"Had I taken decisive action when Ethereum broke $4800 back then, I wouldn't be in this situation now." This sentence always pops up unexpectedly whenever I chat casually with crypto friends.

During the 2021 bull market, my account once ballooned to seven figures. But due to misjudgment and a firm belief that "the bull market is far from over," I watched helplessly as my assets shrank to five figures. This painful lesson taught me a fundamental truth: taking profits in the crypto market is never about gut feeling; it's about understanding the trend.

Looking back at the second half of 2021, the market was already showing a bunch of "top signals." The Federal Reserve started hinting at rate hikes, global liquidity tightened; Tesla announced it would stop accepting Bitcoin, and institutional funds began to flee; Bitcoin dropped from $69,000 to $40,000, a decline of over 40%. Yet at that time, I was so enchanted by the "bull market story" that I believed "institutional entry will continue to push prices higher," even mistaking corrections for opportunities, repeatedly increasing my holdings of Ethereum and various altcoins.

I remember clearly, on November 10, 2021, Ethereum hit a new high of $4891, and my account profit had already exceeded 200%. That night, I stared at the candlestick chart, full of thoughts like "Can it break through $5000?" I opened the trading interface, with my finger hovering over the "Sell" button, but I didn't dare to press it. At this critical moment, a so-called "crypto influencer" in the group shouted, "Ethereum target price $10,000," and I, like a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood, quickly closed the trading page and started dreaming of getting rich.

That decision turned out to be my biggest regret. The market didn't follow my fantasies but instead kept declining. The numbers in my account kept shrinking, and that feeling is beyond words. Now I finally understand: in the crypto market, waiting for the perfect moment often means waiting for disaster. In the face of trends, feelings are worthless.