After spending a long time in the crypto world, you’ll notice an interesting phenomenon: before every major market move, the community is filled with similar conversations. Someone passionately shouts "BTC will surge again, then definitely pull back," only to delete the post a few hours later. This isn’t an isolated case; it happens almost every week.

I know a guy who was so convinced—almost obsessively—that "the bull market has no ceiling." When BTC hit $121,000, he doubled down with leverage. The result was obvious—his margin was wiped out one after another, and in the end, he left a dark humor comment on social media: "Crypto is too tough, I’ve decided to switch careers and sell pancakes."

Stories like these happen so frequently because they all point to the same seriously underestimated concept: stop-loss.

**Why do most people "hesitate to cut"?**

At the core, it’s a psychological issue. We’ve demonized stop-loss, treating it as a sign of "giving up," while wrapping "holding on stubbornly" as "faith." But the market doesn’t care what you believe in; it only follows the rules. A trade without stop-loss protection is like driving on the highway with broken brakes—you might get a little distance, but the final outcome is often beyond your control.

**So what exactly is a stop-loss? It’s actually a form of capital that’s still alive.**

For me, stop-loss isn’t some advanced technical skill. It’s fundamentally about discipline—whether you dare to follow it strictly.

The method is simple: before entering a position, decide on a stop-loss point (for example, exit if it drops 5% or 8%). Once triggered, exit decisively—don’t give yourself a chance to regret. Sometimes I also use a trailing stop—if a position gains more than 10%, I move the stop-loss to near the cost basis, ensuring I won’t suffer a big loss.

**Truly smart traders care less about "bottom fishing" and more about "surviving until the next opportunity."**

This may sound cold, but it hits the point. Opportunities in the market are never lacking; what’s missing is the capital to catch the bottom. Every time you execute a stop-loss, it may seem like giving up a "chance to turn things around," but in reality, it’s protecting your trading life—allowing you to continue fighting in the next round.

I’ve seen too many people kicked out of the market because they refused to stop-loss once. They never got a chance to turn things around again—not because they couldn’t see the market, but because they ran out of money.

If you’ve ever stared at the candlestick chart in the dead of night, sweating and wavering between cutting losses and holding on, maybe it’s time to redefine that word—stop-loss isn’t a period, it’s a comma. It keeps you alive to see the next wave of the market.

Holding onto the torch, only then can you chase the next bull run.