I guess the good thing about not having any money is you can't lose it all at once. The bad thing about not having any money is you have a harder time taking advantage of any legitimate offering or business. So, at the time, I might have saved some pain and anguish by not being able to do much with the internet boom, but on the bright side, I didn't lose anything in the bust.

I guess it all depends on which side of the fence we choose to look from. In your case, you lost money but gained valuable life lessons that have served you well since. Could you have learned them another way? Maybe. Perhaps less painfully, too, but then, would you have really learned the lessons?

Obviously, any of that is pure speculation, but it is good to reflect on where we've been and where that's taking us. And I'm glad you're able to keep going, keep taking risks, keep figuring things out. It's better than just giving up or letting life run you over.