On and off, I have spent the last few week writing down some of my stories - not on Hive - but in the real world. "Stories" in this case are not quite what you might be thinking though, as these are more analogies used to support software product training, designed for building knowledge, practical usage and retention. It is fun to do and "easy" in the sense that these are analogies that I have used when I train, some of them being mine, some of them being versions of those I have heard from other trainers.
Once this document is complete, which I expect to be around about 25 pages by the time I finish adding my part, others add their own points and I flesh them out to complete, is that it will be leveraged by various departments as a basis for them to distribute product understanding internally and externally to our clients. There will be alternate versions included and tips given as to how they could be used, for example, by a sales person who is trying to explain a feature in the software that is hard to visualize.
A lot of people think that anything can be learned with a bulletpoint list, without recognizing that what they are actually doing is following a program like a robot, not actually learning. In some cases this is enough, but when one has to build further context for a range of complex processes that are currently undefined, it isn't good enough. By building mental illustrations of the way things "kind of" work however, can give the tools to apply general rules to specific usecases practically. Connecting these rules of thumb to familiar concepts and usecases means that a person is able to very quickly bridge the gaps in understanding, by applying what they know, to what they don't and when the comparison being made is well chosen, this can very quickly enable a newbie ramp-up into proficiency.
"Quickly" is a relative term however, and a lot of people underestimate how long something is going to take (which is why so many projects run over time and budget) as well as not acknowledge how their own expectations come into play to affect their processes. For example, I have been on Hive for almost five years and the last four of those, I have been pretty Hive-orientated in much of my content, because that is what people engaged with the most. Prior to this, I wrote stories and about philosophy, photography, psychology, business, economics, family, relationships, skill development... and many other things I enjoy It is not that they weren't getting engagement, it is just that they were pretty narrowly focused.
What is interesting to note however, is that many people think my Hive content is narrowly focused because I am talking about Hive or crypto, but what I am actually doing is combining the elements of things I enjoy, into something that we can all find relevant, which is Hive, crypto and the things that surround them. By doing this, I can keep writing about the things I enjoy, without narrowing or excluding my audience and hopefully, adding value, which takes me back to the quickly consideration.
Let me ask some questions.
How wealthy do you want to be?
Obscenely!
How quickly do you want to be wealthy?
Now, Damn it!
What do you think is an appropriate amount of time to build that level of wealth?
Ummm...
This last one is hard to answer, as there are so many variables involved. But let's work on the assumption that most people want to be more than averagely comfortable and have enough wealth that they can have a great house, car, travel when and to where they choose and deck out their lives with decent gadgets, without having any debt. I am not saying this is what everyone wants to do (I don't), but that kinds of wealth.
Now another question.
How many people in the world have that kind of wealth?
Very few.
So, considering that most people accept they are going to have to work for a living and most people do not retire early, and most people do not retire with enough money to be what they consider wealthy, the chances of "getting there" are quite small and an appropriate timeframe is well, longer than most people would like.
As said, I have been here for almost five years and have worked very hard in that time on and off Hive, and I am not there yet. Sure, I could have done some things differently, bought this, sold that, but that is part of the average life of coulda, shoulda, woulda in hindsight. But, is five years a "long time" in your opinion? It isn't in mine, but I am someone who expects to have to work a life time and I have been working for thirty years already. But, my "expectation" is that in the next five years, these last five years will have out earned a lifetime of what other work I am doing. That means that within ten years, I can earn the same as I would in fifty. Not only this, the way I am able to earn is different than a career job, as this is "hobby work" that I choose to do, when I do and how I do.
For me, this has been an enduring story that I have not only created and held, but lived by for the last years, as well as distributed through my content to others. I wonder what the balance sheet looks like for those who have onboarded some of the stories and changed their approach. I know that for quite a few I have talked to, they have said that they look at Hive and the entire crypto industry differently based on some of my individual content, but I think the real power of it is that the stories get carried beyond the post and bit by bit, habits change.
I think that some people expect to read a post, get a bit of information and have their life change by it - and it is this that makes a post valuable. But, while these are occasionally bits of information that might do this, it is very much like the robotic list following content - it doesn't actually change practical understanding to the point that it becomes applicable to adjacent topics. It is like "buy this coin" might work out well at times, but it doesn't help a person understand how to pick the second or third coin. Yet, people walk away from those kinds of posts feeling like they got value, even though they learned nothing of substance.
It is interesting in my opinion, because what it is essentially doing is what the media does to us, where there is no need for consistency or to actually offer value, it is all for entertainment purposes. People feel like they are "getting something" when they aren't actually making any changes in their lives whatsoever. But, the things that affect our life direction the most, are the small experiences and the little bits of information and understanding that affect our habits over time. These things, we barely notice are happening, if notice at all, because we are blinded by the big and shiny, the complexity, the shill.
I don't shill or exaggerate, I have no need to - all I do is express my understanding the best I can in the hope that it will lead me to where I want to be, and help others get to where they want to be. In my experience, it is through analogy and metaphor, subtext and between the lines that have the greatest effect, as it gives the people the direction, but the space to think for themselves, rather than act like robots, repeating what they have been told.
At least, I think that building personal and shared stories is an important part of not only improving our processes and outcomes, but also developing a strong community. Lists aren't made for building relationships and culture, discussion is. Hopefully one day, people will look back on their time still in crypto and be glad they spent their time understanding, rather than chasing a short gain.
How long until you are wealthy?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]