$GT Six years ago, I entered the market with some spare money and bought over 1,000 GT. To be honest, my original intention was very "pure"—I just wanted to do short-term trading (swing trading), make a profit, and then exit.

But plans never keep up with market changes. After buying in, the market didn't follow my script; instead, it fell into a long period of decline and volatility. During that time, watching the market was too exhausting, and since I was also busy with my main job, I simply stopped paying attention to it, thinking: "Anyway, my position isn't heavy, just leave it be."

And so, several years went by.

Until last year, the market experienced a crazy bull run, and GT also surged. Seeing my account’s profits multiply six or seven times, my first reaction wasn't euphoria but disbelief. I even refreshed the page repeatedly, afraid I had read the numbers wrong. Looking back over these six years, I did nothing but hold, yet I unexpectedly gained returns far beyond my initial short-term expectations.

However, the market's lessons never end. This year, with the macro environment changing, GT experienced a significant correction, and the previous unrealized gains shrank considerably.

If I were the same short-term trader I was six years ago, facing this rollercoaster market, I would probably have cut my losses early or chased the highs and sold at lows. But after these six years of experience, watching my account fluctuate, I’ve found an unprecedented sense of calm inside.

This journey completely changed my investment approach and reshaped my understanding:

Let go of "prediction," respect "cycles": I used to think I could pinpoint the exact moments, but the truth is, no one can always get short-term timing right. Six years have taught me that instead of daily battles on the candlestick chart, it’s better to extend the time horizon and focus on earning from corporate growth or cyclical upward trends.

From "watching the market" to "living life": Short-term trading not only consumes energy but also drains emotions. Over these six years, because I "forgot" or "was too busy to watch," I avoided countless traps of chasing highs and selling lows. Turns out, the best risk control sometimes is simply staying away from market noise.

Accept volatility—it's a necessary lesson for long-term survival: The downturn this year made me realize deeply that profit and loss are two sides of the same coin. Since I enjoyed the crazy six or seven times gains during the bull market, I must also endure the pain of drawdowns in the bear market. True long-term survival isn’t about never losing money, but about having the confidence and mindset to stay at the table during crashes.

Looking back now, those 1,000+ GTs from six years ago weren’t just an investment; they were a journey the market gave me. Over six years, it transformed me from an impatient short-term trader into a long-term believer who respects cycles and accepts volatility.

In this noisy market, what’s truly valuable may never be a single profit screenshot, but rather those nights endured during crashes and the insights that ultimately help me avoid detours on the road.