《The Day I Got Liquidated, I Finally Understood: The Biggest Enemy of the Futures Market Is Your Own Greed》

After doing contracts for so many years, I’ve experienced the madness of making money, and I’ve also suffered the pain after getting liquidated. Looking back now, many losses had been planted as early warnings, but at the time, I just refused to face them.
When I first started trading contracts, I thought leverage was an opportunity. Spot might rise a few percentage points in a day, but futures can quickly magnify profit—if your direction judgment is correct, you can earn more than others. Back then, what I cared about most was how much I could make, and I hardly considered what to do if I was wrong.
Once, my account was about 20,000 USDT. For a period before that, my trading was going great—several trades in a row were profitable. When you’re riding the wind, you’re most likely to make mistakes, because making money gives you a false illusion that you’re smarter than the market. At that time, I saw a setup and felt the win rate was extremely high, so I went in directly with a position size close to 10,000 USDT, using relatively high leverage. At first, the price action matched my expectations. I even thought I’d found a stable way to make money. But the market changed very quickly—the moment the trend reversed, I didn’t exit according to plan. Instead, I told myself it was just normal volatility. Later, the losses kept expanding, and I started averaging down, hoping to claw the losses back. The final result was something everyone can guess: my account fell from 20,000 USDT to just over 8,000 USDT.
After that, I truly understood: contracts don’t make you earn faster—they make your mistakes surface faster.
Many newcomers lose money because they always like to study technical analysis and news, but they ignore the most important thing: risk control. In the market, there’s no one who’s always right—only people who know how to manage their mistakes.
Over the years, I’ve left myself several trading iron rules. First, don’t bet the direction with a heavy position—no matter how certain the setup is, you won’t go all-in, because one unexpected event can make you lose your chance to recover. Second, before trading, think about how much you can afford to lose, then think about how much you can make—only by controlling risk does profit matter. Third, don’t hold to a position—if the direction is wrong, accept reality and don’t argue with the market about who wins. Fourth, don’t use averaging down to cover up mistakes—averaging down is not a way to solve the problem. Fifth, don’t chase the market at its most frenzied moments—the more excited people are in a certain spot, the more you need to stay calm. Sixth, don’t trade frequently—if there’s no opportunity, wait. Seventh, after you start making money, protect your profits—don’t let your guard down just because you’ve been winning continuously.
Now my trading philosophy is simple: making money isn’t the first goal—long-term stability is.
People who can truly support a life by trading don’t necessarily earn the most every time, but they definitely know how to protect their principal. They accept small losses and wait for big opportunities. They understand that the market will always exist—but principal only happens once.
Recently, the overall market volatility is still quite obvious. In this kind of environment, what tests you most isn’t technical analysis—it’s execution. When prices rise, don’t go crazy. When prices fall, don’t panic.
Trading is a long-term competition, not a matter of winning or losing in a single day.
I don’t talk about miracle trades, and I’m not calling on you to chase any opportunities. I only share the lessons I’ve kept from years of trading experience. I just hope more people can avoid detours and truly survive in the market long term.