Having been involved in the crypto market for so many years, today I want to speak some honest words. Many people think that trading is just staring at K-line charts, relying on luck to make quick money, and then achieving financial freedom. But I want to say—behind stable profits, there is actually a very counter-human self-discipline, along with countless falls and setbacks.

The hardest part of trading is not learning technical indicators or predicting market trends. The most tragic case I’ve seen is—someone makes money initially by luck, but in the end, they lose everything relying solely on real skill. Do you know why?

Because the threshold of trading isn’t technical skills, it’s human nature.

The three most common pitfalls I’ve seen almost everyone fall into are: psychological barriers to stop-loss. When losing, the urge to "hold on a bit longer," stubbornly enduring small losses until they turn into big ones. Psychological barriers to take-profit. When making money, fear kicks in—worried that selling now will cause the price to skyrocket, leading to hesitation and giving back all the profits. And then there’s constantly changing strategies. Seeing market fluctuations panic, immediately overturning your plan and starting over.

Where do these problems originate? Humans are born with a desire for instant gratification—when losing, we want to get out immediately; when winning, we want to become rich overnight. But trading requires the exact opposite: you need to control your desires, be rational, and have patience. The only solution is—replace emotions with strict rules.

Simply put: have a system, follow it strictly, and don’t overdramatize.

And I must address a real topic: how long does it take to make a living from trading?

I’m often asked this question. The honest answer is—at least 5 years. Breaking it down: the first 3 years are for laying the foundation, the last 2 years for honing your mindset.

What should you do in the first 3 years? Learn technical indicators, understand the market’s temperament, and gradually build your trading framework. For example, study how to use moving average combinations, interpret volume, and identify patterns across different market cycles. This isn’t something you can master in a month or two; it requires repeated testing and adjustments.

And the last 2 years? It’s about mastering your system. Knowing and doing are worlds apart. You need to execute your plan repeatedly in real market conditions, learn from mistakes, adjust, and execute again. This process ingrains your trading system into your bones.

So don’t believe those "3-month trading crash courses." There’s no fast lane in trading—unless you have a mentor guiding you one-on-one, and even then, you need to be smart and disciplined enough. Most people have to honestly go through these 5 years.

Finally, I want to say—if you’re still losing money now, don’t rush to adjust your strategy. First, ask yourself: are you truly executing properly? Often, it’s not that the method is flawed, but that your execution is lacking. When your mindset collapses, you change strategies; but changing strategies too often can lead to losing your sense of direction.

The crypto market tests human nature every day. Those who truly make money are often not the smartest, but the ones who can control themselves best.