I’ve been here before.

Sitting in the belly of a Black Hawk, wind howling through the open door, my hands gripping the machine gun in front of me. My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. Outside, the dark shapes of the Afghan mountains roll by beneath us. The radio crackles in my ear, “enemy contact reported up ahead”.

My team is quiet, but the tension is thick. Then someone starts yelling as panic starts creeping into their voice. “What’s happening? What’s happening?”

And I say it before I even think about it:
“Stop screaming—I’m scared too.”

Because I was scared. But I couldn’t let it show. I couldn’t afford to freeze. Fear is inevitable but how you respond to it is what matters. I knew that if I let fear take over, the whole mission could unravel. And I wasn't about to let that happen.

When I saw that quote last week, these are the exact scenes, feelings, and emotions that surged through my body, and I instantly knew this is what the market was like. Fear doesn’t go away. But the job still has to get done. You have to push through it. And honestly? That’s exactly what surviving the crypto market feels like right now.

It’s chaos. It’s brutal. Everyone’s panicking. But we’re not quitting because the future is still bright for those who keep their heads cool.

The Market Sucks Right Now, But I'm Right There With You

Crypto is hard right now. Let’s not sugarcoat it.

Bitcoin isn’t pumping like everyone thought it would. The strategic reserve came and went, and the market still feels sluggish. Altcoins are bleeding against BTC, and even the biggest, most hyped projects aren’t delivering the explosive moves we all hoped for.

It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting. And for a lot of people, it’s starting to feel like maybe this isn’t going to work out after all.

I get it. Because I feel the same way.

That quote I mentioned above:
“Stop screaming, I’m scared too.”

It perfectly captures how it feels to be in crypto right now. Everyone is panicking. Everyone is feeling the pressure. And even those of us who have been in the game for a while, who have seen these cycles before, we're not immune to the fear either.

But here’s the thing: Being scared doesn’t mean you stop trying.

Markets are built on cycles. We’ve been here before, and we’ll be here again. The pain you're feeling right now? That’s the price of admission for the next bull run. The difference between the winners and the losers in this space is simple:
The winners don’t quit when it gets hard.

This Market Is Brutal But We’re Not Alone

Let’s just take a step back and be real about what’s happening right now:

• Bitcoin is stuck. We had a good start to the year, but momentum has faded. BTC can’t seem to hold a breakout, and every pump gets sold off.

• Altcoins are suffering. Solana, Cardano, Avalanche, and more are down bad across the board. Even coins with strong fundamentals are getting hammered.

• Fear of recession is growing. Tariff and economic uncertainty rage into effect, inflation might be slowly coming back, and the macro environment still feels shaky due to possible trade wars increasing.

This is the kind of environment that breaks people. You start questioning if the whole thing is even worth it. You wonder if you should just cash out, take your losses, and walk away.

I won’t.

Because this is exactly the kind of environment that creates the best long-term opportunities.

Markets Are Supposed to Make You Feel Like This

If it were easy, everyone would be rich. No really think about it.

The market is designed to shake you out. The market thrives on uncertainty. It punishes people who chase pumps and rewards those who have the conviction to sit through the downtrends.

Right now, the market is testing us. It’s asking:
Do you really believe in this?

• Can you hold through the boredom?

• Can you hold through the fear?

• Can you stay focused when nothing is going your way?

Most people can’t. That’s why most people never make life changing money in crypto. They give up before the payoff.

Look back at every major bull run:

In 2018, Bitcoin fell from $20,000 to $3,000. People left. In 2020, BTC was stuck under $10,000 for months. People got bored and sold. In 2022, FTX collapsed, and the market was in complete chaos. People thought crypto was dead. Maybe it was for a little bit. But in hindsight, Bitcoin now has an all time high of over $100k, you could’ve bought ADA at sub-$0.30, and Solana did a 10x over 2024.

I'm Not Giving Up And Neither Should You

I’m not going to lie to you; I'm frustrated too. Lots of days I don’t even pay attention to crypto because nothing is happening. I would like the cycle to work itself out much faster.

I wish the market was pumping. I wish the altcoin season we’ve been waiting for would finally arrive. I wish BTC was making new highs every week instead of chopping sideways.

But that’s not where we are right now. And that’s okay.

Because even though I’m scared, I’m not going to stop doing the things that need to be done. I’m still researching. I’m still building my positions. I’m still making long term plays. And I definitely am still working on my investing strategy.

Because I know what happens next.

This is where the smart money is positioning themselves (or preparing to position themselves at the right time) while retail investors check out. This is where the foundation for the next run is being built whether that is in late March or next year.

This is exactly where you want to be learning, growing, and understanding more.

We’re in the Pain Together

If you’re feeling like giving up, you’re not alone. If you’re scared that maybe this isn’t going to work out, well, same here.

But that’s why this saying hit me so hard:
"Stop screaming, I’m scared too."

We’re in this together.
We’re feeling the same fear.
But that doesn’t mean we stop.

This phase is hard. But it’s also temporary.

You’ll only regret quitting when the market finally wakes up and you’re no longer positioned to benefit. During times like this, I like to imagine myself as an 80 year old man. Would I be happy that I spent this time investing into crypto?

The answer is always always always yes!

This is a great moment to reframe what crypto success looks like. This is what hard looks like. This is what success in crypto looks like. There are many tough days we have to fight through as long term investors in a new and exciting asset class.

Be happy you have this opportunity to invest in crypto at this time. And take as many opportunities as you can. You never know which one will take you to the next level.

Thanks,

Dawson

P.S.

I will be reading the book that this quote is based on and adding it to a future newsletter where I cover all my favorite investing, business, and life books that I think have helped me (if it does in fact does help me). Feel free to grab a copy on Amazon and read it with me.