#CryptoFinance Initiative How Crypto and Blockchain Impacted The Dood's Personal Finance.

This has been one wild ride! I got into cryptocurrency towards the end of 2013. i was working a low paying part time job and thinking about starting a small local web design company. I had some ideas for working online too and was looking for a payment processor. As I searched Google for payment processors I kept coming across links to sites about bitcoin.

I had heard about bitcoin early on. Honestly I thought it was ridiculous and thought everyone involved was going to get arrested. A few years later I was surprised to find it popping up all over the place. I did a little more research, seen it was growing in popularity. Nobody was getting arrested, and the more I researched the more I said, "Wow this is really cool"

I got it the first time around, but honestly didn't think it would stand a chance. Just like Jamie Dimon, the only thing we'd probably agree on, I didn't think any government would allow it. The fact that they haven't done anything idiotic like passing laws to incarcerate crypto users is baffling to me.

Based on that theory alone I was super skeptical. Sooner or later someone was going to put a stop to this. I was incredibly fascinated by the concept though, I loved the technology, and I love the anarchistic attitude of so many people in the space. A couple small altcoin exchanges had popped up too. I had watched some videos about altcoin trading on YouTube and it looked really fun.

It was at this time I discovered dogecoin faucets. At the time you could visit sites that offered a small amount of Dogecoin or BTC. Some sites you could visit once a day, others allowed you to return hourly. Each visit gave you a few satoshi in BTC some Litecoin or a few Dogecoins. I was already working at my computer all day and I decided to save my faucet earnings till I had enough to trade on an exchange. It took a couple months but eventually I had enough to make a few small trades....

So between 2014 until the end of 2016 I literally traded pennies worth of cryptocurrency on a couple smaller exchanges. I started getting involved with CryptoTwitter trying to learn how to trade. I kept doing faucets and using them to fuel my trading. Without investing a single penny I had traded from 0 to about $350 and had a lot of fun learning and researching. I was hooked.

It seemed like I was wrong about the legal implications, I was having the time of my life, I made a few friends on crypto twitter and was pretty active in the crypto community. At the start of 2017 ... pure luck in timing.... Starting with the $350 in faucet earnings I decided to put my money where my mouth was and I invested two whole paychecks into bitcoin and my trading accounts. It changed everything! I couldn't of planned the timing more perfectly even if I had actually tried!

By the end of 2017 almost everything I invested in rallied. Starting with under $1000 I had turned it into a five figure trading account. I won't get into specifics but it was life changing money for me. My initial investment in crypto was under $1000 and I've never added anymore of my personal money.

I took some of the gains from that 2017 rally and I invested in the stock market purely for diversification. I told myself and still tell myself to diversify just in case this whole thing goes tits up, I don't walk away with nothing.

Getting involved in cryptocurrency taught me the importance of investing. I learned about money management. I learned about risk management. I learned about the importance of taking responsibility of your own finances and making your money work for you, not working for your money. I learned about the fiat system and government control of money. Blockchain technology changed the way I thought about money and how I earned my money.

I'm still a relatively small trader and I'm OK with that. Cryptocurrency trading has given me the ability to survive comfortably within my means. For the most part I trade full time, work the gig economy for security. I have the freedom to enjoy my days. During the summer months I tend to slack off more traveling around on my motorcycle and camping outdoors in the wilderness. In the winter months I tend to get more focused on trading and working on web design projects. I also consider HIVE to be part of my side hustle even though I rarely take money out of it.

Getting involved in crypto has been a life changing event for The Dood. I'm really happy I decided to look into it. More than the money I've earned, I've also met a truly great community of people here on HIVE and also the crypto community in general. I feel blessed and honored to be here in this moment as we all participate in making history. What we're doing here on HIVE has the ability to change social media forever and what we're doing with cryptocurrency will have the ability to change the future of finance forever. We are the new pioneers on a digital frontier paving the way for future generations. This is our modern day cyber version of the San Francisco gold rush.

I guess to sum this up, Crypto and Blockchain has given me financial freedom and something to believe in, in this crazy world. I've had a decent bank account since 2017, food in the fridge, a roof over my head, a couple motorcycles in the garage, and I've done a little traveling. What else could a Dood want in life? What more do we need?

I think I've taken the road less traveled and the journey has been simply incredible. I often reference the Grateful Dead, "What a long strange trip it's been" Indeed!

Why not join the #cryptofinance initiative and tell your story?

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