My phone kept vibrating, and when I looked down, it was a friend who trades actively calling.

After answering, his voice started to tremble: "I'm done for... I had $10,000 in my account, went all-in short, and just a 3% pullback caused a margin call."

Hearing this, I fell silent. Not out of shock, but because this scene was all too familiar. Eight years ago, I experienced the same thing. Back then, I also believed that "full position is faith," thinking that going all-in was the mark of a real tough trader. And then? A small retracement, zeroed out the account, and the so-called faith collapsed along with it.

I asked him to send over his trading records. The result was shocking—$9,500 fully invested, with no stop-loss set. This is a classic case of "dying from courage."

Many people have the misconception that only by going all-in can they make big money. In reality, going all-in is the fastest way to exit the market. Putting all your funds in is like holding a knife to your own neck; when the market moves against you, it will automatically force you out.

I told him very straightforwardly: You didn't lose because of market judgment, but because of position management.

Here's a clear example. Suppose you have $1,000. If you use $900 with 10x leverage to go long, a 5% drop will wipe out your entire capital. But what if you only use $100 with the same leverage? You would need a 50% decline to get liquidated. How big is the difference? It's not a technical issue but about how much "survival space" you leave yourself.

After years of navigating the market and being educated countless times, I’ve summarized a few survival rules:

- Never risk more than 20% of your total funds on a single trade.
- Even if you are right about the direction, set a stop-loss—at most, take a small hit, never hurt yourself badly.
- Limit each loss to 3%. When the market shows obvious volatility, better to stay on the sidelines and observe rather than act recklessly.
- Money can always be earned, but the account must stay alive.

With these three principles, I survived three major market crashes. I never once blew up my account; instead, I grew my initial 70,000U to nearly 400,000U through continuous compounding.

Later, that friend managed his account according to this approach. Three months later, he messaged me: "I doubled my money. Now I finally understand what 'stability' means."

My reply is: Those who blow up their accounts are waiting for a miracle every day, while those who survive are already making money with compound growth.

The reality of the crypto world is so brutal. You can't control the market direction, but the position size—this is entirely up to you. To earn more, the prerequisite is to learn how to lose with discipline. Don’t always think about getting rich overnight; first, make sure you don’t get wiped out overnight.

I’ve been using this steady, methodical approach for eight years. During this time, I’ve never blown up my account, and I’ve maintained consistent profits. The core principle is simple: The market is always there, opportunities are always present, but the key is that you must stay alive to see them.