Price had to come down from that 2017 ATH because it was a bubble aka an unrealistic price that had to pop. Bitcoin's potential has always been in the long run not short term with the bubbles.
remembered selling my TV ~ to invest in bitcoin.
In 2017 during the first bullrun, we couldn't sell any of our assets
By "assets" you mean sell your bitcoins? That sounds strange because you claim you have bought bitcoin but weren't able to sell it!
You are also missing the whole point of bitcoin, it was never about making money by investing in it. Bitcoin's purpose is to serve as a censorship resistance currency not a get rich quick scheme.