Remember My iPod Touch?
If you read my last post, and I suggest you do, as they go in historical sequence, my father purchased me an iPod touch in 2010. It was what sparked my interest in social media, and it is what got me to make my first 600$. It was quite possibly the greatest decision. Ever.
Unfortunately, it started to get a little old. It was new years, and I still had 600$ left. I spent 100$ in two years, on only necessities and emergencies. I earned 100$ from holidays and birthdays. As much as I wanted to, I did not want to purchase another iPod touch. This one is still running. It works. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality if you will.
My sister showed me a raffle happening at my school district, and it was to win the latest iPod touch 4th generation. I entered. I won.
I used this iPod to further extend my knowledge on technology, and got interested in stocks. What is this icon on my homescreen? I want to get rid of it. I did. I used my skills in hacking to root the system and remove the stock application that was factory and could not be deleted.
Bitcoin
If I remember correctly, it was during march break. I was bored. I woke up early, which I rarely do. I sneaked into my parent's room and opened the computer. It was 8am, and we were on break. There was no reason for me to be awake.I came across a virtual currency titled "Bitcoin" and it promised to revolutionize the payment system in the future. I thought, we've been using cash for centuries, and bank accounts contain cash in a virtual number. Surely, an actual virtual currency must be the future.
As my "first impulse purchase", I bought 8 bitcoins through a shady website for 74.05$/a pop.
What did I just do? I told myself the money has been sitting in my bank account for ages. It was time to do something risky, and I had nothing to lose. I was confident that ill get a job that coming summer, and that the money can be covered in 2 weeks of work (which is small comparing to 2 years of which I held that money).
The Jackpot
Fast forward to November. Bitcoin is shooting so high, it is unbelievable. News stories are covering this left and right, the rise of 1000% of bitcoin over night. The staggering success stories of people who purchased it at a few cents now millionaires. I remembered I had bitcoin, and thought of selling it immediately. My greed held me back, and I waited. I missed the boat of 100$, which was not much.A month later, the Chinese Government banned the use of Bitcoin in Chinese business. At this point, I sold it immediately at 1132.26$.
I earned a profit of 8458.08$, and in total, I had over 9k sitting in my account.
I felt unstoppable. I earned so much money, and I was so proud of myself. Imagine being a typical teenager and spending that 600$ in the 2 years? Or more astonishingly, not waking up on a whim, and randomly going to my parent's bedroom to use the computer?
I thought: If I had clicked something else that morning when I first heard about bitcoin, I would not have had 9000$ in my account right now. I was only 15. Earning money gave me an adrenaline rush, and a dopamine rush.
I fell in love with money.