The dumbest thing I did when I first started trading contracts was holding onto losing positions.

I remember once the market reversed, and I was still fooling myself—"Just a little more, it will definitely rebound." I kept holding on until after 3 a.m., and my margin was completely wiped out. When the margin call SMS came, I was stunned.

Only later did I realize that the market won't wait for you. When it hits your stop-loss level, you have to exit. Accepting the loss and walking away is much smarter than stubbornly holding on.

I set a "circuit breaker rule" for myself—after five consecutive wrong trades, I stop immediately. Once, the market was especially chaotic, and I couldn't resist. I made three wrong trades in a row, trying to turn things around, but the fourth and fifth trades wiped out the profits I had made over the past two weeks. After that, I really enforced this rule—after five wrong trades, I close the trading app, go for a run, sleep, review, and only look again after my mindset has stabilized. This actually improved my accuracy.

The numbers in my account are actually quite illusory. After deep reflection, my current approach is to transfer $1,500 to a cold wallet every time I make $3,000. Last time the market dropped sharply, I took profits early, or else those unrealized gains would have disappeared instantly. Only when the profits are secured in the bag can I consider it a win. Don't always think "just a little more," because that's the biggest trap in contracts.

I no longer touch volatile markets. I used to open three trades during choppy periods, but the fees and stop-loss losses ended up costing more than trading in a trending market.

My current strategy is very simple—only follow the trend. Wait until the K-line clearly indicates a direction, especially when the daily chart breaks a key level before taking action. This way, I earn steadily and accept losses gracefully.

Position control is the most crucial. I once thought about going all-in for quick doubling, but I ended up losing half of my capital. Now I’ve learned to be smarter—each trade uses only 10% of my capital. Even if I lose, I won't panic, and I can calmly observe the market and adjust my strategy.

Contracts are not a shortcut to get rich quickly. Survival depends on discipline and execution. All these lessons were paid for with real money.