The greatest tragedy in the crypto world: Having seen millions of dollars in scenery, but ultimately losing to a few tens of dollars in takeout

Imagine holding 1.5 million in cash, driving a 250,000 car, and living in a fully paid 90-square-meter apartment. Don’t think this is just middle-class standard; this is actually the wealth ceiling most people can reach in a lifetime. Beyond this level, without sufficient awareness, money comes quickly and goes even faster.
Just look at the crypto world and you'll see it’s a battlefield amplifying human weaknesses. Many assets multiply a hundredfold during a bull market, but only a tiny few can truly cash out and protect their wealth. Why do people get big results but fail to hold onto them?
First, mistaking beta for alpha
Many people make big money simply by riding the wave of market hype, not because of their own ability. You buy a hundredfold coin because you happen to be in a bull market bubble, not because you understand the technology.
But human weakness causes people to mistake luck for skill. Once they develop the illusion that they are trading geniuses, they confidently leverage up. When the market turns downward, principal and profits vanish instantly. Luck is a consumable, and it cannot be replicated.
Second, lacking an exit mechanism, riding the roller coaster
Crypto people struggle to sell at the right time. When prices rise, they think they’re earning too little; when prices fall, they wait to break even. From a goal of 2 million to 10 million, greed makes profits always just numbers.
In their eyes, those are chips, not money. Until the bear market hits, assets shrink by 90%, and everything becomes fleeting, causing them to completely miss the opportunity to cash out.
Third, mindset mismatch, looking down on slow money
Accustomed to quick gains on the chain, they look down on slow money in the real world. When they make money, they are either extremely frugal or blindly follow trends in real-world investments, only to be harvested by tangible assets. They don’t realize that only money that’s safely in your pocket truly belongs to you.
So how do you protect your money?
Leaving money untouched is also a strategy
Don’t be brainwashed by inflation anxiety; safety of principal comes first. Withdraw profits into fiat currency, or turn them into bricks and tiles. Even if the yield is low, you’ve already won against 90% of those still gambling in the market.
Nobel laureate Richard Thaler’s mental accounting theory explains it well: money for survival and money for investment are fundamentally different.
Understand where your money comes from and keep a backup plan.
Change the timing, change the track—can you still replicate success? If not, admit it’s luck. During the most feverish period of making money, dare to press the withdrawal button and prepare for the cold winter.
The essence of financial freedom is not how many zeros are on your account statement, but how long these funds can support you through stable days. Making money is a skill; putting money in your pocket is the real skill.