There's a question that people always ask: When is the best time to exit?

Honestly, trading doesn't really have a definitive end point. For some, it's just a phase in life—making enough money and then stepping back completely, treating trading as a seasoning of life; for others, it's a profession, even if the profits aren't substantial, it helps them escape the hassles of the office; but for the vast majority, they end up leaving with regret, losses, and wasted time.

Why are there so many failures? The root cause is actually quite simple—it all comes down to human nature—arrogance, impatience, greed, and blame. Just look at stories of margin calls to understand: getting excited after making a little profit and wanting to add to the position, then losing and being unwilling to cut losses, instead trying to reverse the situation; or initially ignoring small losses, and as losses grow, wanting to double down and fight to the end, ultimately becoming market’s victims. Market waves always start from ripples; once human flaws appear, the capital curve is very likely to collapse.

Rather than fighting your nature blindly, it's better to lock it down with discipline—set trading directions and cycles in advance, clarify exit conditions, identify failure signals, strictly control position sizes, and fix the boundaries of stop-loss and take-profit. Traders who have been in the market for over ten years understand this logic well—they know that making money depends on strictly following rules, and losses should also be limited by rules. The most tragic situation is that profits earned by following rules are all wiped out due to a moment of human weakness.

Ultimately, rules are your moat. With them, you can truly stand firm in this market, rather than being repeatedly battered by market fluctuations.