Last night, while scrolling through messages at midnight, I saw a DM that almost knocked me out: "Bro, I put all 500,000 into chasing hot coins and even used leverage. Now my account only has 48,000 left. Should I say goodbye to this space forever?" Three crying emojis followed.

To be honest, I'm all too familiar with this scene. I've been around since 2017, and I've seen this story play out at least a hundred times. There are top finance graduates using complex models who still manage to lose their entire house down payment, and there are also market vendors who slowly save up enough for retirement using the simplest methods.

Over time, you’ll understand—this market never rewards the smartest, but the most patient. Those who come in dreaming of 10x returns in two weeks basically become someone else's ATM.

Here are the three biggest pitfalls that beginners fall into—see which ones apply to you:

**Pitfall #1: Leverage isn't a rocket booster, it's a self-destruct button**

A lot of people think if their principal is small, they need to use leverage to amplify their gains. But have you thought about this? Doubling your money feels amazing, but if it drops just 10%, you'll be begging for mercy.

I know a guy who used 5x leverage on a hot token. At 3 a.m., the market pulled back just a little, and the platform liquidated him on the spot. When he woke up the next morning, there was barely anything left in his account—not even enough to drown his sorrows.

My advice is simple: if you're a beginner, stay away from leverage.