Recently, I've observed some people and events, and I'd like to share my thoughts. I see many so-called 'successful people' on stock forums, but you must never envy them blindly. In reality, everyone is just an ordinary person. Before entering the market, we set rules and bottom lines for ourselves. However, due to human greed, we might eventually break through them step by step, becoming unprincipled and lacking a bottom line, especially after suffering significant losses, which leads to an imbalanced mindset. Recklessly using leverage can quickly wipe you out or even put you in debt. In the current market, small retail investors basically have no chance of success. Tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars can't withstand frequent trading. If you add leverage and dabble in options, you could be wiped out in just a few trades. Even if you hold long-term and don't lose money after months of volatility, you still can't outpace the speed of currency depreciation. Large retail investors are better off. With tens of millions in a money market fund, earning thousands in interest daily, doing some day trading with regular stocks, and then using part of the profits to bet on options doesn't create much psychological pressure. As for large capital and institutions, it goes without saying. With billions, they can use quantitative software to go long and short repeatedly, harvesting countless times. So, do small retail investors still have hope? If you want to change your fate by betting small to win big, fantasizing about multiplying your capital hundreds of times from a small to a large investor, it's not impossible, just extremely difficult and with a very low probability. Entering the market with this mindset is fundamentally wrong because the probability is so low. It's more realistic for ordinary people to lower their goals. Either use some spare money to earn a little pocket change, or simply don't play. Just put your money into wealth management products or buy some reliable ETFs. Eat, sleep, and spend time with your family.