Remember when 2016 felt like a disaster year? Everyone was doom-posting, the vibe was absolutely terrible. Yet here we are years later and that same period looks pretty different through the rearview mirror—some even call it golden.

It's wild how perspective shifts over time. What seemed catastrophic in the moment often becomes the foundation for what came next. The market has a way of doing this too—brutal years that teach more than the smooth ones. Sometimes you only realize the opportunity in the chaos once enough time passes.