The Hard Fork: A Journey Through Blockchain and Cryptocurrency

You’ve been forked. You are forked every day...it’s just that sometimes, the fork is a little more memorable than others. The direction our day, week, or month goes always comes back to the earlier decisions we made when given choices. However, in the span of our lifetime, only a select few instances present themselves that are truly evolutionary. An opportunity to make a decision that will drastically alter the trajectory of your life, personally and professionally. Very rarely is a new playing field created where everyone has the same set of skills. That is my view of blockchain technology and all of the fun it has in store for us.

A global shift in wealth, elimination of “trusted” third parties, ensuring that our data is truly secure, transparency in government and business...the future ahead is hard to grasp. This dramatic shift in how life works immediately grabbed my attention. So much so that it has inspired me to refocus every aspect of my daily routine. Sure, I still start off with coffee. However, instead of turning on ESPN or browsing through meaningless social headlines, my focus is now, “How can I better position myself in this magical future?”.

Our lives are defined by the choices we make, both easy and hard. Before we dive right in, I’m going to take you back for a quick second. Give you a little insight as to why this is so exciting and inspirational to me.

***Cue flashback sequence***

In 5th grade, a classmates’ mother came in to help teach us more advanced topics. One of those was the stock market and I was immediately hooked. I loved checking the newspaper every morning to see the previous day’s closing prices. It got to the point where I had even built myself an imaginary portfolio. The school year eventually ended and with that, so did the lessons. There was no longer a driving force to develop my interest and it soon faded.

It wasn’t long after that time that the internet really began to hit its stride. AOL was king. Once again, I got roped in...but on a much deeper level than most kids my age. I loved learning  html and javascript. I’d make my own websites...even designing a website for a local Ford dealership. Sadly, once again, new interests and distractions poked their head in the way. The things I had taught myself were already obsolete and I had lost interest in trying to keep up because...you know...girls.

I point to those examples in my life because they were two instances where I was ahead of the game. I possessed more knowledge on those subjects than my peers. Not just any subject but a field that could truly alter the path of someone’s future. I reflect on my life more often than I probably should. I can’t help but look at those two opportunities and wonder, “what if”...

As a 31 year old service industry professional with no immediate exit strategy, I have to wonder if am I staring down the third hard fork of my life. The first two occurred when I was young and easily influenced, distracted. Now, I’m a grown ass man now and I have the ability to make informed decisions and motivate myself. Is this going to be another brief hobby or something I really dedicate myself to?

I say, “All in!”

I won’t be taking out a second mortgage and running to invest it in Bitcoin. However, I will be investing every ounce of spare time I have to position myself for the future. It just so happens that the future lies in blockchain technology and the changes it brings. Where will I end up? Not quite sure yet...but I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve.

Through this blog, "The Hard Fork", I will share the things that I am learning. All of the tools that I am collecting that may help me down the road. There will be speed bumps and many tough choices ahead but I want to create a platform for others give their thoughts. If you are going through the same thing, let us know. There is going to be someone out there that has been through it before and can help you on your new path.

What type of posts you can expect to see from me...

• My Forking Education:
  • Showcasing the things I’ve learned that are inspiring me to stay on my path
  • Quick Breakdowns/Easy Reads
  • Written so those with no prior knowledge of a given topic can comprehend and learn
• Forking Updates:
  • Describing the roadblocks, obstacles, and breakthroughs I’ve encountered
• Forking Inspirations:
  • Profiling examples of others that provide great learning experiences
    • Other Steemians 
    • Celebrities 
    • Obscure entities, great examples