When did you "wake up"?

Love this - every child is a gift and yes they are here to challenge us into waking up.

 

I didn't grow up until around 37yrs.
Lived care free and didn't think to much of the future.

 

Ahhh for me it would have to be when I was around 21...
When I placed my first ever stock trade. Thinking I was going to make thousands on it! I lost some $1266 of it in the space of 1 hour! That was borrowed money too...

I remember sitting in the chair and the whole room was spinning...Then I went and worked 3 different jobs while cutting down on Uni classes so I can pay back the money. After I paid it back I heard a comment about stock market that I still believe to be true... " Stockmarket loss/gain is just transfer from one person to another".

I thought to myself some lucky ******* has my money! So I spent next 5 years learning as much as I can about it, using countless "methods" and "schemes" until finally realising that investing is all about keeping it simple and rinse an repeat. Other thing I realised is that once you set everything in motion it is very boring!

Then I bought our first home. It was little unit that needed a lot of renovating love. I told my wife if we get thought this without arguments and together at the end of it we will stay together forever and that's where it all started....

 

Woke up at the age of 26 after the breakup of my first serious relationship of 3 years. It was a very emotional time for me and I remember coming out of it by taking life by the scruff of the neck and decided to do exactly what I wanted to do. Bought a convertible, moved out of home, met my future wife, spent 2 years in London working & traveling Europe. My friends called it my quarter life crisis. Then came back to Oz, got married, started property investing and started a family. Now with 2 young daughters and 10 years from when I "woke up"

 

I have been working full time since I left high school and have several IPs.

Friends from school and people I know my age (27/28) have just realised they are almost 30 and they should probably stop partying/going on holidays and start saving for a deposit after paying of their car loans.

For me it's the opposite I have worked and sacrificed a lot and have yet to do much else. Not sure which position is better but I would rather have money at this age then not