The fluctuating candlesticks on the screen are like my electrocardiogram, with the color changes of each candle able to accelerate my heartbeat.

Do you remember that summer six years ago when it was unbearably hot? In the small rented room, the only thing glowing was the computer screen, keeping me company. At that time, ETH surged from 1800 to 2400, and without hesitation, I put all 8000U on the line. The moment I pressed the "buy" button, it felt like the entire world faded away, leaving only the sound of my heartbeat.

The next seven days felt like a dream. My account had an unrealized profit of 6000U. I felt like I had become the god of the market. At that time, I even turned off the profit-taking alerts, and all I could think about was the dream of "cashing out when it hits 3000." Not even the enticing aroma of spicy food from next door could pull me away from the screen.

But a rate hike statement from the Federal Reserve instantly shattered everything. ETH plummeted to 1900 within half a day. I watched helplessly as my unrealized gains evaporated, yet I gritted my teeth and held on, thinking "mainstream coins will definitely bounce back, just wait a bit longer."

In the end? The account only has 300U left. I squatted on the cold floor, biting into the cold steamed bun, with a tight feeling in my throat. At that moment, I truly understood: no currency can compete with the greed in a person's heart.

Later, there were several more lessons.

The market is best at dealing with those who are self-righteous. I bought an NFT for 15,000 U and at one point it rose to 32,000 U, but because I couldn't bear to sell, I ended up getting trapped and had to cut my losses to escape; there was also a time when I was trading BTC, I proactively withdrew my stop-loss order and stubbornly held on until my account was halved.

Every lesson has been bought with money. After all this turmoil, I slowly figured out three life-saving rules.

Three trading rules forged with real gold and silver

**Split Position - Leave Yourself a Way Out**

I now have very strict requirements for asset allocation: 35% is kept in a cold wallet, as if it's a fixed deposit; 25% is used for stable long-term holdings; and the remaining 40% is my capital for swing trading. The advantage of this allocation is that even if one operation fails, I won't be wiped out.

**Stop-loss - More important than anything else**

I used to always hold onto the fantasy of "there will be a rebound", but in the end, the rebound didn't come, and my principal was gone first. Now my rule is: once it drops below 8% of the purchase price, I exit immediately. It sounds easy, but executing it requires my mindset to be as tough as steel.

**Don't chase the price—this is the dumbest thing to do**

Looking at other people's profit screenshots makes me itch to trade. This is when mistakes are most likely to happen. My current approach is to set a target price and wait; if the price hasn't reached it, I resolutely do not engage, which eliminates the desire to chase highs.

Simply put, the market isn't that complex; it's human nature that is complex. Learning to fight against oneself is the true way to make money.