When I entered the market ten years ago, I was still a greenhorn. The 2017 bull run almost made me financially free—and almost bankrupted me.

That year, I bet on ADA. Started building a position at 3 cents, and in three months it skyrocketed to $1.20, a 40x gain on paper. Every morning, the first thing I did was check my account balance; I even went to a Porsche dealership to look at cars.

But I made the mistake every rookie makes: I couldn’t bear to sell.

Later, ADA flash-crashed to 20 cents, wiping out 80% of my profits and shattering my Porsche dream. That lesson taught me a harsh truth:
**Buying is about luck. Selling is a skill.**

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**How do I take profits now?**

I use a ladder strategy. Say a coin goes from $1 to $2:
- Sell 30% to recover my initial investment
- When it hits $3, sell another 30%
- Set a trailing stop-loss for the remaining 40%, and fully exit if it drops 15% from its peak

The beauty of this approach is that I catch most of the rally but avoid riding it all the way back down. Last year, I used this method on an altcoin and bagged a 6x return. Even though it eventually went up 10x, I slept soundly.

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**My stop-loss is even stricter: No single loss over 5% of principal**

For example, if I enter with $10,000, I’ll exit if I lose $500. I set a conditional order with a 10% stop-loss as soon as I buy—like buckling a seatbelt when driving.

Some say this means missing out on rebounds. If so, so be it—there’s no shortage of opportunities in crypto, but once your principal’s gone, it’s really gone.

Earlier this year, I stopped out and then the coin doubled. My friend laughed at me for being timid. Three months later, that coin went to zero—so did his account.

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**The most counterintuitive realization: Don’t try to catch the top or bottom**

I used to aim for selling at the very top, but always hesitated and missed my chance. Now I just take the middle; I leave the head and tail to the greedy.

This “timid” strategy has let me steadily earn 35% this year. Maybe it’s not as flashy as the people showing off 100x returns, but I sleep well at night.

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Over the past ten years, I’ve seen too many get-rich-quick legends, but even more people lose everything in the swings and leave the market. The ones who actually walk away with money are those who execute their strategy with machine-like discipline.

**In crypto, surviving is a thousand times more important than getting rich quick.**

I used to stumble around in the dark, but now I have a light in my hand. The light is always on, but whether you make it out is up to you.