I remember that morning like it was yesterday. Sitting at my desk, staring at my bank account numbers, feeling like someone had punched me in the gut. $50,000 – half of my life savings – gone. This didn’t happen because of risky investments. It wasn’t because of a failed business. It happened because I was too scared to act.
Early 2014 should have been my moment of triumph. After years of struggle, tears, and doubt, I’d finally built what looked like a stable coaching business. I had 800,000 Ukrainian hryvnas in savings – about $100,000. For a guy who started with nothing, who everyone said would fail, this felt like proof I’d finally “made it.” I walked around with my head held high, thinking I was untouchable.
Then the financial crisis hit. The first time I saw the Ukrainian hryvna dropping against the dollar, I told myself it was temporary. “It’ll bounce back,” I whispered to myself, watching my savings melt away day by day. “Just wait it out.” God, I was so naive.
Every morning became torture. I’d wake up, grab my phone, and check the exchange rate with shaking hands. $90,000… $80,000… $70,000. My money was evaporating like water in the desert, but I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed with fear. I’d always been the “careful” one with money. I was the guy who saved every penny and never took risks. Just like the coaches I work with now who cling to low prices because raising them feels too scary.
My wife could see what was happening. “Convert it to dollars now,” she begged. But I was too scared of making the wrong move. I couldn’t act. I was so worried about losing money that I didn’t see I was losing it anyway – every single day because I did nothing.
The practical problems made it easy to make excuses. Banks had strict limits on withdrawals. The fees were huge. The other option was finding private money exchangers. That meant walking through the city with bags of cash like a criminal. Every small problem became another excuse to wait “just one more day.” I kept hoping things would get better. We often use small practical problems to hide our real fears. We do this with money, with raising our prices, and with growing our business.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. I kept waiting for the “perfect time” to act. Meanwhile, my anxiety was destroying me. I couldn’t sleep. During coaching sessions, I tried to talk about transformation. But in my head, I was desperately calculating numbers. Every time I checked the exchange rate, it felt like someone was stabbing me in the heart.
When I finally found the courage to act, it was too late. In just three brutal months, my 800,000 hryvnas were worth only $50,000. Half of my life savings – gone. I didn’t lose it because I made a bad choice. I lost it because I was too scared to make any choice at all. Years of hard work, sacrifice, and proud achievement had been cut in half because I was too paralyzed by fear to move.
I still remember the night I finally faced the truth. I was sitting alone in my office, looking at the final numbers. I broke down and cried. I wasn’t just crying about the money. I was crying because I had to face a painful truth: My fear of making the wrong move had cost me more than any “wrong” decision ever could have.
That experience changed everything. It changed how I handle money and how I help coaches build their businesses. I now work with many coaches who are paralyzed by fear. They’re afraid to invest in growth. They’re afraid to raise their prices. They’re afraid to try new strategies. I understand their terror completely. I’ve been in their shoes. I know what it’s like to watch opportunity slip away while waiting for some perfect moment that never comes.
But here’s the truth I learned from my $50,000 lesson: The biggest risk isn’t in making the wrong move – it’s in making no move at all. You might be afraid to invest in your business. You might be afraid to charge what you’re worth. You might be afraid to try new things. But waiting for the “perfect time” will cost you more than taking action – even if that action isn’t perfect.
The most important lesson wasn’t about managing money. It was about seeing how our relationship with money shows up in every part of our business. When we let fear control our choices – or stop us from making choices – we pay a much bigger price than just money.
That $50,000 loss became my most expensive lesson. But It taught me that real security doesn’t come from money in the bank. Real security comes from our ability to face our fears and take action even when we’re uncertain.
Now when I help coaches with their businesses, I share what I learned the hard way. The biggest losses in your life won’t come from making mistakes. They’ll come from being too scared to make any decisions at all. Sometimes, doing what scares you most is actually the safest choice.
Because here’s what I know for sure: That money didn’t just disappear because of a currency crisis. It disappeared because of fear. It’s the same fear that holds back so many coaches. It keeps them stuck in their comfort zone while their dreams fade away.
Don’t let that be your story. Don’t let fear cost you what it cost me. Sometimes doing nothing is the most expensive choice of all.