There are consumers and creators in the world
Creators are driven by passion and the urge to bring something new into being.
Consumers are Pavlov's dog. (No judgment, most of us have been there and probably still are, partly.)
Creating something takes time, energy and effort, and requires an unshakable belief in the desired outcome and the ability to cope with "no guarantees".
The creative process is accompanied by uncertainty, daily occurring obstacles, no immediate tangible rewards, and the constant question from (consumer minded) friends:
"Why? Why are you doing this?"
Early adopters in the crypto space are creators. We know why we're here.
The Bitcoin or Steem price is NOT the reason, though of course a welcomed side effect, when it's up.
We're here to create a new world. A new economy. A new society.
The promise of true freedom, true self-direction and authentic self-expression is what drives us.
We simply don't settle for less. We'd rather die trying.
We may not reap tangible, financial rewards for a very long time, which is why our consumerist friends will keep shaking their heads at us for quite some time. But the joy of the creative process is way more fulfilling than any instant, short-term gratification.
And you know which question inevitably follows after "Why?" (Even though there may be quite some years in between those two questions?) This one:
"How? How did you do it?"
Because our (former) friends see how we have created new income streams for ourselves - whether it's in form of a new business, job or as a content creator.
They see that we're part of an inspired, tight knit community, that they don't seem to have access to.
They see we have friends all over the world. That nerdy "cult" they thought we were in, now suddenly seems like a life that looks so much more attractive than theirs, which is filled with sameness and safe routines and contains no creativity whatsoever.
But creativity is an energy force that runs through all of us, and if we don't give it space, it will hit us with hammer over the head one day (labeled "burn out" by society).
"Some day you'll have to tell me more about your crypto community. Can you make a living from it already?"
Suddenly this conditioned, consumerist life doesn't seem so safe anymore and people begin looking over the fence. To us. And then they'll start inquiring as to How we got where we are. How we make a living.
And even though it's highly likely that our income might still be less than theirs in their safe golden cages, they begin to realize that there might be other things besides immediate financial rewards, that are more important for our happiness and sanity: Having a say in how we shape our lives, and actually creating them.
While they still rely on a central source of income, they suddenly see, that somehow everything we do seems to bring us income - a little or a lot - whether it's walking outside, surfing the internet, listening to the radio, searching on Google or engaging here on Steemit.
Some of it is just cents (right now). And some of it can't even be cashed out (yet). But a creator's mindset is also a futurist, investor's mindset. This is what instant-gratification-oriented consumers have the hardest time wrapping their heads around. "What's the point if I can't buy anything with it now?"
But they're becoming more open, in direct proportion to becoming more and more dissatisfied with their lives.
So when they ask, "How did you do it?" We say,
- I didn't just give up when things appeared difficult.
- When things were not user friendly yet, I persevered.
- I did jump through all the annoying hoops.
- I didn't expect things to be served to me on a silver plate. I didn't roll my eyes and say, "I'll come back when it works."
- When I felt stuck, I looked for tutorials, I taught myself, or I found people who could help me. But I always figured things out somehow.
- When I noticed something missing, I found a way to provide or create it. When I found something lacking, I found a way to improve it. I simply began contributing out of a passion and desire without expecting anything back. And gradually, people began offering me rewards or specifically asked to hire me.
The old instant-gratification kind of way was, "I'll do x for you, if you do y for me."
The emerging Connected Economy is powered by people who say, "Let me help you. Let me work with you on this. Let's see if we can find away to make this beneficial for everyone involved. If nothing comes from it, we both learned something and had fun in the process."
Early adopters in crypto are my favorite people, because they come from a place of service for each other and the community.
And I've met most of you here on Steemit.