I grew my initial 2,000 into 36 million over 8 full years.

During this time, I experienced it all—liquidations, staring at the charts deep into the night, seeing my account draw down by 50%... I've fallen into more traps than I can count, enough to write a book, and the tuition fees I paid could buy a luxury car. But in the end, I distilled six ironclad rules for survival.

Each one is a lesson paid for with real money.

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**Understanding Volume Is 10,000 Times More Important Than Watching Candlesticks**

A lot of people stare at candlesticks and study patterns, but overlook volume—the most honest indicator. Price can deceive, emotions can deceive, but volume never lies.

For example, during a high-level consolidation, everyone guesses whether the price will go up or down. The answer is hidden in the volume: if there's volume, it means funds are still battling and chips are changing hands; no volume is scary—it means the big players have already left and it's just retail traders playing among themselves.

Another example is volume at the bottom. A single day of high volume doesn't mean much—it could just be a fake breakout. But if there’s steady increased volume over several days, especially after a long period of sideways movement, that’s worth paying attention to. That’s often when the big players are quietly accumulating positions.

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**Don’t Rush In During Sharp Rises or Drops**

I’ve seen too many people lose everything by “chasing pumps and dumps.”

When the price skyrockets, you think it’s a signal to take off and rush in to buy—only to have the market crash the next day, leaving you stuck at the top.
In reality, if a sharp rise is followed by a slow pullback, it’s usually the big players accumulating. A true market top is when there’s a huge spike in volume, followed by a rapid dump—the kind of move where one big red candle wipes out three green ones.

It’s the same in reverse.
A small rebound after a flash crash may look like “it can’t drop any further,” but it’s often just a last lure before another dump. If there’s a sharp drop followed by a slow rise, don’t rush to buy the dip—wait until the market stabilizes.

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**The Hardest Part Isn’t Reading the Market, It’s Controlling Yourself**

Once you’ve learned enough technical analysis, everyone’s about the same. What really separates people is emotional management.

No attachment, so you can stay in cash and wait for the best opportunities instead of worrying every day about “what if I miss out?”
No greed, so you can take profits when you’re ahead instead of fantasizing about “one more rally.”
No fear, so you have the courage to enter when others are panicking, instead of letting FUD scare you into cutting losses.

These three “nones” are more important than any indicator.

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**Patience Is the Rarest Quality in This Market**

The conclusion I reached after 2,920 days:
The winners are never the smartest, but the most patient.

Lots of people can spot trends, but very few can sit on their hands and wait for a truly certain opportunity. Most people don’t lose because of bad judgment; they lose because they can’t control their impulses.

This market never lacks opportunities—as long as you’re still here, chances will always come. But if you keep making emotional, impulsive trades, you’ll burn through every chance you get.

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The journey from blind impulsiveness to composure is paved with countless rounds of review and reflection.

Each of these six ironclad rules has been paid for in blood. If they help you avoid a few pitfalls and save you some tuition, then this article will have been worth it.