Last weekend, I was having BBQ with an old friend when he suddenly handed me his phone—account balance: 280,000 USDT.

I almost dropped my chopsticks. You have to know, just four and a half months ago, this guy’s account was down to 1,700 USDT, not even recovering his original 600 USDT.

He’s been grinding in the crypto market for six years, and that day on December 1st was a real disaster for him.

Bitcoin fell below $87,000, and Ethereum plunged 5.67% in a single day. His heavy position of 60,000 USDT was slashed to 1,700 USDT. That night, he uninstalled all his trading apps, drank with me until blackout, and swore he’d never touch high leverage again.

I didn’t expect that three days later, he’d come find me again, eyes full of determination: “If 600 USDT can grow to 60,000, why can’t 1,700 USDT?”

He treated his account like a fresh start, but this time, his strategy was totally different.

He split his funds into three parts, used only 550 USDT per trade, and set a hard stop loss at 20 USDT. On December 3rd, when ETH rebounded to $3,240 and dropped back, many people chased the high and got trapped, but he stayed calm like a pro.

He carried a shabby notebook everywhere, pasting in every trade’s entry logic and screenshots—just two trades a day. One time, he messaged me at 2 a.m.: “Is entering ETH at $3,100 too late? Just saw a 24-hour swing of 4.38%.”

Last week, when ETH was fluctuating around $3,133.95, he scored three consecutive wins. He’d take out the profits and reinvest, like upgrading gear in a game.

During this period, over 190,000 traders got liquidated, but his account quietly climbed to 280,000.

He took a bite of lamb skewer and said, “Even if it drops back to $30,000 now, I won’t panic.”

December’s market was indeed full of ups and downs: ETH surged from $2,839 to $3,240 then fell again, but he held through it all.

In this market, it’s never about who runs the fastest—it’s about who survives the longest.

If you’ve ever taken a hit too, stop fixating on those loss numbers. Keep your rhythm steady, and you can still bounce back.