A friend once asked me, "How have you managed to stay in the crypto world until now?" Honestly, I’ve never thought I had any special talent. Surviving is simply about using money to buy lessons, then turning those lessons into methods.

Looking back, these eight years have seen me cycle from peaks to troughs, and I’ve also seen people go from overnight riches to overnight poverty. Not many make it through, but those who do share one common trait—they all gave up on those self-proclaimed clever strategies.

I once lost 20 million yuan. At that time, I wanted to try everything, grab every opportunity. When the market moved, I rushed in, traded aggressively, and ended up liquidating my position. After that, I realized that complicated strategies often kill you.

Later, I summarized a few truly useful things—not some profound theories, but methods that can keep you alive.

**First: Follow the capital, not the story**

I never touch coins that haven’t been funded before. It sounds simple, but this alone can help you avoid 99% of trash projects. Places that have seen funding might see it again; places that haven’t, no matter how vivid your imagination, it’s pointless.

This market is an attention economy. Where the capital goes, the hype follows; where the hype is, opportunities are. I’ve seen too many projects with whitepapers that read like fairy tales, technical plans that seem perfect, but no one buys. Conversely, I’ve seen projects that look mediocre, but with a flood of capital pouring in, their prices are pushed up artificially.

In my opinion, narratives always move faster than fundamentals. So instead of studying the project itself, it’s better to see if money is buying. If money is buying, you have a chance; if not, no matter how good it looks, it’s just self-delusion.

**Second: Forget all complicated indicators**

I only use the monthly MACD. That’s it. When it shows a bullish crossover, I buy; when it doesn’t, I wait.

Many people obsess over daily candles, checking the charts every hour, afraid of missing every small rebound. But what happens? They get stuck deep in losses. They keep trying to catch the bottom, over and over, and by the time the real bottom appears, they’ve run out of bullets.

What is the monthly chart? It’s the real rhythm of the market. Daily charts can deceive you; hourly charts deceive even more. But signals on the monthly chart reflect genuine capital flow and direction. I’m not a technical expert, but I trust this.

Waiting is never a waste of time; waiting is making money. Many people can’t make money because they don’t know how to wait. When the market comes, they rush in; when it doesn’t, they trade recklessly. My secret is: don’t act without a signal, only act when there’s a signal.

**Third: Holding the rhythm is crucial**

One big mistake I made was being too impatient. Buying a good coin, then selling after a 20% rise. Why? Out of fear, greed, or disbelief in my judgment. But that coin later rose tenfold, and I only made 20%.

Now I understand: if the monthly MACD gives a signal, it means this cycle is just beginning. You shouldn’t rush to sell; give it time. Of course, that doesn’t mean never sell. When the monthly chart forms a death cross, then consider exiting.

What’s the benefit of this approach? You can earn from a complete cycle. The gains from a full cycle often surpass what you can make from frequent trading in a year.

**Final words**

I’m not a trading genius. I’ve just spent eight years making all the mistakes I could, learning all the lessons I needed. If you’re still messing around in the market now, I suggest you stop and ask yourself: Do I have patience to wait? Do I have the awareness to follow the capital? Have I considered that maybe simplicity itself is the smartest choice?