I've seen too many people who want to get rich quick with just a few thousand bucks, but end up losing even their principal. I have a buddy who, at the beginning of last year, only had $1,800, and now his account holds $32,000, without a single liquidation along the way.

It sounds unbelievable, but it all comes down to three relentless habits.

He started out messing around too, chasing altcoin hypes, and lost over $200 in just a week. Later, he calmed down and split his money into four parts—$400 specifically for small intraday BTC and ETH moves, pulling out once he made 2%, happy with just ten bucks a day; $500 reserved for swing trades, only entering after the price breaks key levels, ignoring anything with less than 12% potential; another $500 in a few reliable coins for long-term holding, refusing to move until target prices are hit; and the last $400 locked in a cold wallet as emergency funds.

His second habit is even stricter: no trading in choppy markets. Most of the time, the market moves sideways. He used to get restless and trade frequently during consolidations, with fees eating up nearly all his profits. Now he’s learned—if the direction isn’t clear, he stays in cash and waits. He only acts when BTC holds support and ETH’s volume matches up—both signals must align. Every time he makes 20% on his principal, he withdraws half. The first $500 he withdrew last year, he used to buy something for his family—only profits in hand count.

The third is a hard rule: never lose more than 1.5% per trade, and cut losses immediately if triggered. Last year, he once closed a long ETH position right at the stop loss, and it dropped another 8% afterward—that rule literally saved him. When profit hits 4%, he locks in half and sets a stop at breakeven for the rest. He never averages down on losing trades—he learned that lesson the hard way and never repeated it.

Turning a small principal into more than ten times its value isn’t about luck; it’s about risk control, patience, and discipline. From $1,800 to $32,000, he barely ever predicted the market right, but he always stuck to his rules.

Those who can stay steady are the ones who win in the end. The market never lacks opportunities; what’s missing is surviving until those opportunities arrive.