And how would you propose to do that? I mean this seriously. What makes you feel that could at the time when you are stripped call upon the same strengths and confidence you have now to "replace it all"?
I am in a good mood so I am going to respond. To the OP, your fine end of story. When you label your self, you negate your self. Some one said that I don't know who. First of all you shouldn't label yourself. Your not successful, your not unsuccessful. You just are. Some times I find the things you own, end up owning you. Keeping up with the joneses is the best example. There is always someone richer, more beautiful, or in your eyes is better than you for one reason or another. The reality is they are thinking the same thing about you. Different people find things beautiful. People define success as different things. I know a man who would give up his monetary success to have a good relationship with his family. I also know another man who is very traditionally labeled successful but goes out with women I feel are just very unattractive to me. Not to say they are not beautiful people, but we have extremely different tastes. Back to the point. Losing all your possesions is almost a spiritual cleansing. It was a few years back, that I started to minimize things in my life. The irony is in trying to be a minimalist, more crap just kept showing up. This time I saw it for what it is, crap. Crap that takes me away from who I really am. So OP and others should not feel bad from where they came from and the expirences they have had, its all apart of what makes you who you are today. You all HAD to go through what you did. Coolweb, I respect you and have read many of your posts before, but that cocky condescending attitude is the road to ruin. Some one will get fed up and push you down the stairs, and as you tumble step after step, be it physically or figuratively the following will go through your mind. You will find a truth in that at that moment, who you know will not help you, your money won't help you, your crap won't help you. Its a humbling experience to stare death in the face. So in conclusion, don't take stuff to seriously. Stuff is just crap. The fine italian leather sofa, the sports car, the persian rug, etc.. Appreciate things for what they are, and enjoy things for the experience, not for status, not for showing off your definition of success, not for trying to heal some emotional rift. One final thought for the evening is family is everything. If you don't have that you have nothing. Frank Sinatra said it best..
Creating t his thread took a lot of courage, I hope your happy with the quality of posts you have receved. They pretty much tell the story.
I lost almost half of my life time saving so far since I handle my own IRA and regular account. It is the most horrible experience I have ever had. After all, the world is still not ending. I am thinking of just packing my stuff and go to Africa to live there forever..... should I have no ungrownup child!!!!
In the game of trading, and life, and the part of life that we use to trade with, things don't always go as well as we hope. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Peak Performance" is an episode from the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The USS Enterprise-D is ordered by Starfleet Command to take part in a combat practice simulation in preparation for the Borg threat. Both Captain Picard and Commander Riker are reluctant to participate, citing Starfleet's traditional role as an exploratory and paramilitary organization, not an actual military. Nevertheless, they follow the orders. A Zakdorn strategist named Sirma Kolrami is sent to the Enterprise-D to serve as tactical consultant and overseer of the simulation. Kolrami's severe condescension toward the crew is only made stronger when he easily beats Riker and Lieutenant Commander Data at Strategema. Data becomes convinced he is malfunctioning, but his crewmates realize he is in fact experiencing a crisis of confidence, a very human response. Captain Jean-Luc Picard: (speaking to Data, an android): ...and Commander: It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness - that is life.