My journey so far ( records my state of mind )

Stepping into the age of knowing one’s destiny, looking back from the ford of time, half a lifetime of wind and rain and half a lifetime of drifting and struggle—along the way full of sighs, yet also hiding the grit that never bent. This is my road here.

When I was young, my family was poor. I understood that studying was the only way out. I buried myself in hard study, never daring to slack off, and my grades always ranked among the top. I was determined to use my knowledge to change my family’s circumstances. But poverty could ultimately not support my education. Without graduating high school, I was forced to drop out by financial pressures. With tears in my eyes, I left my desk, stepped into the dusty world of earning a living with everyday labor.

At first, I worked with my brother-in-law managing small businesses in the county seat. We toiled honestly and diligently, only wanting to slowly save up some savings so life would be a bit easier. Little did we know fate had its own twists and turns. My brother-in-law suddenly died in a car accident. The kind of blow that felt like the sky falling hit me. I suppressed my grief, handled the aftermath, cleaned up the mess, buried my helplessness and heartbreak deep in my heart, and resolutely headed south. I will always remember December 12, 1993, with a simple suitcase on my back, rushing to the unfamiliar city of Dongguan—just to find a path to survive.

When I first arrived in Dongguan, with my willingness to work hard and my decent writing, I was considered high-educated by people’s standards in that era. I was fortunate enough to get into a Taiwan-funded enterprise, and gradually worked my way up into management, with food and clothing becoming more secure. But the unwillingness in my heart was never extinguished. I didn’t want to settle for the current situation or let years pass by. My desire to start a business became even stronger. On July 1, 1997, the day Hong Kong returned to the motherland, I resolutely quit my job and went back home. I mocked myself for returning to the same soil as the country, full of confidence and full of expectations in my eyes.

After returning home, I partnered with my nephew to buy construction vehicles and headed to the Three Gorges construction sites, throwing myself into the building of a new immigrant town. All day long I was busy shuttling on routes transporting earth and rocks. It happened to be after the 1998 flood; work on post-disaster reconstruction and the construction of hydropower stations started one after another. We worked day and night, and at last we reaped decent returns. Also that year, I met the love of my life. We married our fellow classmates and built a small home. The next year, our daughter was born. My spouse was virtuous and kind, able to keep house, and our daughter was obedient, smart, and clever. At that time, my career was gradually taking off, the family was complete and harmonious—those were the most smooth and blessed times in life, with nothing but anticipation for the future.

Later, I moved around and ended up in Zhejiang, doing produce wholesale and running clothing stores. I got up early and worked late, traveling nonstop; my income rose steadily. In 2004, our son was born—children we had a son and a daughter, and our small family flourished. In 2007, I went again to Shenzhen to start a chain of convenience stores. With grit, careful management, and a sharp eye, the business grew bigger and bigger. During the peak period, tens of stores opened. My income achieved a qualitative leap. I also bought several commercial properties and shops. After half a lifetime of hard work, I finally had a stable foundation. I thought I could stay with my family and live steadily.

But life is unpredictable. The sudden pandemic shattered all that stability. The convenience store business took a sharp turn for the worse; I found it hard to take a single step. To hold onto our savings, I had to save myself by cutting off an arm—painfully selling more than a dozen stores. The remaining ones continued operating. After that, I threw myself into Guangzhou’s e-commerce scene, but the competition was fierce and returns were meager. I could barely make ends meet, and my days grew harder. In the midst of confusion and helplessness, in 2024, I entered the stock market, hoping to find a little turnaround and bet on a future one more time for my family.

Speaking of trading stocks, I actually opened an account back in 2003. As a young and naive person, I entered the market impulsively with 100k yuan in principal to test the waters. After I made a small profit in the 2007 bull market, I exited due to my business in Shenzhen. Then in April 2015, I followed the trend and entered the market, investing 500k yuan. When the market crashed, I lost nearly 200k and sold everything off, vowing never to touch it again.

Yet half a lifetime of hardship still left me unwilling to give up. In 2024, I returned to the stock market. I started over and studied everything from scratch—K-lines, MACD, KDJ, Chan theory, and strategies for raising one’s family—all of it. Because it matched my personality, I specialized in short-term swings. I first tested with 100k. In 2025, when I thought a bull market was coming, I secretly put nearly one million into the market with full capital, going all-in. In the short term, I earned double the returns, and I thought I had found the way. I wanted to trade stocks full-time, to give my wife and children a better life.

Unfortunately, dreams are full, but reality is harsh. I ignored the market environment and always couldn’t control my hands. I traded too frequently, and soon I went from profit to loss. After losing money, I was急 to break even and grew even more blind, falling into a vicious cycle. In the end, I lost more than one million and collapsed completely. Those days, I couldn’t sleep at night. When I collapsed, the only place I could hide was the bathroom, where I cried alone. Only those who have lived through it can truly understand that suffering.

After the pain and reflection, I told my wife everything. I thought she would blame me, but she stood by me through thick and thin, without any complaints. She only urged me not to sink deeper, and not to betray the results of years of hard work. Getting such a wise wife—what else could a husband ask for? But deep in my heart, I still wasn’t willing to admit defeat.

By 2026, I began to comprehensively reflect. At first, I still couldn’t change my habit of frequent trading. So I kept forcing myself—staying tightly focused on the overall market environment, emotion cycles, and the market’s main themes. I understood that timing matters more than picking stocks. Only after taking a comprehensive view would I open positions. And when I couldn’t resist, I would use a mini account to test and make mistakes. Now my trading is becoming steadier, and the results have improved greatly. I know that ultra-short-term trading demands extremely high control ability. Going forward, I can only keep learning and summarizing if I want to find a way out.

I’ve walked half a lifetime. There are regrets of dropping out of school, hardships of being away from home, the glory of good fortune, and also the torment of low points. Even though I’m still on the road to getting back to even, and though I’ve gone through ups and downs, I never thought of bowing my head. Knowing one’s destiny isn’t accepting fate—it’s that after going through the ups and downs, I understand better how to persevere and take responsibility. I firmly believe that with the grit from half my life, I will rise again. The road ahead is long—let me join hands with all those who walk the same road and encourage one another!