Stick with it long term

In crypto and in life, long-term persistence beats short-term chasing. When I learned Chinese and built my social media presence, early results were almost zero. I couldn't see any progress, and launching a business often feels the same way. People later said I was lucky, but they didn't see the discipline and perseverance behind the success. The same principle applies to crypto. Real benefits take time; if I had chased quick wins, I wouldn't have stayed.

A clear example is the 200-day simple moving average. Historical Bitcoin data shows that the most intense bull markets often start after the 200-day moving average breaks previous highs. In early November 2020 it went above 10,320, and by mid-April 2021 Bitcoin reached 63,800—a 4.5x increase. You can't see that kind of bullish momentum on a short-term time frame.

Short-term gains often come down to luck, while long-term gains are about skill and strategy. Not trading is also trading: you are like a hunter waiting for your prey. You can't shoot too early or too late; you have to wait for the right moment. Focusing too much on short-term gains makes you anxious and impatient. A great crypto investor looks at the long term and waits for the right opportunity.

  • Short-term gains often rely on luck; long-term gains rely on skill and strategy.
  • The 200-day SMA can reveal major bull phases that short-term charts miss.
  • Patience includes knowing when not to trade.

Think for yourself

Many people in crypto tend to be lazy, especially beginners who easily get influenced by market hype. When they see a project being hyped, they think it has a lot of potential without doing any research. This is a big mistake. Top-notch crypto investors have their own strategy and spend time researching projects. It's not about how many times you're right; it's about making the most of your successful trades. If you don't have a strategy or don't know what you're doing, please just don't do anything.

Take the SBF incident as an example. In early November 2022, FTT was still around $30 or $40 despite the leaked balance sheet of Alameda showing critical problems. Many influencers continued to support FTX, and many people believed them. I didn't listen to these voices. Instead, I thought about the market impact and decided to sell—and my decision proved right.

Don't plainly follow anyone in crypto. Develop the habit of thinking independently. You might make mistakes, but don't be afraid; this process helps you sharpen your market sense and intuition. Those are valuable skills for life. When you see a project, don't just listen to the hype. Ask yourself what you think.

Know when to cut losses and take profits

The crypto market is full of unstable factors and hidden dangers. Before making any investment, set a bottom line for yourself. If the bottom line holds, keep going; if it breaks, cut your losses immediately. Early on, my stop loss was often 10%. Now, with more funds and liquidity, I've adjusted it to 30%. But you have to have a strategy. What is your strategy? Do you have one, and do you enforce it?

Understand your profit-to-loss ratio. As they say on Wall Street, cut losses and let profits run—and when you let profits run, don't forget to set a trailing stop-loss. On the profit side, know how to identify trends and their strength. If an uptrend has lasted long and generated significant gains, it's best to take profits in time because the trend will end and reverse.

The market is volatile roughly 80% of the time and in a clear trend about 20% of the time. In choppy conditions, smaller trends have low tolerance for mistakes but can lead to big trading opportunities. In these cases, take profits in time to avoid overtrading and greed.

Even with a modest win rate, a positive risk/reward ratio can make you profitable. If your take-profit is three times your stop-loss, you only need to win three out of ten transactions—a 30% win rate—to make money. That's just math. This is a key difference between experts and beginners: experts set expectations, avoid high-risk investments, and create strategies that consistently yield returns over the long term.

  • Set a bottom line before investing; cut losses immediately when it breaks.
  • Use a positive risk/reward ratio—for example, aim for three times the profit versus the loss.
  • With a 3:1 ratio, even a 30% win rate can still be profitable.

Control yourself and stay rational

If you're always emotional, you'll fall for FOMO and be swayed by others' opinions. You might make impulsive trades only to see the market move against you, then stubbornly hope for a reversal—leading to a bigger loss. We see this often. Recently an investor lost 239 SOL in 15 to 17 minutes because he bought into a price drop and sold in panic. If he had stayed calm, he could have turned that loss into a $36,000 profit.

Emotional trading won't make you money in the crypto world. Stay calm and don't react to every market fluctuation or rumor. If you can't control your emotions, how can you control your money?

Keep learning

Cryptocurrency is highly technical. When I first started, I was overwhelmed by blockchain and new technologies. It took time to understand market tools and methods like trend identification, risk management, and price fluctuations. I also improved skills I had acquired through forex, such as technical analysis with charts, moving averages, RSI, MACD, and more.

Understanding these technical principles and trading platforms helps you grasp market trends and make solid plans. The crypto industry is always evolving, with new projects, tokens, and opportunities. To stay ahead, you need to keep learning and researching—always.

The real edge is mental

These five skills—long-term persistence, independent thinking, disciplined exits, emotional control, and continuous learning—are the real difference makers. They aren't just crypto skills; they shape how you handle uncertainty in any investment and in life. The market will keep testing you, but if you train these abilities, you can navigate it with more confidence and less noise.