What I Learnt About Success (from an almost multi-millionaire)

I’d spent most of my summer with John. He was recovering from what he called ‘a bout of the flu’. We met up in London and just chilled for six weeks.

Everyone in his circle knew the truth about the ‘flu’. He had just come out of the end of a nervous breakdown. He was doing well, looked healthy, if a little thin.

One night we were in Chelsea, at the premiere of a very famous horror movie. John’s girlfriend at the time worked for Disney, and we had VIP tickets. It was a hot, sticky night.

John looked cool and collected.

We had a drink in a bar on the Kings Road. After a few minutes I asked John how things were going.

And he started talking about how he got to where he was.

John was about to become a multi-millionaire.

At that time, he had set up a company that was doing very well. He had spent three years growing it and now he was looking at joining that exclusive club.

‘Do you regret any of it?’ I asked him that day in Chelsea.

‘No’, he replied.

I wasn’t anywhere near a millionaire. God knows I had tried.

John’s response confused me. I looked at him and I saw someone who had nearly died…