in the crypto world are determined by 'volume' - price movements without volume are just the market makers 'playing by themselves'.
Remember these 4 phrases, it's better than 100 indicators.
High volume at the top must fall: the coin price has increased significantly (for example, it has multiplied by 5), and suddenly the trading volume surges (the bars are 3 times higher than usual). No matter how good the candlestick looks, sell quickly (the big players are offloading);
Buying on low volume increase: The coin price has dropped significantly (for example, down 70%), the trading volume suddenly increases, and it no longer makes new lows. This indicates "capital entering the market," and you can buy in batches (when Bitcoin dropped to 15,000 in 2022, the volume increased, and I made 3 times profit after adding positions);
A significant price increase with no volume is a "pump and dump": the price of the coin has risen, but the trading volume hasn't increased (the bars are still low), it's likely that the market maker is "self-pumping and self-singing". It rises quickly but falls even faster, don't chase it.
Be cautious of price-volume divergence: the coin price hits a new high, but the trading volume is lower than the last peak (the bars are getting shorter), indicating that "buying power is not keeping up," it's time to sell (for example, when Bitcoin rose to 69,000 in 2021, the volume was smaller than the previous high, and I managed to avoid the crash after clearing my position).
5. Finally, here’s a "foolproof trading method" that beginners can follow.
Connecting the tools above creates a trading process that is simple enough to "not require any thought":
Use the SAR indicator for direction: If the price is above the SAR, only go long; if below, only go short;
Finding points using support / resistance levels: Buy when close to support level + SAR is below; Sell when close to resistance level + SAR is above;
Using Bollinger Bands for Timing: When the market is ranging and the Bollinger Bands are narrowing, wait for a breakout; in a trend, when the Bollinger Bands are widening, follow the direction.
Verify authenticity by volume: Check the trading volume before buying; if there is no volume increase, give up. Only act when there is an increase in volume.
Using this method, I operated on SOL 4 times last year, earning 15%-30% each time, doubling my investment in total. Complex indicators will only make you hesitate; simple rules will allow you to act decisively. In conclusion: the core of making money in the crypto world is 'simplicity + execution'. From liquidation to buying a villa, my biggest realization is: the crypto world is not short of opportunities, but lacks 'practical methods'. SAR, support and resistance, Bollinger Bands, trading volume... These tools seem simple, yet they can help you avoid most pitfalls.