"What should you do when you hit rock bottom?" Wolf of Wall Street

"I lost my money, I lost my freedom, I lost my children for some time. My life bottomed out." said the Wolf.

Belfort says he managed to stay motivated and positive throughout his jail sentence because he did three things: created a vision, established a strategy and worked hard.

Just days after his release from prison, Belfort began writing his memoir, which received a $500,000 advance from Random House . These days, he spends his time as a motivational speaker and consultant. He receives about $30,000 per speech and also earns royalties from his best-selling memoir and the "Wolf of Wall Street" film, which grossed nearly $400 million worldwide.

"You have to have a vision for your future that inspires you. So when you think about it, it just makes you jump out of bed in the morning to really have a life that is far better far greater than it is today."

Belfort says his vision was centered around his two young children. As he went to bed in his jail cell every night, he'd swear to himself he would do everything in his power upon his release to right his wrongs and prove to his children that he wasn't a failure.

"That was my why. It was all about my kids, and that's the secret," he says. "Your why is never about you." Belfort notes that people are willing to do "crazy things" for a cause that they believe in but will only go so far for themselves.

Source: Bloomberg Pro Terminal

Trader Bozhidar Arabadzhiev