Greetings from Detroit

Hello Steemit World!

My name is Rob and originally found out about this community through some friends I met (roadscape and lovejoy) as a member of BitsharesTalk.org. I've been casually interested in cryptocurrency since about 2011. I started looking into it deeper around 2014, when I came across BitSharesX. Stable cryptocurrencies and decentralized markets, you say? Tell me more! I learned about economics, money systems, and game theory from reading Dan's blog and the BitShares forums. What a delightful community of people to find.

My situation at the time involved me living in the middle of a rural community and telecommuting as a remote employee, which gave me extra time to contribute what I could to that project. It wasn't much, but I felt like I could make a difference by investing my time and energy into something I was passionate about. Eventually my internet provider went out of business, so I moved to my own place in Detroit. I continued to telecommute, listen to the beyond bitcoin hangouts, and try doing what I could to help market the project. 

 I was really fortunate  to spend 3 weeks traveling with the CryptoFresh crew on the BitShares P2P roadtrip. I even started trying to learn C++ so I could work on some automated testing, but this ended up being fruitless because the re-release of BitShares, the old codebase was being deprecated. The project still had a lot of experimentation and pivoting to go through, so I ended up "missing the mark" on a few of these ventures. But hey, it was an excellent learning opportunity to partake in those forums and learn from others all over the world.

Along this journey, I learned a lot about life. About commitment, about the perils of temptation, and about taking care of myself. If you really want to know the details, I'll share them. I learned that I needed to step away from my cryptocurrency interests and take care of some other things in my life. I felt unhinged; I wasn't learning or progressing at my career, I was far too impulsive, and I was most of all, unhappy.

Then, one day I had an experience with MXE that gave me a new perspective. I've always been interested in (responsibly) exploring my mind with psychedelics. This particular experience was new to me; I didn't even know what MXE was, so I did my research first, and figured I would give it a go and see. 

What a kick in the mind! What followed was a critical self-reflection of who I am, what I am doing with my life, and the realization that I have to be the impetus for change in my life. I have to break out of my unhealthy behavioral cycles and re-wire my tendencies. It was a motivating experience, and a powerful one. I would not suggest that you try this without being in the proper mind set and setting, and without doing your own research first.

The first thing I ended up seeking out a new employer that gave me a lot of opportunities to learn and grow in my field. I slowed down on my bad gambling habits. I moved in with some friends that were supportive and lowered my overhead. I met a wonderful girlfriend. Not just because I had this experience, mind you, but because I harnessed the new perspective from it to break out of my regressive behaviors!

Now, I think, life is much better for me. I learned some hard lessons back there, but it has made me stronger, and given me food for thought.

Some other things about me

I love hiking! Here's a few pictures from my journey last weekend:

Lake Superior- the largest body of fresh water in the world!

Camping Off Lake Superior in the Porcupine Mountains

Another Shot of the Porkies

I'm also an avid biker. Here's a shot of the road bike I recently revived:

Thanks for reading!

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