In 2017, an investor who bought Bitcoin at $5,000 in January and sold at $13,000 in September felt brilliant until December hit $19,000. Another bought at $19,000 in December and held through the 2018 crash to $3,600, then through 2019-2020 to $60,000+. Same asset, same timeframe window, opposite outcomes determined entirely by entry timing versus patience. The first timed the market perfectly for a cycle peak. The second simply stayed in the market. By 2024, the second investor's conviction through the noise had compounded far beyond the first's early exit. Time in market beats timing the market, but only if you survive the noise.