"Trading cryptocurrencies is even harder than taking the college entrance exam." This is a recent complaint from a friend.

He is a novice in spot trading, initially full of enthusiasm—no leverage, only spot buying, risk controllable. As a result, after about half a year, his account dropped from 50,000 to 9,000, and his family now dares not ask about it.

I asked him how he lost so much, and he sighed before giving a painfully honest answer: "Watching short videos every day, following all kinds of discussions, whenever someone calls for a rise, I jump on the bandwagon; when I see all-in comments, I rush in; after losing money, I stubbornly hold on and add more, always thinking it will bounce back someday." I directly countered him: "It's not that you don't understand coins, it's that you haven't figured out— the market will never give you profits just because you're enthusiastic."

This is the common problem among most novice spot traders.

Not using leverage doesn't mean safety; the most terrifying thing about spot trading isn't the decline itself, but being trapped, fantasizing, refusing to admit defeat, and increasing losses with each additional position. If you want to earn your first big sum through spot trading, these four rules must be engraved in your mind:

**Rule 1: Don’t follow the herd in calling trades.** When someone loudly announces they’re bottom-fishing or going all-in, nine out of ten times they’re just setting up a trap for themselves. You chase after hype and news, but they’ve already planned their exit route. Always remember one rule— the upward trend leads, information spreads later; once good news is realized, a pullback begins. News is always lagging; don’t get caught unaware and suffer losses.

**Rule 2: Averaging down won’t save you.** Many understand the logic of adding to a position during a decline to lower the average cost. But what’s the reality? The more aggressively you add, the deeper you get trapped. Not every dip rebounds; some are trend reversals. If the trend hasn’t changed, averaging down only amplifies losses—that’s called "self-soothing."

**Rule 3: Don’t bet your entire net worth on a single coin.** It’s fine to be optimistic about a project, but never go all-in. The sentiment in the spot market is volatile; project crashes, good news suddenly turns useless, policies shift—any of these can wipe out your account. Diversification isn’t conservatism; it’s the basic skill to survive longer.

**Rule 4: Learn to read K-lines and trends.** Don’t idolize technical analysis; a long upper shadow means someone pushed the price high and then sold off, a long lower shadow means someone dumped to collect positions. Higher highs and higher lows indicate an uptrend; the opposite signals a downtrend. When the trend isn’t clear, the smartest move is—stay out.

In essence, spot trading boils down to three words: control your position, follow the trend, and be certain. Manage your positions well, stay within your bottom line, avoid big pitfalls by following the trend, and steadily grow your assets in a confirmed direction. The crypto world isn’t short of people dreaming of quick riches; what’s truly rare is those who can keep a steady mindset. Living longer is more valuable than earning fast.

Only by staying steady can you go far.