Why haven't you made money in the market yet?

Many people fall into the same trap: thinking they've been chasing hot topics all year round—how crazy was this round of contract explosion? Wasn't the mainstream coin in that cycle going crazy? Looking further back, Layer 2, AI concepts, RWA, modularization... which wave isn't a stage-level mainline? Pick any one, and the gains are usually several times over, with many coins doubling or more. Logically, as long as you catch one of these waves throughout the year, your profits will easily crush most retail investors.

But when you review your account? Don't expect to outperform others, let alone break even—you're even at risk of losing money. What's the real problem? It's not that the market doesn't give opportunities, nor that there is a lack of hot coins, or that you can't understand the trends. The real pitfall is this—you're always "looking in the right direction," but never "holding on for real."

When the market starts, you get scared and don't dare to go all-in; when there's a pullback, you start doubting yourself; when there's a slight profit, you rush to cut the position; by the time the trend is fully confirmed, you've either already exited early or don't have the guts to chase. On the surface, you participate in a bunch of market movements throughout the year, but in reality, you only catch the least valuable parts, missing out on the main upward waves.

Simply put: it's not that you lack opportunities, but you're using "short-term thinking in a ranging market" to chase "trend waves in a bull market." Profits in a bull market are never made by frequently flipping positions, but by correctly judging the few key moments, holding through volatility, enduring setbacks, and riding the emotional peaks. Most people fail because they "think too much"—overprotect themselves, fear a pullback, and finally watch their profits slip away from their fingertips.

Looking at your account at the end of the year makes it clear: markets happen every year, hot coins are never scarce, but those who can truly pocket the profits are always a very small minority. Once you understand this, maybe you're not far from truly making money.