I also want to point out that even if you did put $3000 in, most people don't have the guts to hold that much for that long. I've heard countless stories of people selling when Bitcoin was only worth hundreds because they panicked.
I didn't panic, but I thought it was worthwhile to exit when BTC was at about $12. It paid for the down payment on my car. I kept some (and I'm still holding a fairly substantial amount) because I do believe that it will revolutionize a lot of things and will be worth a lot more in the long-term. It wasn't about "having the guts" or "panicking" as much as it was about "I have an opportunity here".
Sure. I even thought to myself for quite a long time how it would have been nice to hold onto it until it was worth $1100-1200 a few years ago. But then I would have started wishing I'd held out for the $3k price. And surely, I would have wished that I'd held out for the $5k, $10k, $50k, or more. And truly, that's why I'm still holding a fairly substantial amount. But the most important thing is that I am not frustrated or disappointed in how I've handled this frankly unexpected and astonishing source of wealth ("wealth" perhaps is a strong word here). Because of other circumstances in my life, I feel lucky to be alive. I do not have any regrets about exiting most of my Bitcoin position when it was worth $12. It helped me to provide for my wife and myself, and that's more than some people get in life, so I'm really happy with how it worked out.
