There was always something tragicomic about those stories of Wall Street bankers jumping out of windows after the Great Crash of 1929.

The comic element disappears when one hears of an increasing number of suicides during the current crisis: a German multi-millionaire steps in front of a train because he is suddenly only a millionaire; an American kills himself and his family after losing his job...

Yet, if one could say one thing to those people, it would be simply this: Be Serious.

“Come on, be serious... It’s only money, after all...”

This is not to say we do not take money seriously. A blog written by, for, and about entrepreneurs must have a healthy respect for the balance sheet.

Yet is it precisely because we have a proper sense of the value of money that we can say that is it not worth killing oneself over the stuff.

The worst that can happen without it is personal bankruptcy – the pain, stress, and humiliation of which should never be under-stated – but which is nevertheless by no means the end of the world.

So long as one still has one’s health, one can always start again.

In fact, most people in such a position do just that. Some, strengthened by adversity and learning from mistakes, go on to much greater success, sometimes in a surprisingly short period of time.

Of course, there are no guarantees. Others may never regain the standard of living they once enjoyed, but they learn the far more valuable lesson that there is more to life than lifestyle.

Indeed, until one finds that proper sense of proportion and priority, one can never be entirely successful as an entrepreneur in the first place.