Hi everyone, I'm Amber, and I suggest everyone take a close look.
In the past decade in the crypto space, I've come to understand that surviving in this volatile world and doing relatively well is not about being the best at seizing opportunities or having the strongest gambling instincts. Quite the opposite, it's those who understand 'fear' the best and always leave themselves an escape route.
A couple of days ago, two old friends were chatting with me and mentioned how they lost quite a bit of their capital because they got too carried away. Listening to them made me feel quite uneasy, as it reminded me of ten years ago when I first entered with a few thousand dollars I had saved from my student days. Back then, even Ethereum was considered a joke, referred to as 'air coins.' Who could have imagined today?
It was only the night I heard a friend talk about assets collapsing to nearly zero overnight that I suddenly woke up: In this industry, the most precious thing is not some myth of a hundredfold rise, but the fact that after you lose everything and cry in the middle of the night, you can still dig out a little from your pocket, which gives you the capital to start over.
So today, I really want to discuss something practical with you: how can we ordinary people preserve our most important savings in this wildly fluctuating market?
To put it bluntly, you need to first understand that the temperament of this market is erratic, and risk is its nature. Don't just look at people who became wealthy through Ethereum or UNI; behind that are thousands of projects that went to zero, acting as cushions. All the real opportunities to make money come from fundamental changes, like technological breakthroughs or rule changes. But to participate, there is one prerequisite: the money you invest must be money that you can still sleep soundly at night even if you lose it all.
In my ten years, my tears and lessons have not been in vain. Some truths are etched into my bones.
First of all, absolutely avoid leverage. That thing is a knife for experts, but for us ordinary people, it's a noose. If you open a 10x leverage, a casual market shake with a 10% fluctuation will directly kick you out. Data doesn't lie; among those who trade contracts, ninety out of a hundred will lose their principal within a year. Why? Because leverage amplifies not just the gains, but also the greed and fear in your heart. You think you're chasing opportunities, but you're actually jumping into a pit—losing 50% is easy, but trying to earn back 100% to fill that pit is extremely difficult.
Furthermore, you absolutely cannot invest with borrowed money or money you cannot afford to lose. For ordinary people, saving a few tens of thousands of dollars a year could mean tuition for children or medical expenses for parents. If you throw it into such a volatile place, an extreme market situation could make that money disappear. It’s like signing a contract with the devil; winning is great, but once you lose, what you lose is your sense of stability and security in life. Remember, the greatest dignity for adults is to invest only with spare money.
Moreover, you must be alert; in a bull market, the most dangerous thing is not the downturn, but that kind of 'anxiety'—the fear of missing out, the fear of being left behind. Seeing others get rich from Meme coins, you rush in after them, only to become a cash machine for the big players; feeling frustrated that your coins aren't rising and constantly switching them, only to be played around by the market's rotation. Such stories have not changed from DeFi to inscriptions to Meme coins; only the actors have changed again and again.
So where exactly is the way out for us ordinary people?
In fact, it's just one sentence: nurture your wealth with time, rather than feeding your gambling nature with luck.
I've seen two types of people who make steady profits. One type is very patient, like a classmate of mine who quietly buys Bitcoin regularly during a bear market when no one dares to buy; his cost is very low. While others lament over their liquidations, he reads books and works out. The other type is the one who truly focuses on their work, like a developer I know who writes code for new protocols; he wasn't really expecting any returns, yet the project's airdrop rewards turned out to cover his living expenses for several years.
Behind all those who can earn money for the long term is your understanding running ahead of others. When everyone is mindlessly 'harvesting,' some are already seriously testing new platforms at exchanges; when everyone is following the trend to buy 'dog coins,' some have already discovered which coins might be listed on major exchanges through analyzing on-chain data. The real opportunities are often hidden in those places that seem a bit dull and require hard work.
If you still want to stay in this circle for a long time, I’ll give you a few practical words:
When it comes to money, it's best to divide your principal into two parts. One part is the 'fire fund,' about 40%, which you should honestly invest in assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum; the other part is the 'exploration' money, about 60%, which you should use to look for opportunities. But here, each time you invest in a project, don't exceed 5%, and if you lose half, just stop immediately and accept the loss.
Regarding opportunities, it’s not shameful to miss a hundredfold coin; what’s shameful is to borrow money to chase a mirage. Pay more attention to the real progress happening in technology itself, rather than fixating on price charts every day.
Finally, investing is really like planting a tree. The deeper the roots grow, the more lush the branches and leaves will be in the future. Don't always think that it will grow into a towering tree in one day.
When we were young, we were always afraid of having regrets. It wasn't until we grew up that we understood that a bit of regret is what youth is all about. In this market, being brave and being yourself, staying clear-headed, is more important than anything else.