Want to survive longer in the trading market? The key is to know how to avoid pitfalls. A famous investment master once said: Debt, Drama, Foolishness—stay away from these three, and you’ve already surpassed most people.

**First Killer: Debt**

The cruelest part of the market is here—losses come quickly and painfully, but recovery is slow and arduous.

If you lose 50% of your principal, you need a 100% gain to break even. Lose 75%? That requires a 300% gain. If you lose 90%, oh my, you need a 900% gain to turn things around. This is not an exaggerated metaphor; it’s solid math.

Leverage debt is like adding an accelerator to this death spiral. Those without debt truly have freedom—the kind of freedom that doesn’t easily lead to self-destruction.

**Second Killer: Drama**

Any dispute or conflict that consumes your time and energy but produces no value is drama. Bad partnerships, toxic relationships, lawsuits, family disputes, office politics—all fundamentally the same.

The scariest part isn’t wasting time, but that it systematically erodes your judgment. As soon as you find yourself constantly expending energy to resolve conflicts in a certain relationship, you should cut it off quickly, thoroughly, and without hesitation. Your energy must be spent on things that generate compound interest.

**Third Killer: Foolishness**

Stay away from these people—irrational, arrogant, dishonest, those who make bad decisions and expect you to save them, never learn from mistakes, and mistake busywork for progress.

Most people are driven by self-fear, jealousy, and greed, making decisions based on emotion first, then crafting stories with logic to justify themselves. If you stay with such people long enough, you’ll start copying their way of thinking. This is often the root of everything going out of control.

These principles are simple, but they are always worth reminding yourself of repeatedly.