After two years of martial arts training, I've realized that those who lose money in the crypto world are all the same type of people.
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After two years of martial arts training, I've realized that those who lose money in the crypto world are all the same type of people.
Having a strong ego is good, but you need to keep it in check and always stay disciplined.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: rektdiomedes
Compiled by: TechFlow
Over the past two years, I've become obsessed with combat sports.
This essentially involves a lot of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Muay Thai, and mixed striking/wrestling classes for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
While two years isn't a long time, and I'm still a complete novice, it's been enough to train with hundreds of different partners and observe how they handle various situations in training.
Additionally, since I was 15, I've been a passionate fan of strength training, so I've also seen countless people's efforts in that field.
Conversely, in the investment world, I've been active on Crypto Twitter (CT) for 4 years, and before that, I was lurking on CT and Macro Financial Twitter (FinTwit) for many years.
During this time, I've noticed a significant pattern that applies to both of these worlds—there's a similar parallel between certain participants in the gym and the investment space.
Combat Sports + Strength Training
When training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, you encounter a wide variety of participants:
Some are genuinely skilled at these sports (we'll discuss this in more detail later).
Some just try it out and find it's not for them.
Others love it deeply but, due to scheduling conflicts, either give up or can only participate occasionally.
There are also those who just dabble, relatively disciplined but not highly motivated to make it a significant part of their lives.
However, there's another category of people, which I want to focus on in this article—those I call the "ego-driven" individuals.
These people are usually highly motivated.
They come in full force from the start, always giving 110%, completely in "beast mode," and very serious.
They don't lack strength, energy, motivation, or courage, but ultimately, they always inevitably trip over their own "ego."
Sometimes, they overexert themselves and get injured.
Sometimes, they spar too intensely, even somewhat out of control, annoying the regulars.
Or, they push themselves to the limit, only to be defeated by someone calmer, more experienced, and smaller, leading to frustration or anger.
Typically, this pattern leads them to quit entirely within a month or creates a cycle: coming in once a month, going all out, then disappearing for a month.
But in either case, their motivation and discipline are repeatedly defeated by their own "ego."
In strength training, you see a similar phenomenon.
Often, I notice men in their forties who were once very strong and athletic but have declined over time.
They are obsessed with returning to their peak performance from their early twenties.
They come to the gym, warm up for 45 minutes to get their bodies moving, then try to push their limits with max-weight squats, deadlifts, or bench presses.
However, almost every time, they either get injured or exhaust all their energy.
Many are even clearly aware they're stuck in this cycle and know they should actually do high-rep hypertrophy training or at least combine it with powerlifting. But they can't let go of their "ego," fixated on returning to their past personal records (PRs), ultimately harming themselves.
Whether in combat sports or strength training, these individuals have high skill and motivation but ultimately defeat themselves due to "ego."
Connection to Investing
This pattern also appears in the investment world. Over these four years, I've observed this phenomenon from time to time on Crypto Twitter (CT) and Macro Financial Twitter (FinTwit).
Here, there's a category of people who view "investing" or "trading" as a significant part of their identity and self-worth.
Some are individual investors focused on active trading... some are professional fund managers handling others' money... some are authors writing macroeconomic newsletters... and some are just ordinary retail investors.
But they all share a common trait: they take trading and/or investing extremely seriously and are very proud of their investment skills. However, this attitude sometimes manifests in a self-defeating way.
Essentially, these specific individuals—like those mentioned earlier in combat sports or strength training—end up defeated by their own "ego."
I've seen several different manifestations:
- They self-destruct through "revenge trading."
- They argue with every critic, even starting various personal vendettas online (often over silly things like which meme coin is better or whether the long end of the yield curve will spike), ultimately breaking down on their timeline.
- They become overly attached to a specific investment or idea and then, to prove that trade is correct, start creating an entirely new, evolving worldview.
The third—obsession with an idea—might be the most dangerous because we can all be affected by it.
I've particularly noticed this often happens to very intelligent people.
They form an idea in their mind about an asset, asset class, or investment, and when that idea encounters difficulties, their brain (driven by "ego") starts fighting against itself, constructing a whole system of reasons to explain why the initial assumption wasn't wrong.
They start changing their views... start trying entirely new ideas and approaches... before they know it, they've created a complex and vast belief system around a very specific investment or idea.
It's hard to describe exactly how this phenomenon manifests and the underlying pattern of self-hypnosis.
Although I usually dislike vulgar analogies, I can't find a more fitting description than "getting addicted to smelling their own farts." They basically become addicted to their own intellectual exploration, eventually getting lost in it, leading to huge financial losses.
Ultimately, it all stems from "ego," even if that ego is hidden beneath many layers of intellectual manipulation, almost like a form of "self-hypnosis."
Of course, this doesn't mean these people are bad—in fact, I think each of us does this to some extent—but it's an easy and very dangerous trap to fall into...
The Secret to Success
So, what common traits do people who achieve long-term success in combat sports share?
What's the secret of those who persevere, continuously improve, eventually perform well in amateur or even professional competitions, or those who make real progress in strength training, especially maintaining impressive physiques at an older age?
In my view, the answer lies in combining that powerful drive, desire, and motivation with conscious management of the ego.
They have an ego just like everyone else—we all do—but they have enough perspective and self-awareness to know they must control the ego, not be controlled by it.
Therefore, they just keep their heads down and do the work, sticking to what needs to be done day after day.
They don't treat every sparring session like a championship fight, leading to frequent injuries...
They don't nitpick with people, getting into trivial arguments or conflicts...
They don't get discouraged or angry from being beaten by others and give up training...
They just consistently show up and practice every day.
I believe this also applies to the investment world and Crypto Twitter (CT).
Having a strong ego is good, but you need to control it, always maintaining restraint...
You need to transform ego into discipline...
Persist in learning and improving day after day...
No investor or trader is always right; it's all a game of probabilities.
As the old saying goes, the world's top traders might only be right 55% of the time...
The biggest enemy isn't a single failed trade or saying something wrong on Twitter...
The real enemy is those irreversible "permanent failures"—whether losing all your money, breaking down and deleting your account, shutting down your fund, or other similar outcomes.
Therefore, in my opinion, the key is to cultivate your ego—a strong self-confidence and desire for success—but simultaneously elevate that ego into wisdom.
Guide it purposefully...
Let it be your source of fuel...
Then use it to drive you to take massive action every day.
Note: This is my first "article" written on Twitter/X... If you have any thoughts, feel free to comment below; if you liked this content, please share it—I'd greatly appreciate it! :)
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@rektdiomedes
