Without lying to ourselves, we all know that those early investors will really be doing well now, that is, if they are still consistent with HODLing compared to those who are just joining the crypto family now. Although, I am still convinced that many must have sold their bitcoins by now.

However, the greatest act of self-deceit is lying to oneself that they are already late to invest, when in reality, they are not brave enough to invest, are not ready, or cannot handle the emotions that come with investing in a risky asset like Bitcoin.

Although the returns now cannot be compared to those who started earlier, you will always make profits from your investment if you know your onions in this crypto space. Just like the OP stated, it is not about who started first, but who knows what he is doing. Just be ready.

elderly people said when you starting anything either business or daily routine, there should be a positive emotion or positive outlook at things, imagine at the start and you are mad what you think is the outcome, negative energy have a strong pull in life, but if you start the day with positive energy everything gets lighter, and everyone is smiling resulting to positive decision making, just like in crypto making wrong decision with emotion, bad result at the end, so early or late, control emotions and be positive, don't get caught on why others are ahead of you, or why they are rich, everyone has its time, clap on their success and make them inspiration, the only thing that is late is when you never start at something that you like.

You can only experience such thought from newbies in the crypto space that is too late for them to know bitcoin or coins. This crypto space is not about who first know crypto that will be successful through out the crypto space, but those that have the knowledge of the crypto space and how to apply the knowledge to different decentralized assets in the right season will definitely earn a good income when the season of income making appear.

Still though you can't disregard the benefits of being early. Most of us here can't relate but the OGs that got in early can testify to the benefits that they're receiving.

Usually it's the early birds and those that have patience that benefits the most from the market. If you have the opportunity of being early and ready go for it because you stand alot to gain than to lose.

Don't use because of the fear of being scam or serving as a lesson to others be the reason why you don't try to get into opportunity quicker than you should. They're people that could have gotten in early into Bitcoin but they had their doubts and this has caused them to miss out

It's not about being ready;
It's about being willing to invest.

There are people who has been in this industry for long but they do not have the courage to buy and hold BTC no matter how small it is. Even those who are in campaigns, they convert their BTC weekly to fiat and that's it.
So, it's not about being early, it's about knowing the principles and following them. The most important principle is discipline.

People always think they have to buy the whole Bitcoin if they want to invest, while the reality they can invest as small as possible. Anyone can start as low as $10 and let's see what will happen, such amount is just like a candies, so even we talking the worst case, it won't hurt you.

I think, you don't need to be "ready" if you just invest $10, unlike other assets where you have a minimum amount to invest.

You don’t just have to prepare for those losses but most importantly, get yourself ready on building up those profits and increase its potential amount, that’s the best mindset of a successful trader or investor.

People may easily get trapped with losses, especially if you are too early on your attempt, but there’s no essential amount of getting early as long as you are confident and prepared enough on whatever the outcome of your bitcoin journey.

When you have gained the willingness to invest, I think that supports your readiness and preparedness to lose or make profits along the process. So it’s still good to say that this is all about readiness in the long run. Don’t  be too focused on getting early on the market, you will only lose more of your funds rather than seeing you in profits.

However, one thing is certain, whether you’re early or not, ready or not, those inevitable losses are still bound to happen. So the best thing to do is to embrace them, and learned from them, while you continue to develop your readiness to invest, as well as in your future trading endeavors.

Yes, that is how many people who are new to the crypto industry recently have reacted at first. They always feel uncertain, and some even feel regret for not having had the opportunity to start earlier when those who are now successful in the crypto space began.But if we look closely and understand it well, it’s clear that it’s just a matter of time. Even you, who just got the opportunity recently, can also succeed but only if you follow the right path, such as investing in the right coins.Many people had the chance to get into crypto early, but their stories are different today. Some ended up losing their funds by investing in so called shitcoin projects or falling victim to scams due to eagerness or carelessness.

This is one of the reasons why it is always good to have proper knowledge before starting a crypto investment. It is clear that with proper knowledge, someone will hardly be deceived or will be less careless. Those with proper knowledge will always try to do proper research before investing in any coin. So, lack of knowledge is what makes some people lose their funds in this crypto space. Knowledge is very important because it is what will always lead you in the right way.

I have read about people who have been early yet are not holding any coins today.
Some sold very soon while some lost their keys to their funds. It's all about luck and the determination to hold.
That said, even if we are buying bitcoin today but are determined to hold it for a long term, it's almost evident that bitcoin will make us good profits.