I've seen too many accounts shrink to the point of collapse, yet traders become more aggressive, ultimately falling into a vicious cycle—losing more fuels the desire to turn things around, which leads to even bigger losses. Today I want to share a true story: a friend nearly wiped out with $20,000 U, but six months later, his account grew to $140,000 U. There was no black magic involved—just one core principle: the market is always there, but truly your opportunities are few and far between each year. Missing one is more regretful than making a wrong move.

**Why do people who lose money tend to be so impatient**

Most losers share a common flaw: they listen to every rumor, chase after every rise, and fear missing any fluctuation. When they lose, they hold on to their positions, fantasizing about a rebound in the next second. But then they get hit with a sharp drop, and their account shrinks again. As time goes on, their mindset completely breaks down—once their account shrinks to a certain point, they start gambling recklessly, desperate to recover losses quickly.

There’s nothing mysterious behind this—it's just emotions replacing strategy. The market loves this kind of person—the more impatient the trader, the easier they are to be "harvested."

**The first step to turning things around is actually learning not to lose money**

For that friend, I set only three strict rules:

First, divide your capital. Split $20,000 U into five parts, use only one part at a time, and stop trading once it’s gone—force yourself to stay calm. Second, don’t skip stop-losses. The maximum loss per trade should be 3% of your total capital; never exceed this, to avoid deep losses and being trapped. Third, only trade what you know well. He’s good at catching breakouts, so stick to that strategy and pass on other opportunities, no matter how tempting they seem.

After three weeks, his account grew from $20,000 U to $40,000 U. Not because he made a huge profit overnight, but because he lost less often. Dividing positions and enforcing stop-losses directly broke his mental barrier of “one mistake will wipe me out.” Once his mindset stabilized, his trading became naturally more steady.

**As for what to do next, honestly, it’s just two words—patience.** You’ll find that truly profitable opportunities don’t require daily bottom-fishing. When the market presents a chance, if you can seize it, it’s a thousand times more worthwhile than constantly trading with full positions every day.