Be the Change You Want to See

I found Bitcoin just three years ago. In fact, it was about this time of year in 2022, after the collapse of various crypto exchanges and scams, that I was solidified as a Bitcoin maxi.

In that time, I’ve probably listened to a couple thousand hours of podcasts, read dozens of books, and spend countless hours learning and diving down other rabbit holes.

I haven’t eaten dessert in at least two years, maybe longer. I’m down from about 19% body fat to somewhere in the 12% range (my body REALLY doesn’t seem to want to go lower than that, unfortunately).

I’ve removed my family from traditional health insurance in favor of a community-driven solution for covering large expenses (CrowdHealth, if you’re interested).

My kids are being home-schooled and I’m now reading The Tuttle Twins to my two oldest routinely as bedtime stories. My four-year-old son recently told my sister-in-law, unprompted, that FDR is the worst president in US history (so proud).

I’m buying grass-fed beef from a local rancher and raw milk from a farmer just down the road. We’ve been hitting our town’s farmers market lately for raw honey and local fruit.

I maximize my time outdoors, sunscreen-free, and implore my family to do the same.

My wife and I have switched our kids out of a mainstream pediatric clinic to one that thinks differently about medicine and how it should be applied, particularly to children.

My opinions on politics, money, economics, and history have been turned upside down.

Not all of these decisions came quickly or easily, but one thing Bitcoin has really done is opened my mind to what is real, true, and possible. And I can honestly say, my life has gotten better. It’s been little wins, bit by bit, but it all adds up to a lot more peace of mind.

All of these decisions, however, were borne of a desire to opt out of the systems or modes of life that I no longer felt worthy of my support, whether in time, mindshare, or money.

My encouragement to those on this journey is not to do everything I’m doing, necessarily, though I obviously think these are good things.

My encouragement instead is to avoid assuming that anything you believed before was right. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t. But it’s only when you’re willing to get uncomfortable with the possibility of new, better ways of doing things that your life can change for the better.

Perhaps you’re already on the right track in many areas, and that is great. But it’s worth asking the question, “Am I really on the right track?” rather than assuming.

Studying how money has shaped the way we lead our lives, for better or worse, is an exercise worth undertaking. If you study Bitcoin long enough, you realize that the rabbit hole always goes deeper.

So keep exploring, because you’ll invariably stumble upon new ways of doing things and new assumptions to question. You’ll be presented with better options for being the change YOU want to see in the world.

It doesn’t have to be big or fancy or flashy. But with the courage to make these leaps, you may just end up with a life that you love more.

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