No big deal, right?
For some reason I'm drawn to the big ideas and to significance. I want to see the world improve. Here are some ideas which are helpful for me. Please share some that are helpful to you in the comments below.
Own Yourself
- Become free.
- Don't use credit cards unless you carry no debt on them.
- Own your cars.
- Get out of debt.
- Pay off your house.
- Get financially free so you can work for anyone or no one.
- Be grateful for the autonomy you have.
Know Yourself
- Deal with your issues (we all have them).
- Find meaningful purpose which you and the people you care about deeply value.
- Learn non-violent communication and implement it in your life.
- Understand your own confirmation biases and how they hinder you from learning.
- Recognize your irrational, negative emotions and what causes them.
Love Yourself
- Oxytocin, dopamine, adrenaline, norepinephrine, and vasopressin: This Is Love and you need it.
- Strengthen your body and care for it through exercise, stretching, and mindfulness.
- Eat healthy, real food.
- Connect with others who love themselves and will enjoy loving you as you love them.
- Regularly engage in healthy activities you enjoy.
- Strive for rational self-interest with long timescales in mind.
Protect Yourself
- Build wealth to increase your autonomy.
- Live where you can be safe, secure, and at peace.
- Plan for your future (life insurance, retirement fund, liquid savings).
- Use a password manager, up-to-date antivirus software, current security patches for your operating system, and backup your important files to an external drive and/or secure cloud storage.
- Take appropriate steps to physically safeguard yourself and your family.
I could go on, but I guess I'm kind of just reproducing Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in my own words.
Whenever I think about improving the world, significance, purpose, morality, and similar big topics of my existence, I'm drawn back to this hierarchy. If I have a goal of improving the world, I need a way to measure progress toward my goal. Thinking in terms of my (and our) needs gives structure beyond just "human wellbeing."
I think once we're in a solid place as individuals, families, and local communities, that's when we can easily help others. Significant action, movement, and change require a solid base and leverage. I know many who see the problems all around them. They feel the pain of wanting to improve the world and bring positive change. The main problem is, from my perspective, they haven't yet done the hard work to change themselves.
Maybe that's too harsh. Maybe too many people are struggling with the basics of physiological needs and safety to think about much else. Maybe anyone who isn't is just lucky. If determinism is a thing, can we really take credit for our efforts anyway? I still think we have to act as if we can and should. We own ourselves, so we own the results of our actions (both positive and negative).
If we can change ourselves, we'll be positioned to help others on their own journey. Once their needs are met, then in turn can help others. Before long, the world has changed.
It starts with me.
It starts with you.
It starts with every individual working to improve themselves and meet their own needs. I think cryptocurrency is a big part of the solution. Without it, the value we create by benefitting others is constantly taken from us. It can be in the form of interest on debt or fiat currency inflation or energy depletion in jobs we hate but feel trapped in. By owning our own stores of value, we can build wealth and position ourselves for prosperity. It's not a quick fix, but a slow and steady one. It involves hard work and patience.
I'm just starting to glimpse what life will be like at the top of that hierarchy, joining those who are already there helping others around them. That's what motivates me to work hard and grow.
What do you think? What motivates you?
Do you want to make the world a better place?
What do you think is the best way to do that?
