From 5 Account Burnouts to Stable Trading: I Only Follow 5 Survival Principles

Risk control is a prerequisite for long-term survival Looking at the green and red numbers dancing in the account, I have to state a very harsh truth: in the cryptocurrency futures market, most participants are losing money. Not because they are not smart, but because they underestimate risk and trust too much in their own emotions. I have been in that group 5 times with account burnouts, paying tuition with real money each time. The worst was when Bitcoin suddenly announced bad news at midnight, and a 5x leveraged long order was wiped out in an instant. The balance was almost gone, and the feeling of panic and insomnia still remains vividly in my memory. But from those falls, I learned 5 survival principles. Not a secret to get rich quickly, but a path that helped me maintain stable profits over many years.

1. Cut Losses Immediately When Wrong, Never Hope The biggest mistake of beginners is always thinking: “Just wait a little for a rebound.” That mindset caused me to burn out twice at the beginning. The market doesn’t care whether you endure or not. Just hesitating a few seconds to cut losses can push you closer to losing all your capital. My current rule is very simple and strict: 👉 Each loss order maximum 1% of total assets, cut immediately when reached. Cutting losses is not losing, but protecting your right to continue trading. In this market, opportunities are always available, but the most easily lost is capital.
2. Consecutive Losses Mean Stop, Force Yourself to Stay Calm The longer you trade, the more you realize: when the market is chaotic, no matter how good your analysis is, it’s meaningless. That’s when emotions dominate the most. I apply an “emergency switch” for myself: 👉 Lose 3 consecutive orders → stop trading for at least 24 hours. Many times, after taking a day off and reviewing, I realize that the previous trades were simply made in anger. Trading is not about trading more and more. Sometimes, doing nothing is the highest profit decision.
3. When in Profit, Withdraw, Don’t Trust the Numbers on the Screen The balance on the app is just an illusion until the money is actually in your wallet. I have seen many people with very handsome profits, but because they didn’t take profits in time, they ended up turning gains into losses. My rule is: 👉 When the account increases by over 30%, withdraw at least 50% of the profit. This approach keeps me proactive. Even if subsequent trades go wrong, I have preserved part of the gains. In this market, preserving capital is more important than making money.
4. Trade Only When There Is a Clear Trend High leverage in a strong trend can be a “rocket,” but in a sideways market, it’s a account grinder. When there is no clear direction, I accept staying out. Not entering a trade is also a strategy. On average, I only trade about 3–5 times a month, the rest of the time is waiting. Some days, just waiting for a perfect entry point can yield more profit than a week of chaotic trading.
5. Strict Position Management, Never “All-in” People who like to put all their capital into one trade may win a few times, but just one loss ends everything. My unbreakable rule: 👉 Each order does not exceed 5% of total capital, no matter how confident I am, I don’t break this rule. Don’t be seduced by screenshots of huge profits online. You will never see them post pictures when their accounts are wiped out. In the futures market, survival is the highest skill, and position management is the foundation of that survival. Conclusion Trading cryptocurrency futures is essentially a game against human instincts. Greed, fear, luck, and ego can all become the fuel that leads to account burnouts. I have seen many people learn all kinds of indicators, build very systematic trading systems, but still lose because they cannot control their psychology. A good trader is not someone who always guesses the market correctly, but someone who keeps losses within allowed limits and only expands when winning. They understand that profits do not come from predictions, but from discipline and rules. If I had to summarize the most important secret in one sentence, I would say: 👉 Preserving capital gives you a chance. Losing everything ends everything. Learning and cultivating the right mindset is always the highest-yield investment in this market.