When I reflect back on my life so far it’s been mostly long stretches of tedium peppered with challenges, both great and small. There’s been triumphs and failures, and once in a great while, some really magical moments.
So many of latter have come while walking in nature with my dog or cycling alone. These moments have also enveloped me while traveling with my wife, brother, or hanging out with those who are dear to me.
If you’re lucky you’ve experienced these times too. When you do it feels like your brain, soul, and the universe come into perfect alignment. There’s a certain electricity in the air. Colors, flavors, and fragrances seem elevated. These are the moments we live for. The memories of these moments and the hope of experiencing them again someday are what provides us with the hope and resilience to push through the many challenges life puts in our paths.
Crypto, and those people I’ve met because of it, have been the source of a fair amount of these moments over the past seven years. I’ll never forget that night in a taxicab in late December of 2017, somewhere in Manhattan, when I opened Blockfolio and saw seven figures for the first time. As it turns out the euphoria was short lived but at least I experienced what that felt like. Then the fateful February day in 2018 happened just a few weeks afterwards and I lost seventy-three bitcoin to an exchange hack. Crypto giveth and crypto taketh away, I like to say.
But you know what?
For me, the highs and the lows have had a strange way of balancing themselves out and what we’re left with are the memories, the stories, and the lessons.
The stories!
The younger generations probably won’t even believe my stories when I’m in the nursing home rocking out to my 1980’s playlist.
As we approach the cusp of what many feel could be the last true bull cycle for us here in America I’m especially grateful for the people. There've been a handful of folks who’ve mentored me – mostly with patience, grace, and kindness. They didn’t have to do it but they did. Some of these people I’ve never even met face-to-face, and possibly never will.
During the last few years the curtain has been pulled aside to reveal who really wields the power in the world. All things considered, I think this might be Satoshi’s greatest accomplishment in a string of many. If you don’t already know the answer follow the money, ALWAYS follow the money.
It’s also demonstrated to me the pitfalls and strengths of human nature. Most importantly, it’s taught me how to stay psychologically bouyant whether I lose or win. If this reality we’re all living in really is a simulation, crypto definitely is the psychological bootcamp mode of our particular sim.
That’s about it. If there are any final bits of advice for you all about to take this next roller coaster ride I’ll leave you with this…
The world of crypto has taught me a little bit about a lot of things. It’s taught me that we should never chase money for the sheer sake of it. If we do this it will turn our hearts’ dark and lay waste to everything we truly value in our lives. The Lord of the Rings was spot on in this regard. I’ve seen this happen to so many people. Monetary wealth can be vaporized in a bazillion different ways. Like anything in life it’s all about balance.
We must never let the pursuit of wealth distract us from pursuing what ignites our souls. If we keep moving towards the things that fill us with positivity and light and master them with integrity, intelligence, and with patience, abundance eventually follows. Build things that matter, contribute to the positivity of the world. Seek out the things that light you up, it really is as simple as that. Oh, and don't forget to hold on tight!
What are some of your best/worst/craziest crypto memories?
Thanks for reading! All for now. Remember…trust your instincts, invest in you, live boldly, and take chances.
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Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
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Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel.
These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, Mindful Moments, will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com.
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I think you expressed exactly what Bob Seger meant when he wrote the line: "Those are the memories that make me a wealthy soul".
Those tough lessons can teach you a lot!
The mistake we made last time, this time we will also try not to make the same mistake because we put all our money in the market and it is completely negligible at the moment and this is our effort now. That we continue to do DCA so that our cost will continue to decrease and then we can also earn good profit in the next bull market.
The best is the life changing aspect of the Steem/Hive blockchain.
The worst is certainly the selling of 10 857.88325921 Dogecoin between 2016 and 2017. Much before the Dogecoin would became popular and valuable.
The craziest is probably the both above together.
Around that time I have not thought none of the above mentioned things.
Steemit/Hive has been life changing for me too. Ouch, I bet that Doge sell stung a bit. It was so difficult to know the right thing to do, especially during that '16/'17 timeframe. Everything was so new.
Oh wow, I don't think I ever heard that part of your story before. Talk about crazy. I know there was a point my portfolio was worth six figures, but I can't imagine seven. Part of me feels like I may never see six again based on my holdings. My advice would be to not be afraid to take profits early and often. I should have done more of that.
I half expected there to be an ETF announcement first thing this morning.
It was nuts. I just remember looking at it and thinking about what my ancestors would have thought, all of them up until my dad's generation weren't even considered "middle class". It was short-lived but had a pretty big impact. That is the BEST advice, sell all the way up and buy all the way down. They're definitely building up to the ETF announcement. I just don't know if they'll wait to announce it in Q1. Time will tell but I think it's all but certain at this point.
Yeah, I guess my ancestors would probably be much the same way now that I think of it. I just hope I don't screw things up this time and that at least one of these tokens that I gambled on pays off. It doesn't even need to be HIVE. I consider this account in a whole different class of investments.
I wish you well, my friend. I consider my Hive account to be more like personal savings at this point. Are there any exchanges left that Americans can trade/cash in Hive? I'm not sure.
Thanks, I wish you the same. No, now that Bittrex is gone, I don't think we have a lot of options. Not easy ones anyway. There are some convoluted ways you can bridge assets, but it isn't pretty.
That's so sad.
Your best bet is getting whatever you want into USDC on ETH and then moving it out through Coinbase.
Totally!
I can call HIVE my best memories of crypto because I completely met cryptos and got knowledge about them thanks to HIVE.
I learned everything through Steemit. Those first transactions were frightening. Crypto didn't even seem real to me until I cashed some of it in.
Ouch! That loss required some really strong mental juggling to be able to move forward as you did. Mental resilience is priceless though. And that quote by Jim Carrey; back then I was still in the corporate world climbing the ladder when I heard him say it for the first time and it sent shock waves through my cells. In regards to my crypto experiences: Learning to move coins from a hot to a cold wallet for the first time was a total mess :)
It wasn't easy. To make matters worse I had just left my corporate job of 23 years a few months before the hack happened. To say I was scared was an understatement but meditation helped tremendously as did my writing. Those first few transactions were scary for me too! But it did seem like "magic internet money" until some of it was converted into fiat.
Holding on to the thing's that matters is the nicest thing to do, when we are able to hold ourselves back from using our time to pursue too much of monetary wealth, it helps in building the world which we see is the nicest for us.
You are right, patience is a true tool to follow in achieving abundance.
Yes, I can relate to that, the moments we spent in the past, we always hope to relive them, but life is hard and challenging. I want to relive my childhood, but that's not possible now. as far as the crypto bull run concern, this will be the 3rd bull run of my crypto life and i know it will come, I have lost a lot due to greed, but this time, i am not gonna get greedy.
Not being greedy is the key, I think. I lot of people who've been in crypto for a while won't make that same mistake this cycle.
Reading your story, I wonder if your wife and son are also cryptocurrency enthusiasts? It's nice when our environment is in the same tune. I started in 2018. I remember someone telling me that I could write and I could get paid in cryptocurrencies: money you couldn't see, but worth a lot. I remember that in Venezuela there was already a crisis and with the money I earned I could afford to buy meat, milk, clothes and shoes, which others did not have. I felt like a millionaire with so little! Then, last year, when my HIVE account was stolen with all the money I had saved, it was like a punch in the stomach. That's when I realized that I had done everything wrong! Now I think that investing is an excellent way to multiply what you have. The saying goes: "They took everything away from us, they even took away our fear". At the moment I may have little, but I am enjoying this new beginning. Like the surfer: you just have to wait patiently for the waves. A big hug, my friend
My wife and son aren't really into crypto, I'm the only crazy one (just kidding). I'm so sorry to hear you lost your account but am glad you've found a way to move forward and begin again! Another friend of mine lost access to her account during the most lucrative Steemit years. The losses definitely sting and, if we're lucky, they also teach us. So much is outside of our control. I love that quote, "They took everything away from us, they even took away our fear." That's how I felt a while after that hack happened. It took me a few weeks to get to that point. Cheers to you and your resilience!
I enjoyed reading this post. Like you, I started learning about cryptocurrencies in 2017. While, the experience was bittersweet, suffering my first loss due to greed. I must also admit, it left me with a lot of teaching. So, your final advice resonates strongly in my brain and heart: do not seek wealth for its own sake, but seek to improve the world around you and let it come to you for that purpose.
Thank you Eric for reminding me.
You're welcome. Thanks for reading and commenting!
I actually missed out on the last bull run and I am not ready to miss out on this particular time. I am trying to build up the portfolio and keep stacking as much as possible as it is also necessary
I hope you make all the right moves this time around!
Crypto however isn't for the weak because a lot is said to be experienced while being involve where both the bull and bear market will distract cryptocurrency prices.
Man, you can say that again. Crypto will either make you much stronger or break your spirit!
Have you lost 73 bitcoins in the past? Too bad, I can imagine how rich you would be if you still had it now. But that's how fate in life is, everything has been arranged by God and we have to live it. but now I hope your life is also very happy with your family. God bless you, Eric..
Yes, I did...in 2018. They weren't worth as much as they are now but it was still bad. I've accepted in and have moved on though. Life is good! God bless you as well Eliana!
sold some precious coins in some pennies, not even cents. i regret but .....
#hive #posh
Very informative post Thanks for sharing
Perfect answer for the question What Is Life? is "The Unknown Story".
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Nice view. How are you, friend?
Sharing on Twitter.