It all started with me watching a YouTube video. The guy was talking about how he made thousands of dollars in a single day by trading crypto. I was hooked. The idea of making quick money sounded way better than waiting years for my investments to grow. So, I jumped in, opened an account, and started trading.
I’d stay up late, watching the charts like a hawk. I was so convinced I could predict every little move. And for a while, it worked… or so I thought. I’d have a great day, feel like a genius, and then lose all my gains (and then some) on one bad trade. The stress was insane. I was constantly checking my phone, my mood swinging with the market’s every dip and spike. My friends would ask me what was up, and I’d just say, “Oh, you know, just a regular day in the market.” But it wasn’t regular; it was a rollercoaster of emotion.
I remember one night, I had a big trade go south. I lost a significant chunk of money. I felt sick to my stomach. I just sat there, staring at the screen, and I realized something important: this wasn’t fun, and it wasn’t sustainable. The constant worry and stress weren’t worth the potential for a quick buck.
That’s when I decided to shift my strategy. I started looking into holding. Instead of trying to time the market every day, I started researching solid projects and companies that I believed in for the long haul. I’d buy a little bit here and there, a strategy people call dollar-cost averaging, and then I’d just… leave it alone. I deleted the trading app from my phone and put my mind at ease.
And you know what? It worked out. I still check my portfolio, but it’s a calm, maybe-once-a-week kind of thing now. The stress is gone. I’m not a millionaire yet, but my investments are growing steadily without me losing sleep over them. I finally found my peace of mind. For me, holding has been the true winning strategy, but I had to go through that painful trading experience to really understand why.
How I Lost Money Trading and Gained It Back by Holding was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
