I have a friend who achieved financial freedom by trading Link.

A friend of mine achieved financial freedom through cryptocurrency investment, and his experience can be described as a real-life success story, becoming a legendary figure in our social circle. Now he travels the world every day, experiencing the sweet troubles of "having money but nowhere to spend it"~

Five years ago, he was just an ordinary office worker like us, living a routine life of clocking in and commuting every day. An accidental industry exchange meeting exposed him to the disruptive potential of blockchain technology. At that time, his understanding of cryptocurrency was limited to the term Bitcoin, and he couldn't even distinguish between a wallet address and a private key. However, with his keen business sense and willingness to try new things, he boldly stepped into this field full of opportunities and risks.

The investment that truly changed his fate happened in 2018. While the market's attention was focused on Bitcoin and Ethereum, he took a different path and paid attention to Chainlink (LINK), a project that was ranked 97th in market capitalization at the time. He made a significant investment at an average price of less than $1, a decision that was met with skepticism from everyone around him. However, through in-depth research of the white paper, he discovered the innovative solutions of the project in the blockchain oracle field and firmly believed that its technological barriers would lead to explosive growth.

The initial investment period was not smooth sailing. The crypto winter at the end of 2018 caused his holdings to suffer a temporary loss of 30%, and many investors around him chose to cut their losses and exit. Faced with market panic, he chose to hold firm against the trend and even used spare funds to buy more at the $0.3 price level. This determination brought rich rewards in 2020— as the DeFi ecosystem exploded, LINK's price broke through the $20 mark, ultimately taking profits in batches around the $30 range, with a single profit exceeding $5 million.

In addition to LINK, he accurately positioned himself in protocols like UNI and SNX during the DeFi boom in 2021, averaging returns of 5-10 times. However, the investment journey was not all roses; in 2019, a leveraged short position on Bitcoin resulted in a 40% loss of principal due to a misjudgment of market trends. This lesson led him to completely abandon high-leverage speculation and instead establish a strict risk control system.

Now that he has achieved financial freedom, he has shifted his focus to global travel and quality living. For investors still exploring the crypto market, he has summarized nine golden rules:

1. Know when to take profits#

When your account profits exceed expectations by 50%, it's advisable to cash out part of your position immediately. The best way to preserve profits is to take regular profits, avoiding the temptation of "just a little more increase." The cash-out funds can be reinvested in stablecoins or temporarily exited, waiting for the market to clarify before re-entering.

2. Reflect on losses exceeding 10%#

If you incur losses of 10% in three consecutive trades, immediately pause all operations. Spend three days reviewing your trading logs to check whether the losses were due to technical misjudgment, emotional trading, or changes in the market environment. Create a list of mistakes to avoid repeating them.

3. Avoid unclear opportunities in short-term trading#

When encountering news that is positive but with unclear technical indicators, it is better to miss out than to engage. Short-term trading is essentially a probability game; only participate in clear signals with a win rate exceeding 70%.

4. Follow coins that have risen over 50%#

For altcoins that surge over 50% within 24 hours, the risk of chasing is as high as 90%. Such market movements are often driven by speculative funds, and ordinary investors can easily become bag holders.

5. Control emotions during high-volume rises, avoid envy#

When a certain coin's daily chart shows consecutive rises accompanied by a sudden increase in trading volume, it is often a signal for major players to offload. At this time, be wary of "FOMO emotions" and strictly adhere to profit-taking discipline.

6. Buy low in weak markets, buy on pullbacks in strong markets#

During bear markets, focus on building positions in quality projects within the top 50 by market capitalization in batches, and wait for 20%-30% technical pullbacks to enter during bull market cycles. Never chase prices at historical highs.

7. Don't increase positions without 100% confidence; building positions in batches is safer#

Any position increase must meet the following criteria: ① The original position has gained over 10% ② A new strong support level has appeared ③ The overall market trend has not changed. It is recommended to use the 334 pyramid method for adding positions.

8. Operate within familiar patterns#

Establish a dedicated trading system: for example, only trade Bitcoin quarterly contracts, focusing on MACD + Bollinger Bands combination strategies. Refuse to try unfamiliar new coins or derivatives.

9. Don't easily participate in weekly pullbacks#

Monthly adjustments usually last 3-6 months; wait for the weekly chart to show three consecutive bullish candles with steadily increasing volume before attempting to bottom fish. Avoid left-side trading in a downward channel.

These experiences, gained with real money, reveal the essence of cryptocurrency investment: 80% of profits come from 20% of correct decisions. In this highly volatile market, emotional management and risk control are more important than technical analysis. Remember, living long is more important than making quick profits.

OKX Activities This Month#

New users registering on OKX this month can receive blind boxes or Dogecoin gift packs. In China, you can register directly: Click here –> Go to the official website to register an OKX account; some regions may require a VPN or alternative link

The latest ranking of China's top ten virtual currency trading platforms for 2025 is out 🔥【Worth collecting】

【Real stories of wealth in the crypto world】Many people ask me, after years of trading, how did I go from 0 to 11 million and then to a debt of 100,000?

欧易NFT