Three Little Pigs (And A Big, Bad Bear...)

Lately I’ve been enamoured with enduring crypto success stories. Those who weathered the storms and emerged, beliefs intact, personally and financially committed to the cause. They have been richly rewarded for their resilience.

A simple model for building this resilience seems to be pulling on the threads of curiosity, finding motivation to make a contribution, and through these actions building deep-seated conviction.

Curiosity charts a meandering path. These curious minds wandered, lingered, skipped ahead, revisited and interrogated. Thoughts become threads. As they continued to explore and make connections they wove those threads into a narrative fabric, and the more closely they examined that fabric, as incredible as it was, the more they saw of its gaps and imperfections.

They found ways to help close the gaps and make the imperfections whole. Despite practically infinite options for how to spend their time and money, they chose to contribute to this. They paid the opportunity cost of not doing everything else, often with no guarantee of return, for the sake of making a difference.

Together, this journey of curiosity and these acts of contribution built a sense of conviction. The narrative was playing out as hoped, made real by people who shared the vision and were also willing to share the workload and investment. It instilled belief in a future that existed beyond market cycles.

I contrast this with the prevalent, alternative model of conviction built on cash. I have invested, therefore I believe, rather than the other way around. What happens to the strength of this conviction if the money it is built on begins to dwindle?

While the going is good, however, there is a natural alliance between those who are sharing the same risks, and there is another ‘C’ that could well fit into this model - community. Whether it truly fits in these stories of enduring belief depends on what that community is founded on.

Were its members drawn together by the force of curiosity? Have they worked alongside one another to create meaningful contributions? Or are these connections self-serving and driven by greed? Are they connected through a set of values and ultimately seeking outcomes that benefit ‘us’? Or is it composed of many individuals focused only on the best result for ‘me’?

It brings to mind the three little pigs. When that big bad wolf comes (or more likely a bear, in this instance), I know what I want my house to be built of.

Subscribe to Adam Dawson
Receive the latest updates directly to your inbox.
Verification
This entry has been permanently stored onchain and signed by its creator.