Spoiler: Losing money was the best thing that ever happened to me.Photo by Ayadi Ghaith on UnsplashMy Crypto Dream (and the Crash That Followed)
Like millions of others, I was lured into crypto by YouTube hype, TikTok “gurus,” and promises of overnight wealth.
It started with $100 in Dogecoin. I turned it into $230 and thought I was a genius.
So I went bigger. $500 into an altcoin some guy on Twitter called “the next Solana.” Then $800 into a DeFi project with zero transparency. Then $1,700 into a launchpad token I didn’t understand but FOMO’d into anyway.
Before I knew it, I had lost over $3,000.
And the worst part? I had no idea why I was losing.
What I Did Wrong
Looking back, it’s painfully obvious:
I was chasing pumps, not analyzing projectsI had no risk management — I went “all in” multiple timesI relied on influencers instead of actual researchI didn’t understand the difference between trading and investingI was gambling. Not investing. Not trading. Gambling.The Moment Everything Changed
After licking my wounds, I did something I should’ve done from the beginning:
I started learning.
I read books, watched interviews with real traders, and took an affordable online course on crypto fundamentals and trading psychology. (If you want the same course I took, here’s the link — affiliate, but only because it helped me.)
I learned:
How to read a chartHow to spot fake breakoutsHow to protect my capitalHow to stay patient when the market is sidewaysHow I Rebuilt (and Finally Made Profit)
I started small again. Just $50 trades.
I focused on high-volume coins like ETH and MATIC. I kept a trading journal. I set stop-losses. I risked 1-2% per trade.
In three months, I grew $200 to $360. Not moon-level money—but real, steady growth.
Today, I’ve recovered my $3,000 loss — and built over $700 in profit beyond that. It’s not enough to quit my job, but it’s more than I ever made guessing meme coins.
And most importantly, I now have a system I can repeat.
What You Can Learn From My Mistakes
Don’t trade what you don’t understand.
You wouldn’t drive a car blindfolded—why gamble on coins you can’t explain?
Never FOMO.
If Twitter is screaming “BUY NOW,” it’s usually already too late.
Invest in your brain.
That $400 trading course taught me more than any Telegram signal ever could.
Ready to Start the Right Way?
If you’re serious about trading or investing in crypto, don’t do what I did.
Start with education. Start small. Respect the market.
Join this $400 course Or just commit to studying YouTube channels like Benjamin Cowen, InvestAnswers, or Rekt Capital.
In Summary
Crypto isn’t a lottery ticket. It’s a battlefield. But with the right tools, you can stop being the victim and start playing like a pro.
Losing $3,000 was painful. But it was also the price of my tuition.
And now I’m finally getting my money’s worth.
How I Lost $3,000 in Crypto was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.