I used to be that guy who'd turn $100 into $1000 one week and then lose it all the next. Sounds familiar? Yeah, most traders I know have been there. The difference between me staying in the game versus joining the graveyard of blown-up accounts came down to one unglamorous rule.

Here's the thing nobody wants to hear: you should only risk 1% of your total capital per trade. That's it. If you're working with $100, you're risking a single dollar. Boring as hell, I know. But when crypto falling hits hard (and it always does), this rule is what keeps you alive.

I get why people hate this. Everyone wants the quick moon shot. But I learned the hard way that leverage is a double-edged sword. Sure, you can multiply returns with 20x leverage, but you can also multiply your losses just as fast. The 1% rule changed how I think about it. With proper position sizing, even a small amount of capital can generate meaningful returns when you're patient and disciplined.

The real power isn't in the individual trade. It's in surviving long enough to compound wins. When you're risking only 1%, even a string of losing trades won't destroy you. I've seen traders with better win rates than me still blow up because they didn't follow this. They'd risk 5%, 10%, sometimes 20% per trade, thinking they're being aggressive. Then crypto falling becomes their entire portfolio falling.

Look, I'm not saying you'll get rich slow. But I am saying you'll actually be around to see your portfolio grow. That's worth more than any single trade.