#加密生态动态追踪 The decision in 2018, I still remember my parents' disappointed eyes—putting the 120,000 yuan down payment for a house, saved over three years, all into Bitcoin at $450 per coin.

Back then, I only had one thought: "The trend is here, I must get on board." A year later, sitting in a guesthouse in Chiang Mai, I checked my phone and saw my account balance jump to 2.3 million. At that moment, I truly thought I had made the right bet.

The bear market arrived without any warning. By the end of 2018, the account balance was like a popped balloon, dropping from 2.3 million to 220,000 right before my eyes. I sat in the hotel room, staring blankly, even the next month's rent had to be covered by credit cards. That’s when I realized—the so-called trend, when it crashes down, becomes a disaster.

After liquidation and countless cuts, I finally figured out four life-saving rules:

**Rule 1: Do not do anything outside of your understanding.** When I heard people hyping the metaverse land to appreciate, I went all-in without understanding the project, losing 220,000 in a week. That’s when I truly understood—money that can’t be earned is often lost due to ignorance.

**Rule 2: Diversify your positions.** Now I allocate my assets as follows: 50% in Bitcoin and Ethereum for the long term, 30% for cross-platform arbitrage, and the remaining 20% as emergency funds. Last year, when Ethereum dropped to 1200, I used this emergency fund to buy the dip and didn’t miss the rebound. No matter how big the market swings, I stay calm.

**Rule 3: Leverage is the Grim Reaper.** That night when my full position was liquidated, my assets plummeted from the peak to the bottom. I immediately froze my futures trading account. Leverage isn’t a profit amplifier; it’s a本金 grinder.

**Rule 4: Verify information yourself.** Pump groups and influencers’ signals are all traps. I only look at on-chain data and project whitepapers. Before the FTX collapse in 2022, I noticed discrepancies in reserve data and immediately assessed my assets, which helped me avoid the disaster.

Now I no longer hope for explosive growth; I only seek a stable annual return of about 20%. This year, I’ve achieved exactly 18% so far. Surviving in the crypto world until today is already luckier than most.

Many people are overwhelmed by the ups and downs, not because they aren’t working hard, but because they lack the necessary clarity. Opportunities are always there, but you need to find the right direction to avoid unnecessary detours.