Last night I was staring at the mempool again until my eyes hurt... During congestion, your transaction is really like waiting in line at the cafeteria: first being shoved into the pool to wait, miners/validators prioritize packing those who pay higher tips, if you bid low you stay stuck, and after a long time, either you get bumped out or you can't help but increase your bid and resend. The experience is quite mysterious. What's more confusing is that during congestion, a large transfer on the chain or a move in the exchange's hot and cold wallets, everyone starts interpreting it as "smart money coming in," but often it's just normal repositioning... I've learned to be smarter now, first lowering my expectations, not expecting instant success, and the mindset becomes much more relaxed.