There is a question worth every trader's serious reflection: You think you're doing contract trading, but in reality, you might just be "rolling the dice."

After experiencing several cycles of bull and bear markets in the crypto space, one feeling has become increasingly clear — those who can maintain consistent profits never rely on guessing or luck. They depend on systems, discipline, and risk management.

Through over 300 real trades, many traders have summarized similar experiences. Today, I want to highlight some of the most painful lessons.

**The first misconception: Treating contracts as a guessing game of high or low**

Opening long or short positions, many newbies treat it like gambling. This thrill of "guessing" can indeed be addictive, but that’s not trading.

Contracts are about certainty, not excitement.

Specifically, these pitfalls are especially easy to fall into:

Leverage is an amplifier, not a treasure chest. Using 10x leverage sounds appealing — a 1% increase can earn 10%. But the problem is, even a 1% move in the opposite direction can wipe out your principal completely. Everyone understands this math, but when placing real orders, greed often blinds rationality.

Another common trap: falling in love with K-line patterns. The market has no emotions; it won't remember how much you made yesterday or sympathize with your losses today. It only operates according to rules.

**So, what is the correct approach?**

Before entering each trade, these three questions must be clearly thought through:

Is the current trend confirmed? Is it an uptrend, downtrend, or sideways movement?

Are there any important news or events that could change the market direction?

If the judgment is wrong, where exactly should the stop-loss be set?

Thinking through these three questions thoroughly will help you step out of the trading fog.