A trader recently shared a case with me that left a deep impression.

The day before yesterday in the morning, he sent a screenshot—CVC short position with 4x leverage, earning over ten thousand USD. He said he was preparing to exit temporarily as the New Year approaches. I asked him about the story behind this trade, and he started to explain.

Actually, two days ago, I had discussed the risks of CVC: "Don't rush to chase longs at this position; trading volume is weak, and the structure isn't ideal. Wait for a rebound opportunity." At that time, quite a few people listened, but only a few truly took it to heart. He was one of them.

That night, we had a deep conversation. He admitted that he had been losing money recently—getting in too quickly, getting out even faster, every trade was a rushed decision. I asked for screenshots of his last ten trades and then posed a question: "Among these trades, how many were opened according to your trading plan?"

He was silent for a moment, then finally said, "Not a single one. I just clicked in impulsively."

I was straightforward: "Your problem isn't judging the direction; it's your rhythm. Even if the direction is correct, you can still lose money because your execution is completely unstructured."

That sentence seemed to awaken something.

The next day, CVC experienced a false breakout. The market sentiment was bullish, and everyone thought it would go higher. I told him to stay calm and wait until the bulls' strength was fully exhausted. When the price reached a critical area, he asked if he could short. I replied, "Yes, but the prerequisite is to execute according to your plan once you open the position, and don't second-guess yourself along the way."

This time, he really did it. Entry at 0.0564, stop-loss set in advance, leverage kept very disciplined. When the price approached around 0.05, I told him to lock in some profits and let the remaining position develop naturally. For the first time, he achieved: no greed, no fear, no reckless moves.

This is the true essence of trading.

I've seen too many people who predict the right direction but still lose money. The reason is simple—they lack consistent execution discipline. Entering trades casually, exiting hastily, moving stop-losses backward, and taking profits impatiently. It's not a matter of sense of direction; it's a collapse of rhythm.

A good trader always has a clear entry plan, strict risk management, and defined profit targets. Every trade is thought through, not driven by emotion. Even if a judgment is occasionally wrong, losses remain within controllable limits. Over the long term, small but steady win rates often outperform the gambler's mentality of big bets.

Rhythm is far more important than direction. Mastering the rhythm of entering, holding, and exiting is the real secret to navigating bull and bear markets.