Author: TIGER

Nearly a month has passed, it's time to review and organize my thoughts.

The goal over the past few years has been clear: steady growth, striving to jump from A8 to A9 as soon as possible.

With this clear goal, the course of action has also become simpler. My previous strategy can be summarized in two points:

First, give up all the tinkering that doesn't help in getting from A8 to A9. For example, I found some small opportunities to earn A7 after completing a build, but I decisively gave up these trivial gains.

Secondly, steady and stable, constantly seeking opportunities with positive expected value (positive EV), placing multiple bets to dilute the impact of luck as much as possible. For example: throughout 2023, I invested a lot of effort in "mowing" (harvesting various airdrops and benefits), even if it cost me some gas fees, I felt it was worth it, because at the time it seemed like a typical "limited loss, unlimited gain" opportunity.

Everything was progressing step by step, with assets steadily accumulating. Until this January, when I encountered a major drawdown in my account, and the original plan was instantly disrupted. (The specific details have been recorded in my previous articles.)

Reflections after the major drawdown

I went back to my home country for a break, and allowed myself to rest and reflect.

After returning home, I found that my friends were all living vibrant lives. Whether they were working in the system or starting their own businesses, whether their wallets were full or empty, they were not as gloomy and pessimistic as I was. It turns out that living happily does not require a lot of money. Yet I had fallen into the depths of despair due to the losses on my balance sheet, living more painfully than anyone else.

They made me re-understand the saying in the Tao Te Ching: "Wealth and status make one arrogant, and this is one's own downfall."

I gradually realized that the pain I was suffering far exceeded the sense of achievement brought by making money and successful projects. This huge drawdown did not actually have any substantial impact on my daily life - the days went on as usual, I could still eat and play as before, and my quality of life did not decline. In short, these balance sheet losses were not worth torturing myself like this.

Perhaps it's because I've had a relatively smooth journey so far: getting into university through academic competitions, and the several entrepreneurial projects I've started after graduation have all had decent results. Suddenly encountering this violent blow, I started to doubt myself for a moment.

Fortunately, I emerged from the shadow after a month, and recognized a fact: whether it's doing projects or investing, the most important thing is to gain a sense of achievement. For me, the numbers in my account are not important, the continuous positive feedback is the indispensable driving force.

With this realization, my view of wealth has also become more calm. After all, once wealth reaches a certain level, the improvement in quality of life is actually quite limited - at most it's just a few more luxury cars and mansions. But my life has already been free from worries about food and clothing, and I'm not particularly interested in supercars and mansions, so what is there to be troubled about?

My biggest cognitive trap was mistaking the level of assets for the progress bar of life.

Restarting: New Plan

After adjusting my mindset, I decided to do some "dynamic programming" and re-plan the next steps. Based on the current funding situation and market environment, finding directions worth continuing to build is the top priority. Specifically, I have set the following new plans for myself:

1. Adjust the goal: In the past few years, I've always wanted to break through to A9, now I'll be more pragmatic and set the goal of first returning to the asset level before the major drawdown.

2. Due to the change in goals, those opportunities that I previously felt were not cost-effective can now be reconsidered. For example, the "earning small money" paths like SEO and traffic arbitrage that I previously disdained can now be tried.

3. Maintain constant vigilance in investments, seeking ultimate arbitrage opportunities. Only by staying on the table can I seize the next good hand when it comes. In other words, never leave the game, so that I can wait for my next good card.

4. Continue to focus on the AI track. I'm not talking about the "AI projects" that are just hype in the Web3 world, but truly delving into the AI industry itself. The whole world is focusing on the AI revolution - even if I can't get a share of the windfall in the future, at least being at the forefront means I can use the latest and strongest AI tools first, and the most advanced tools are often the most powerful productivity multipliers.

5. Continue to dig deeper in the blockchain on-chain domain. The public chain world is like an open "dark forest", full of dangers, but the rules are transparent. I want to hone my skills on this real battlefield, with true strength to embrace the opportunities.

6. Strive to increase my own cash cow. Simply put, it's to create more products outside of my main business that can provide stable income streams, laying multiple stable revenue channels for myself.

7. Remember "wealth does not come in a hurry". Reflecting on my previous losses, the biggest enemy was being too impatient, and my actions became distorted when I was anxious. I've stumbled twice on this, and there will be no third time.

After this adjustment, I feel much more relaxed. The path of growth inevitably has its ups and downs, but each setback is a precious nutrient that makes me clearer about what I truly want. Putting down the burden and going light, I'm ready to face the challenges of the next stage - as long as I steadily move forward according to these plans, I believe that both wealth and growth will come unexpectedly in the future.

"True financial freedom is not about the level of assets, but the confidence to switch survival modes at any time".