The moment I received the transfer late at night and saw it in my account, I stared at my phone screen in a daze for a long time. 320,000—this amount might not mean much to many people, but to me, it represents the full price I've paid over the years of struggling in the crypto market: losing more and more hair, worsening stomach problems, and insomnia becoming an everyday occurrence.

When I first entered the space in 2016, I only had 5,000 coins and couldn't even read the most basic charts. Back then, all kinds of legends were flying around the community: some people multiplied their money several times through inside information, others got rich overnight playing leverage. I didn't follow the crowd and chose what seemed like the dumbest path—not chasing hype, not touching contracts, not believing in any so-called trading gurus.

It took me four full years to go from 5,000 to 1.2 million. During this time, I blew up my account countless times and forced myself to get back up and review each failure. I developed a habit: analyzing hundreds of trading records every day and holding back from making moves when the market was at its wildest. Slowly, I realized that the people who survive in this market are never the best at predicting trends, but those who are best at controlling themselves.

Here are a few lessons learned from eight years of blood, sweat, and tears:

**Volume is more honest than price.** Many people just stare at price movements, but volume is actually the key signal. Did the price surge quickly and then slowly fall back? Most likely, that's a bull trap. Did you see a sudden spike in volume followed by a sharp drop at a high level? Don't hesitate—get out fast. This is a clear sign the market is shaking out retail investors. If you get greedy now, you're just waiting to be harvested.