money

inspired by the wold of wall street. just a coursework piece, a character and the ups and downs of life.

£49 million. That is what our firm took yearly. Pretty bummed, we were only £3 million off a million a week. Being at the height of my career was one of the most rewarding yet ironically devastating moments in my life. By this point i had three houses, two dozen cars and a yacht, could you wish for much more? clearly this prick could. we had hit it mega big that month, the results were of the charts, a game changer for companies in our profession. Splashing out on parties and the finest women, us men didn't know what had hit us. That’s the problem, tip number one is that balance is key, having all come from pretty average backgrounds (small towns in the middle of nowhere) we lacked balance, and unfortunately common sense. 

By 2012 i was living in LA. By living i mean crashing house parties and waking up in random women’s beds. Two Christmas’s went by, not the festive family time like being a child, the only present i received was an extra shot in the local night club, they most likely felt bad i had spent Christmas alone. By this point drugs were also a main component in my day to day criteria, coke was just to wake me up and god knows what i had done by night fall. Due to this is had lost my job, little did i realise there stopped my income. i spent like there was no tomorrow and nobody was there to stop me. I had abandoned all my friends and the little family i did have left had no location for me and it’s not like i was in any state to reply. Tip number two is that you can’t buy friends with money. They may act your friend, but they don't stick around when the money dries up.

For two years i thought i was living the high life, no worries or cares, constant flow of drinks and drugs kept me busy and a new girl every night. No job meant no responsibilities and that meant i was waking up still half drunk at three the next day staggering down to the local corner shop for more drink. Quite often forgetting to eat and take care of myself meant my health deteriorated, i mean I’m sure the excessive drugs didn't help. i became paranoid and payed thousands to get help. none of it worked. by this point i realised i had had it all, and lost it all. tip number three is treat others the way you would like to be treated. i abused friendships and partners and i ended up abusing myself, mentally and physically. i let drugs ruin my body and the lack of sleep i allowed myself played on my brain. 

Tip number four is money isn't everything, in fact it’s nothing when it’s all you have. Hitting rock bottom was one of the hardest but most beneficial life lessons. Millions of pounds in debt, and no money to fund my drug addiction, i was on a downwards spiral. With a loss of everything, house, cars and even clothes i was rendered homeless on October 28th. I was thrown out of the system like garbage and all that welcomed me were the rough streets of La. sleeping where ever on whatever i could find, the first few months were harsh, punishing days. long lonely nights were spent in pain and agony, flashbacks of what i once had haunting me now as i sat with nothing, none. 

Tip number five is that friends are priceless, don't get me wrong spending long winter nights on frozen doorsteps in isolations was no treat, it was more like a torture, a punishment. but it gave me time to think, to absorb the harsh reality of what i was living. ice covered doorsteps froze my behind and the horrendous smell of the food i ate not only bleached my nose but removed any pleasure of eating i had left. it stripped every single inch of me right down to the noises i heard and the pleasure of warmth. all i had left were my thoughts, and a bit of sanity. As the months passed I grew to adapt to my new life. I came off drugs purely due to lack of money and made a few friends along the way. People new and old all change your story, they change your aspect of life and in some ways, make you a bit more grateful to have had what you had.

It had been almost a year by now and we were approaching the same nightmare of winter, the harshest coldest period for the homeless. I could feel the frost starting to pinch my skin as the seasons changed and the motivation now to move on with my life was bigger than ever as the cold crept closer. I decided to clean my act up and give myself some quality of life. with help from a few friends I met along the way I ditched the beard and found myself some decent clothes and applied for a few local jobs, I had the qualifications just not the attitude. Tip number six Is the right mindset can change everything. Although it took me many tries and waiting out hours of interviews, I had finally landed myself a job in the local corner shop. It wasn’t ideal to have gone from billionaire to local shop cashier but It made a massive change at the time. It was full time and although it was the most boring draining job ever I saw it through and saved every penny I earn. 

By the end of February, I had got myself a room in a small house with some young men, they were messy and irresponsible but reminded me of myself. three years on and i had moved out, got an apartment of my own and a fresh start. i was working in a local stock takers and attending local social clubs to expand my friendship groups. i was back where i had started and now building a real life for myself. i had friends and the warmth of a home but still it wasn't the same. it wasn't what i had. my last tip is that money is just money, at the end of the day money won't put you to bed. it will buy you a f*****g big bed with some .silk sheets but it doesn't have the effect of love, nothing does anymore.