Percy thought the mining pool was saturated with miners who knew exactly what they were on to, and definitely had the rewards rolling in, unlike him. Kareem often talked about the fear of losing out to beginners like him, and how it should not drive him into making quick decisions that he would end up regretting, but as days passed and he was yet to make anything reasonable, he began to consider making one of those quick decisions even if it'd cost him all he had ever earned.
Source
After all, did they not say that life was about taking risks?
If one never took risks because of fear of losing, one was bound to remain mediocre, and that, he knew for a fact, he had experienced firsthand in other areas of his life. He was not ready to remain a mediocre, man who put off his debts and hoped to pay them when the time was right.
A man who has always been taking things slow. A man who hopes for better days but hopes fate draws the better days nearer.
" This is the darn time. No more leaving things to chances."
He muttered under his breath, taking his hand off his mouse temporarily to tilt his glasses downward to rest on his nose bridge.
"What are you saying?"
Kareem asked from across the room. He was sitting on the couch adjacent to Percy and he had his laptop on his thigh.
"I was not talking to you." Percy said.
Kareem did not take his eyes off him. "You are worried over something. What's the matter? You are not getting enough rewards from the mining pool?"
He demanded. Of course, I was making what the average guy would take and leave with a smile, but I did not have the same responsibilities as the average guy, whoever he was.
"Being a miner in proof_of_ work blockchain means constantly competing to be the first to create new valid blocks."
I grumbled.
I was looking into my laptop, but I knew his eyes were on me and they were unsmiling.
" You don't like the competition? Then quit!" He snapped.
Alright, he got really salty when I complained about things.
"Kar, you don't get me."
"Make me get you, then."
He said. Literally, it was something funny I could have laughed about, but the steam from my insides had banished the will to laugh. I thought my once-tumescent sense of humor was deflated too.
"Kar, listen, I don't know what you are thinking, but I'm not just impressed with a lot of things. No jokes, I'm glad I know a bit of stuff here and I'm making something near average, but the guys on here are too good and I think they are the ones getting the real dough ….."
" Stop talking. You are getting me exasperated."
He warned. I sighed and got back to my work, but his eyes were still on me. He had asked what was wrong and now he did not want to hear me out.
I did not have to tell him that I was delving blindly into Forex with more than twenty percent of my savings. He would hate the idea, call it ridiculous, and see that I was dissuaded, but in the end, I was willing to gamble with so much and there was no going back for me.
If I lost everything, then I'll lie alone in my bed and cry, and then brace up and get back on.
I was not counting on a miracle to happen, I was hoping that I would be smart enough, to read the candles right, understand the market like a pro trader would, and bag as much money as I could without losing anything.
For someone who was going into that aspect of the foreign exchange market, I needed a mentor.
Kareem!
Maybe he would help me through it and help minimize my chances of making losses. I hoped.
"You know, it doesn't look good to me that a young man like you with so many prospects is going to take desperate measures to up his finances."
Kareem said a while later. I looked up at him, it was my turn to be exasperated.
"Stop talking nonsense. What's that?"
He did not look up at me. He was still focused on his screen.
"You do well as a miner. You only have to become better and …."
" You never understand anything, Kar, do you?"
" Well, make me understand."
" I'm not saying it's bad here. I just feel a bit left out and I reckon it won't be much of a trouble If I got on the foreign exchange market as a trader like you."
" You're kidding. The risk is too high."
" But you managed to make more gains than losses, dude. You have a damn house in Los Angeles and I don't!" I sighed.
" I'm not satisfied with where I am. Not saying it's not great, just saying it's not giving me enough. I got bills to handle, cousin."
Kareem was looking at me now with brows furrowed.
But he soon nodded.
" What would you have me do to help you, Percy?"
He asked in an unusually dry voice.
" That's what I wanted to hear you ask. Just walk me through trading. I'll be fine in a bit. I'm not totally clueless about how these things work." I said.
He nodded.
" Fine, you will start with a ten percent of what you've got."
" Twenty?"
" No."
" Fine."
I reclined on the chair and yawned.
Self-reliance - The key to building the wealth that you desire
Always set something aside for emergencies
Markets Fluctuate - Stay the Course
Ditch the excuses - Do your own research and start somewhere
Success is ultimately a consequence of well-handled defeats - More money is a mile away
It's never too late to start getting wealthy
Develop your Financial IQ and Learn to Invent Money
When Money Loses Its Value - Inflation and Survival Strategies
