Over the years I’ve been navigating this market, I’ve seen too many stories of dreams shattered, and only a few who truly survive. Honestly, I’m not a genius trader; I’ve had my sleepless nights after margin calls. But a recent case made me want to talk about this — I mentored a girl who started with 600U and, in just three months, grew it to 20,000U, all without a single liquidation. She’s not a prodigy; when she first placed an order, her hands were trembling, and she even exited the app three times. Her turnaround? Simply these three ironclad rules.

**Rule 1: Position Sizing — Not to make more money, but to stay alive longer**

Many newbies, hearing they have a small capital, want to go all-in, thinking that’s the way to turn things around. But the cruel truth in crypto is: those who bet big don’t survive a black swan event. My plan for her was strict — divide the 600U into three parts, each 200U.

200U for intraday trading, only on mainstream coins like BTC and ETH. When the market moves more than 3%, take profit immediately — no holding on. The goal isn’t to make huge profits but to keep a feel for the market and maintain cash flow.

Another 200U for swing trading, only act once the trend is confirmed — for example, a break of a key moving average or a volume spike. These trades usually close within 5 days; no hanging on for too long.

The remaining 200U is “insurance money.” No matter how crazy the market gets, this amount stays untouched. It might seem useless, but it’s the confidence to stay calm. Knowing there’s a fallback in the worst case helps avoid many bad decisions.

**Rule 2: Wait for signals — Most of the market time is garbage time**

I’ve seen too many people trade ten times a day, only to realize all their profits went to exchange fees. The biggest temptation in trading is this false sense of busy-ness. I told her plainly: “If you don’t understand the market, better to miss 100 trades than make one wrong move.”

For short-term signals, rely on 15-minute K-line charts with MACD crossovers — that’s enough. For swing trades, wait until the daily chart stabilizes above the MA20 or RSI bounces back from oversold levels (below 30). What about other times? Force yourself to stay flat. Even if your account is idle, it’s better than losing money. The market is always there; opportunities never disappear.

**Rule 3: Lock in profits — Set a target and stick to it**

This is the toughest test of human nature. When you’re making money, greed often takes over, and you want to hold on for more. The result? profits give back, or even losses. Her plan was to set clear targets for each trade — 3-5% profit for intraday trades, and for swing trades, set resistance levels and close once hit.

At first, she struggled — sometimes after closing a position, the market kept rising, and she’d regret it. But over three months, this discipline of “getting out early” helped her account grow steadily without big drawdowns.

Honestly, this method isn’t complicated; what’s hard is executing it. The market never lacks opportunities; what’s missing is the patience to wait for the right moment. From 600U to 20,000U, it might look like luck, but really, it’s just making the right small decisions repeatedly within a solid framework.