My first serious loss was around ₹12 lakh in stock options. At that time, I had enough savings to absorb it and walk away. Instead, I became obsessed with returning my account to its previous high. I increased capital, pledged investments and started selling options with position sizes that made no sense for my net worth.
Over the next eighteen months, the loss grew to approximately ₹1.7 crore. My father's closest friend, a retired businessman, finally sat with me and asked for every statement. He showed my father the truth because I was still hiding part of it. We sold one investment property and restructured the remaining debt. I often think about how ₹12 lakh could have been an expensive lesson, but my ego turned it into a family crisis.