I entered the industry in my early twenties, just started getting into Hong Kong stocks, relying entirely on being young, aggressive, and passionate, often trading based on hearsay.

Back then, all I could see were the skyrocketing stocks, naively believing in the so-called insider tips and short-term meme stocks in chat groups. Every time, I would go all in, with no understanding of position management or stop-loss, always thinking I could catch every market wave.
I was caught in both the 2015 and 2018 market crashes. At the peak, I kept averaging down, digging myself deeper, stubbornly refusing to admit defeat and cut losses, just waiting for a rebound to break even.
My over-a-decade's worth of hard-earned savings were all deeply trapped. I even followed the trend and leveraged up. A sharp drop triggered a margin call, wiping out all my savings and leaving me with a huge debt.
During those days, I didn't dare tell my family, suffered from insomnia every night, and felt panicked just looking at the screen. Greedy when it rose, panicked when it fell, completely controlled by my emotions.
I used to think I knew the market well, but in reality, I was just a gambler drifting with the tide, turning investment into speculation. Arrogance and greed were my biggest downfalls.
In the end, I painfully liquidated my positions and left the market, staying away from stock trading for a full three years, even swearing I'd never touch the stock market again.
However, during those three years away from the market, I didn't become depressed or give up. I calmed down, meticulously reviewed every single losing trade slip of mine, and thoroughly identified the root causes of my losses:
I had no trading system of my own, relying solely on tips and gut feelings for buying and selling;
I completely lacked position control, always being fully invested, with zero risk buffer;
I had no discipline for taking profits or cutting losses, selling for small gains and stubbornly holding onto losing positions;
I blindly chased short-term explosive gains, ignoring fundamentals, just speculating on concepts and bubbles.
During those years, I went to work diligently every day to repay my debt. At night, I studied financial reports, researched macro cycles, and the logic of capital flows, completely abandoning the idea of getting rich overnight.
I no longer trust anyone's stock recommendations, and I've established my own stock selection criteria: focusing on cash flow, industry cycles, and valuation safety margins.
I've developed the habit of keeping a trading journal, clearly documenting the logic, predictions, and margin for error for every single trade, immediately reviewing and correcting any mistakes.
Only then did I slowly gain clarity: the market never lacks opportunities; what's most lacking is the discipline to preserve capital. Being able to survive is far more important than short-term windfalls.
My mindset has completely changed. I no longer think about a one-trick comeback. I accept that investing is a slow craft and have let go of the obsession with quickly recovering my losses.