Why are you here?

It's important to be open with ourselves and ask why we're here? Today's issue focues on the consequences of not doing it and why this leads to a death spiral.

The headline of this article may be confusing. When I sent the draft over to a friend, she got back to me and asked if I switched fields and now write about my feelings, which is funny if you know me personally.

The reasoning behind it is pretty simple; It’s a question very few ask themselves. So many out there spend most of their work life sitting at their desks and doing what they’re told. Or they’re part of a group and do whatever others are doing. If you don’t ask yourself this question, you fall victim to confirmation bias.

Especially people in the Bitcoin and FinTech community are attracted to confirmation biases. From believing their product is the only solution in the world to thinking complex apps are the only way to mass adoption. Spoiler ahead, it’s not! The more people become a part of such groups, the harder it is for them to have realistic views.

The importance of a regular check-in

I’m not trying to sound like a yoga teacher here, but this is one of the most important things to do. Once in a while, that can be once a week or once a quarter; You need to step back and ask yourself why you’re here and what your goals are.

Not only does it help you to realign your goals - an event the best of us lose track of our goals - but you’re able to analyze where the market is going. I’m not speaking from a financial standpoint but rather from a work environment. Whether you’re a trader on Wall Street or a copywriter in Bali, both operate in a market environment.

It’s that environment that can be troublesome at times. If things are going great, everyone is enthusiastic. If shit hits the fan, we start attacking each other, and groups start forming from within. You can escape this madness by having regular check-ins and asking yourself, why am I here?

The struggle of finding your path

Separating yourself from the herd is hard. Especially today, everyone is judging you on some social feed or chatroom. Everyone has their say and usually their own opinion.

However, if you do it once, you end up liking it. Not because you’re better than others - at least, I hope this isn’t why you do this - but because you end up seeing the world differently.

And it’s that different worldview we should focus more of our attention on. I’m not one to ask you to question everything or go out and hunt for the truth. There was a time in my life when I did this. You’ll go nuts and find flaws in everything, which is not the idea behind this approach.

Confirmation bias is a tricky thing

Especially in the Bitcoin community, we often shy away from problems or valid criticism. The most current example is Nostr.

I’m 100% behind any project taking away power from big tech.

For those not in the know, Nostr is an open protocol that enables a censorship-resistant and global social network. It’s unique because you don’t need to rely on one server, and you have the option to choose how to interact with the protocol itself.

Many users on Nostr are Bitcoin maximalists and very much euphoric about the Twitter alternative. They’re currently in their honeymoon phase and excited about possible solutions. These are all beautiful and unique in their answer, but some of their ideas are wild in the end.

Once someone comes in and criticizes them with valid points - like normal users don’t care where their data is stored, or they will not go out on a limb and add their server connections - they freak out and tell you things like; It’s 1995 and Nostr is like the internet, or we’re still early, bro!

Be honest and open with yourself first!

I could go on and on about why this reaction above doesn’t lead to anything. But that’s not what I want. I want to finish this article with a call to action for you; Be honest with yourself!

We all have ideas, opinions, and preferences for certain things. But every once in a while, it helps if you step back and ask yourself: Why am I here?