I first heard about Bitcoin in 2016 when a good friend invited me to lunch and claimed there was a 'digital currency' that would be an even greater revolution than the internet. At the time, I thought it was some little game coin from the Orkut or Facebook era and didn't take it seriously.
The more he explained the subject to me, the more absurd I found the idea. To convince me of how much he believed in the project, he showed me that BTC was worth about $640 and wrote down the absurd amount of money he had put into it; right away, I thought he had gone crazy.
Then he asked me if I had saved any money since we graduated from college. At the time, I was very young and detached from everything; still, I had saved about $11,675, which I planned to use to buy a new car. He believed in it so much that he suggested I give up buying the car and invest everything in BTC; obviously, I didn't do it (and I bitterly regretted it).
In 2017, the same friend invited me to lunch again because he had news to share. The first of which was that he had quit his job to fully dedicate himself to investing in Bitcoin. That year, BTC reached nearly $20,000. He sold part of it and 'retired'. That's when I felt I had missed the chance of a lifetime; I kept reading on the internet the BTC forums about the end of the 'lifebuoys'. At that moment, I was sure that I had lost mine.
After a period of disbelief, I decided to enter the crypto world in 2018. I sought out my friend, who advised me to buy exclusively BTC. The thing is, when you enter the crypto world, your head turns upside down; you become greedy, believe everything you read, and get easily deceived.
So I started buying a bunch of projects that I didn't even understand, joined completely uncredible trading signal groups. The result? Several losses and frustrations. I would win one day, lose double the next. In the end, I came out frustrated and exhausted.
Finally, during the pandemic, I accepted my friend’s advice and invested in BTC again. With fewer resources, but more aware.
I learned that I should listen to others, but I must have my own ideas based on serious studies. I invested in BTC, ETH, BCH, got good airdrops, and was patient. The result? I accumulated a wealth that I had never had in my life.
Thus, I spent from 2021 to 2024 living other dreams, studying, traveling, investing in things that don’t provide financial returns but will be important in the future. During those years, I stayed out of the market.
Now, in 2025, I am back in the crypto universe. After all, I didn't get rich enough to retire; at most, I gained a little comfort. Now the focus is on building my family and my future!
What I ask you to take away from this story:
• There will always be opportunities.
• Avoid putting all your chips in a hype.
• Maintain sanity: persist, learn, and keep trying.
Good luck and good investments!
