Seeing many people staring at the K-line repeatedly rubbing their fists and hesitating at the buy and sell keys, it’s a bit like myself three years ago. At that time, I thought trading was just guessing whether prices would go up or down, betting on the direction, and I lost thoroughly—the hard-earned money was quickly eaten up by the market.

Later, I settled down and made over 300 trades, gradually understanding the taste: in this market, surviving longer is more valuable than earning quickly.

**First Path: Give up blind guessing, use probabilistic thinking**

The most common mistake beginners make when entering the market is treating trading like a brain teaser, obsessing over questions like “Will it go up or down” with no answer. But truly consistent profitable traders? They never waste their brains on this.

Their approach is actually very simple: identify the trend before taking action; if you can’t see it clearly, wait. A student asked me how to make money in sideways markets, and I said: “Why insist on catching every opportunity? Protect your principal and only trade those with high accuracy. That’s rational.” Industry data clearly shows that 79% of beginners lose money in their first year, and overtrading is one of the main culprits.

**Second Path: Leverage is a double-edged sword**

Leverage, to put it simply, is an amplifier. It can magnify your profits but also your mistakes. I’ve seen people come in with 10x leverage trying to “go for it,” and I always pour cold water: if the price moves against you by just 1%, your principal is wiped out. Be especially careful with highly volatile coins like SOL and BTC—behind the high returns is high risk.

So my current principle is very simple: capital preservation first, steady growth second.