5 Rules for Survival in Crypto: Valuable Lessons from Someone Who Has Gone Through Two Survival Cycles

I entered the crypto market in 2017. Witnessing Bitcoin go from $3,000 to an all-time high of $69,000, then plummet straight down to around $16,000. During those years, I made mistakes, paid the price, and lost sleep over market volatility. But it was also thanks to those experiences that I managed to grow my capital from $50,000 to over $1 million—not by luck, but through survival principles earned with real money. 👉 Here are 5 core principles. They may go against your intuition, but each has been tested through multiple market cycles.

1. Rapid Increase, Slow Correction Is a Trap – Fast Rise, Breaks Are a Snare When prices surge sharply and then gradually correct, don’t panic. In most cases, it’s not a crash but a shakeout. Sharks intentionally create volatility to shake out weak hands before the market enters a real bullish phase. Conversely, if you see a scenario: a 30–40% daily increase, then a 50% drop a few hours later → withdraw immediately. That’s a classic pump trap, designed to “shave” FOMO traders chasing the top. 👉 Remember: After a shock rally followed by a quick crash, it’s not an opportunity — it’s a scythe.
2. Sharp Drop, Weak Rebound Is Distribution – Peak with Low Volume Is a Warning Sign Prices fall sharply then rebound weakly, looking like “buying the dip,” but often it’s the last sell-off by big money. This rebound is just to create a sense of safety for confident dip-buyers. More importantly, watch the trading volume: Peak with high volume → not necessarily over. Peak with exhausted volume, sideways price → exit immediately. 👉 A peak with liquidity can still survive. 👉 A peak without liquidity is the real top.
3. A Fake Bottom Bounce Is Unreliable – Only Persistent Money Is the True Bottom Many see a large green candle with high volume at the bottom and rush to buy. In reality, it could just be a fake pull-up. The true bottom has these features: Long accumulation period, low volumeFollowed by several days of increasing volumePrices don’t surge but stay stable and solid For example: before some AI coins leading the market this year exploded, their on-chain volume had been steadily increasing for days, each day hundreds of percent higher than the previous. That’s a footprint of big money, not luck.
4. Crypto Is an Emotional Game – Real Volume Over Price Candles are just the result; true market sentiment is reflected in volume. Crypto doesn’t operate on traditional “business valuation” models. It’s about: (narrative)Money flowLiquidity battles Before meme coins surged, the first things to increase are: Community enthusiasmOn-chain transaction volumeToken transfer frequency 👉 Volume always leads price. 👉 Without understanding the emotional cycle, all technical indicators are meaningless.
5. Survival Is More Important Than Making Money – Patience Is More Valuable Than Trading The biggest paradox in crypto is: The more impatient you are to change your life, the faster you die. In 2024, I will only make 27 trades, but with an average profit rate of 43%. The secret isn’t high-tech analysis but discipline: 90% of the time: wait5% of the time: observe5% of the time: act My allocation strategy: Healthy market: 50% BTC + ETH as the foundation, 30% strong altcoins (like SOL, WIF), 10% cashWhen BTC breaks the long-term trend line: shift the portfolio to 80% cash and stay out 👉 Not entering a trade is also a trading decision. 👉 Not losing is already winning. Conclusion Crypto isn’t a place to prove you’re smart; it’s a place to test if you have discipline and patience. Survivors through multiple cycles share one trait: they don’t try to win every battle, they just ensure they’re not eliminated. Remember: Learning is your greatest asset. Making money is a result, not the only goal. If you want to deepen your understanding of money flow, market cycles, and high-probability entry and exit points, treat knowledge as a compass — profits will find their way naturally.