Summary

The author regrets not investing in Bitcoin when it was created in 2008 and discusses the importance of learning from past mistakes to make better decisions in the future.

Abstract

The author shares their biggest financial regret of not investing in Bitcoin when it was created in 2008. They explain that they had $150 to invest but didn't think Bitcoin would amount to anything. The author then calculates how much money they could have made if they had invested in Bitcoin at its initial value of$ 0.08. They also share that they eventually invested in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and saw a 10-fold increase in their investment. The author concludes by discussing the importance of focusing on what really matters in life and dealing with regrets in a mature way.

Opinions

The author believes that investing in Bitcoin in 2008 would have been a wise financial decision.
The author expresses regret for not investing in Bitcoin earlier.
The author believes that learning from past mistakes is important for making better decisions in the future.
The author believes that focusing on what really matters in life is important.
The author believes that dealing with regrets in a mature way is important for personal growth and development.

How Not Investing in Bitcoin in 2008 Taught Me a Lesson

Dealing with regrets of not making $62,880,281.25 in Bitcoin

A few months ago, I asked the following question on Twitter about regrets:

I got some interesting responses like getting married and having kids too young, blowing too much money down the toilet, and working too much and not enjoying life.

I have several regrets in life. I’m sure most of us do.

There was one guy that I NEVER should have dated and I’m glad we broke up. Then I met my husband and we lived happily ever after. Ok, so it’s not a fairy tale. It’s real life, but I’m glad something good happened after experiencing a bad relationship.

Not investing in Bitcoin at the start

I’ve made some financial decisions that I’ve regretted.

However, my biggest financial regret is that my husband and I didn’t invest in the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin when it was created in 2008.

We heard about it and wanted to research it more. Then we never invested. We thought it was never going to amount to anything. I guess we were wrong.

When it originated, the initial value of one Bitcoin was $0.08. We had $150 extra to invest. If we bought Bitcoin with that $150, we could have purchased 1,875 individual Bitcoins. That was 13 years ago.

We heard Glenn Beck discussing Bitcoin again a few years ago on his radio show. After learning more, my husband and I decided to invest in Bitcoin, and also Etherium and Litcoin (two other cryptocurrencies). We invested $150 and three years later we increased our investment 10-fold.

That’s great. However, the value of 1 Bitcoin is $33,536.15 (US) — currently as of July 2nd when writing this article — and it has gone up and down through the years.

Just imagine if we had invested that $150 back when Bitcoin originated in 2008, instead of waiting 9 years until 2017 to invest.

If 1 Bitcoin equals $33,536.15 in July 2021, and we would have had 1,875 individual Bitcoins — that would equal $62,880,281.25 That’s over 62 million dollars!!

Okay, so yes that’s a big regret of mine.

We bought our $150 worth of cryptocurrency four years ago and then hadn’t looked at our digital wallet in all that time. A few months ago, I mentioned it to my husband, and we checked it again. That’s when we saw the 10-fold increase in our investment — AND that’s when we realized how much money we could have made if we’d invested in 2008.

I was bummed out about that realization for a few days.

Then, I realized I needed to let it go and be happy that we had at least invested in it when we did and be happy that our investment increased by so much.

Focusing on what really matters in life

I remember my mom saying when we were younger, You can’t cry over spilt milk. This saying means that you shouldn’t dwell on the things you cannot change. Focus on things that you can change.

“Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today and you make your tomorrow.” — L. Ron Hubbard

Now, I could continue to be upset about failing to invest in cryptocurrency when Bitcoin was created. However, I’ve chosen to be grateful for the smaller amount that we’ve made on our investment and to improve my knowledge of cryptocurrency.

I’ve started taking online classes from a financial professional. I want to learn as much as I can about this digital currency. I hope to improve my chances of picking micro-currencies (other than the macro-currency like Bitcoin) that have a good probability of giving me a high return on my investment.

Dealing with your regrets in a mature way

If you have regrets in life, you have two initial choices to make.

· React in anger and become bitter.

· Respond in contemplation and become better.

Allowing regrets to take over your life can stagnant your personal growth. It can hinder you from stepping outside your comfort zone to continue trying to accomplish future goals.

Dealing with regrets like an emotionally mature adult can become a catalyst for continued personal growth and development. I don’t know about you, but I want to become better, not bitter.

Takeaway

Make each moment count by acknowledging your failures and regrets. Embrace the process of learning from those mistakes so you can be empowered to make better, more informed choices in the future.

Connect with me at my Ko-Fi Mustard Seed Sentinel Community.