#MyGateTradeStory #我的Gate交易时刻

From tens of millions to zero: the only truth a veteran has learned through tears and blood
— The inscription in front of Bitcoin at $60,000, I don't want to repeat my mistakes —
At that time, I was just one step away from financial freedom
During the 2017 bull run, I believe many old players remember that feeling — opening their eyes every day, the numbers in their accounts kept jumping.
I'm not a genius, but I was following the right rhythm. From a few thousand, entering the market, adding positions, rolling positions, by the end of the year, my account contained more than tens of millions.
What does tens of millions mean? At that time, I felt I no longer needed to work for a lifetime.
I started looking for a house, a car, even planning for "retirement." But there was one thing I always didn't do — withdraw funds.
Deep inside, there was a voice saying: "Wait, it can still go up."
The story that follows, you already know. In 2018, the bear market hit harder than anyone expected. Bitcoin fell from twenty thousand to three thousand, I didn't run, I kept adding positions and bottom fishing as the price dropped.
The result — all positions wiped out, not a single one left.
Tens of millions, back to zero.
That night I sat in front of the computer, the numbers on the screen made my whole body cold. I didn't feel sorry for the money, I hated myself: clearly I had made a profit, why didn't I exit?
I thought I had learned from experience, but apparently not.
In 2022, the Dogecoin trend reemerged.
Honestly, at first I wasn't interested in meme coins. But the market doesn't follow logic, if it goes up, it goes up. I hesitated for a few days, then finally entered.
This time, I learned to be a little more "smart" — I set a stop profit.
The result, the account grew from tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand.
One hundred thousand, for ordinary people, is an astronomical figure. I started feeling arrogant again. I thought my previous tens of millions loss was because of Bitcoin, this time Dogecoin, was different.
Then I made a decision: short sell.
I told myself, this time I knew the direction, I wanted to double my profit.
But the market gave a hard slap. After I shorted Dogecoin, it strengthened again, my short position was immediately margin called and flew away.
More than a hundred thousand, gone again.
That night I didn't sit in front of the computer like in 2018, I immediately threw my phone. Because I knew, this isn't a market problem, it's my problem.
The following years: the same script, different numbers
Do you think I would stop there? No.
In the following years, I experienced several more big waves. SOL, ETH, BRC-20... every time I could make enough profit, tens of millions, hundreds of millions.
But what was the end? All ended in losses.
Either because they went to zero, or holding positions until profits disappeared, even losing capital again.
I kept evaluating, finding patterns that made me breathless:
Every time, I always made a profit. Every time, I didn't withdraw funds. Every time, the market would pull back my profits and capital.
This isn't about luck, this is about humans.
I'm not incapable of making money, I can't save money.
Finally, I understood one thing
After years of losses, I finally grasped a truth that sounds ridiculous to say:
In the crypto world, making money isn't a skill, withdrawing funds is the main skill.
If you make 10 million but don't withdraw the funds, then that 10 million isn't yours. It's just a number on the candlestick chart, the market can pull it back at any time.
If you make 1 million, withdraw 800 thousand, even if it later goes to zero, you still have 800 thousand. Your life won't collapse, your mental state won't lose control, and you have a next opportunity.
But if you don't withdraw a single cent, what’s the difference from gambling? Even worse than gambling — because at least with gambling, you know who the bookmaker is, while in the crypto world, you are the biggest bookmaker, and your opponent is your own greed.
The inscription in front of Bitcoin at $60,000
Now Bitcoin has fallen back to around $60,000, many are asking if I will buy the dip.
My answer: yes, but this time I will withdraw funds.
Not because I suddenly became smarter, but because I am afraid of losing.
Tens of millions in 2017, hundreds of millions in 2022, plus many small profits and big losses among them — these numbers are enough to buy several houses. But now? In my bank account, those numbers are far from where they should be.
So if you ask what is the most important lesson in the crypto world?
It's not about choosing coins, not about reading candlestick charts, not about leverage.
— After making money, withdraw funds immediately, unconditionally. —
Securing profits, this phrase is worth tens of millions.
It took me seven years to truly learn, I hope you don't have to pay such a high tuition fee like I did.