In the past six months of entering the circle, the stupidest thing I've done is—superstitiously believing I could hold through the trades.

Back then, I was impulsive, thinking that as long as I had enough funds and refused to set stop-losses, I could withstand any volatility. To justify this self-deception of "preventing wash trading," I deliberately didn't set stop-loss prices. And what happened? I actually made a 100% profit in one month, which only strengthened my luck-driven mindset.

Until yesterday, January 8th, when that sudden news broke. The black swan took off.

ZEC dropped from 480 to 400, then to 380—a 20% plunge. I watched it all happen with my own eyes. The most ridiculous part was, I still wanted to buy more. I have two accounts, theoretically able to use margin to hold at 160, but if I put all my funds into this single trade, I would miss out on other opportunities. What if this coin suddenly spikes back to 300? I was in complete psychological collapse.

Then I made the stupidest decision—going short in reverse.

At that moment, I finally understood: no stop-loss is like driving without a seatbelt and removing the brakes. When extreme market conditions, sudden spikes, or waterfalls happen, your mental defense line instantly collapses.

Fortunately, I lost only profits, not my principal. If the principal had been wiped out, I would have no chance to turn things around in this lifetime.

To those with sufficient funds but little trading experience, holding onto luck, I want to say sincerely: set strict stop-losses. People can't be taught this; a single candlestick can teach you clearly. Respect the market—if you're wrong, you're wrong. Be honest and wait for the next opportunity. Look at LUNA, FTX, Bitcoin spikes, and those black swan events—markets are repeatedly reminding you that risk always exists.