Those here who have gotten to know me a little, know that I am no "Computer Whiz Kid" as I like to refer to everyone who knows a lot about computers and programming and so on. I really am amazed at how people who are into it all have learned new languages and an entirely new approach to tackling problems and issues.
For those of us like me, who are still using the good old MS Office and surfing the net, there sometimes seems to be a big gap between us and those who are into the computer scene. Just going by my experiences in reading and following some people here on Steemit and Discord Chat Service. However, at the end of the day when the tech talk gets out of it, we are all just people, doing things that we know and living our lives.
At first it was a little frustrating at times, even intimidating, however, once I started reading, and reading and reading and reading.... you get my drift, a lot of the things started to fall into place. Not saying that I can now write a program, however I can understand a lot of what is being said when people talk/write about these topics.
Apart from that, there is the Crypto scene, another entire new galaxy for people like me who are new to all this.
Again, reading, and reading.... a lot of googling too I have to admit, both in the above mentioned topic and this one too. Three months later, going on four I am slowly beginning to pick up on things. Again, not to say that here I am now trading away with thousands of Cryptos, making fortunes, throwing my laptop out the window when a certain crypto drops to nothing and so on. All I am saying is that I am beginning to understand the talk and have taken my second baby step when it concerns the walk!
The other day I read a post by 
here is the link to that post if you wish to check it out later on: https://steemit.com/cryptocurrency/@shellyduncan/adventures-in-crypto-1-late-to-the-game-or-lunatic-fringe
Now I don't quite know why, but after reading it I started dwelling on the idea of "trading" some of my Steem and SBD. Figured, better I start learning the ropes with the few hundred that we as a family here on Steemit have available, than to start learning in a few years time when I'm this Blue Orca of a Whale here on Steemit, with an account that has more comma's in the numbers than what most posts have!
All it took was to read about someones experiences in that field to get this old Commodore 64 on my shoulders cranked up and thinking!
Most people reading this are probably already bored out of their minds, here we go, another "What a fantastic site this is.... " kind of post.
NO, that is not the moral of my post here, no matter how great I believe this platform and concept to be, this post is all about how an old dog like me can learn new tricks.
Comfort Zones!
I've been in many a situation where I was very uncomfortable and let me tell you, I probably never ever want to go through any of that in any way ever again. Just being honest with myself here. Then one day I sit behind my computer, find out about this site Steemit and see $$$$$$ signs. Curiosity killed the cat so to say!
Didn't ever imagine that there was so much behind the scenes, never imagined that there was an entire new world out there about which I had practically no clue about. Actually, knowing what little I know now, I didn't have a clue about anything!
So now, after learning a thing or two, nothing in comparison to the people who have been in this game/business for years, I have finally got to a stage i my life where I am starting from scratch. Not in everything, in the fields of LEARNING NEW THINGS.
I haven't done that in decades, was lets say comfortable where I was, sort of.
Things in life change, as the years go by, things definitely change, not only physically as far as our bodies go, but with our views on things, our approach to things and sure as anything the rationale that we use when making decisions. I don't care who it is that we are talking about, everyone changes as life goes on. Maybe wiser in some things and as technology progresses way behind and a dumbo in others.
So, is this a turning point in my life where I adapt to the idea of learning what I can in fields out there which I knew nothing about, fields that I didn't understand anything about, except that I can get onto the internet and communicate with people from all over the world!
I dare say it is!
From when I started to get more involved here, I saw that even the things I knew from what I had learned in the past from other social networks could be applied here too. Some were applicable, some were not.
Learning an entire new culture and behavioral standards and patterns, nothing foreign to me, just this time it involves people who are into the "cyber" scene, while before it was different tribes and nations. So for this aspect of this new endeavor i have found a parallel to draw and use and to then go on to the next hurdle.
Learning the entirely new world of "Crypto", well, it's nothing new, I have used a number of examples from my past to draw a parallel to this, like for example when entering a foreign country and getting IDK how many thousands of their currency at the exchange office/bank. Same thing!
As far as the numbers go when exchanging, sounds simple enough, sell high, buy low!
Don't we all wish that the numbers and exchange rates would work to our advantage all the time!
Learning a new language, well, there are heaps of people on the Discord Chat service who are fantastic people, who are willing and able to help out in that. Yeah, sure, we may not have much to talk about as we are "from two different worlds" but they are real people who are very cool and giving as far as explaining things goes, as far as helping out goes.
There are people there who understand that people like me can get ripped off easy when it comes to "programming", so they jump in and tell you outright, "The price for that and that service should cost about xy$". They even know people who can do it all for you at that price or even less at times, depending on what it is that you want. Now, i don't know what you as a reader may be thinking right now, but all I am going to say to you is the following:
Becoming a Steemian isn't easy for everyone, especially for people like me who feel alienated at times.
Becoming a Steemian is as easy as a piddle, especially for people like me who like a challenge in life.
That doesn't mean that it happens overnight, what it means is that becoming a Steemian means that you are entering a society of people who are helpful, who would love to see you make it here and who are not concerned about all our differences!
No, it isn't UTOPIA, we are all just human beings, with our quirks and good points, what it is, is people who are trying to do good, make good and likewise understand the concept that if you and I are not doing good that they have in some way failed us. there is a sense of communal responsibility here, that many a time in our lives (where ever we may be) seems to be lacking!
So, if an old dog like me can go forwards and start building an entire new approach to life and to all the challenges of learning a new culture and economical system, then there is no reason why any other person who likes a challenge shouldn't be able to do so too!
I hope that someone who reads this and the link to the post that got me taking my second baby step can get motivated enough to go out and try something new.
Thanks for reading, GO FOR IT!
Yours truly,
Jack
