I’ve realized my biggest problem isn’t that I can’t read candlestick charts, but that I can’t hold onto spot and I always want to use futures to “catch up.” Then one spike with a sudden needle-through move and I’m instantly given a lesson. Put simply, position management boils down to one plain truth: staying alive matters more than winning a single round. Don’t use tomorrow’s meal money to prove to everyone that you’re right.

Now I place orders according to the principle of “sleeping soundly”: for spot, I only keep the amount that I wouldn’t want to cut immediately even if it drops; for futures, sure, I can open them, but they have to be so small that I’ll just mutter a couple complaints and keep going to work without letting it affect my mood. Especially lately, when cross-chain bridges have been stolen again and oracles have also shown abnormal quotes—everyone’s there shouting “wait for confirmation.” I’ve accepted it too. I’d rather be half a step slower than to use leverage to bet on a chain of on-chain accidents that are unlikely to happen. In the end, don’t argue with the market—if you keep poking at it, you’ll end up paying your own tuition anyway.