Lessons from a Decade of Trading

Having been through the market for nearly ten years, I’ve learned many lessons from contract trading over the past few years. I’ve topped up margins countless times—more than fifty, less than a hundred—and experienced the feeling of positions being wiped out overnight. Many people have felt this.

Looking back now, it’s not that the market is particularly brutal; it’s mainly that I was too impatient. Always thinking a couple of trades could turn everything around, but the more impatient I was, the more chaotic things became, and the more I lost. The desire for quick success is like stepping into a swamp—getting deeper and deeper.

After countless falls, I realized one thing: the market’s coldness isn’t that scary; what’s truly frightening is one’s own greed.

Here are a few lessons I’ve summarized over the years that still hold value:

**First, stay calm after being trapped.** Never think about adding positions to lower your average cost and gamble on a rebound. Doing this nine out of ten times will only trap you deeper. The purpose of adding to a position is to diversify risk, not to make a last-ditch effort to recover.

**Second, the calmer the market, the more cautious you should be.** Consolidation after a rally is essentially accumulation and distribution. At this time, while others are showing off their gains, what you should do is slow down or even consider reducing your position.

**Third, position size changes everything.** Heavy positions leave no room for error—one wrong judgment and you’re out. Only with lighter positions can you survive longer.

**Finally, it’s about mindset.** Trading itself isn’t very complicated; what’s complicated is whether you can maintain discipline over the long term. Don’t be reckless when making money, and don’t panic when losing. Only then can you survive longer in the market.

In short, be a little slower, a little steadier, and avoid unnecessary detours so your funds can be preserved. Going solo will eventually lead to a crash; only by understanding the rules can you operate steadily.