It started off as an interesting idea my dad found on the internet and wanted me to read about. As this was his usual thing to do - find something and tell his daughter to read about it because it will be super helpful for her career, or future or skillset. Since I am trying to be a good daughter I always read that stuff and as always - he was right. I hate that sometimes … very annoying parent habit, but also not complaining dad, in case you are reading.
Anyway, I was hooked!
The theory, the idea behind blockchain sounded amazing. I started reading and watching youtube videos, and reading and reading and yes, reading. It was 2016/2017 and I was about to hand in a topic for my thesis for my Project Management MSc. So far I knew the current hype was all about AGILE.
I told my dad I wanted to write about agile but also put somehow blockchain into my thesis so maybe I would have better chances of getting a job. After a huge back and forth with my university who had no idea what I wanted to write about and had no one to help me with my thesis to the point where they told me to change my topic - my inner stubbornness was more convinced than ever that this was an amazing idea and that I will nail it - all by myself.
I don't want to bore you through the struggle of writing a thesis if you wrote one you will know it's not the nicest thing to do. But somehow the more work I had to put into it the more excited I got. I had this amazing feeling driving back from London late at night after visiting meetups and counting the number of new people I got on LinkedIn. The adrenalin kick I had covered the hours of sleep I was lacking and I was super happy. To skip to the end, I finished it and got a distinction. BOOOM
Super proud I saw that printed thesis looking like a book with more than 200 pages. And I thought to myself I could do this again. I just wrote a book I can write another one this time about whatever I want. And I named it: a blockchain journey.
One year later I still have no book ^^. But that's fine cause life came in the way and I love my life, it's beautiful. Not bragging here at all…
Last months I was trying to find out what the issue was. I watched Tedtalks how to find inner motivation or reprogram your mindset. I trained a lot since I read that this will give you more motivation and energy. I bought ginseng and Ginko pills. I took days off to clear my mind. I sat in front of my laptop and started writing random stuff to get into it. I blocked whole afternoons in my calendar dedicated to my book. I over analyzed the reasons why I wanted to write it and why I apparently don't want to write it anymore.
NOTHING WORKED.
I tried giving up the idea.
It all frustrated me. I wanted that book. Besides all - I was not a person to start something and then let it phase-out. Besides the usual playing the piano as a child ;)
Today it was like all the other days lately. I had no ambition whatsoever to start writing on the book. I was actually distracted by my phone vibrating on the desk. Also apparently a no-no thing to do when you want to write a book and be successful - having your phone next to you to distract you^^
My boyfriend texted me. Nothing special here BUT the text OMG.
"Is there a place we can volunteer plant trees"
First of all, he is English and usually can speak and write properly, second of all he hates garden work AND NEVER, absolutely NEVER wants to come to my grandparents garden and help me do ANYTHING in there.
But I know where this was coming from all of a sudden. Two days ago it was earth overshoot day for this year. https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/earth-overshoot-day-2019-ressourcenbudget
And he was worried for his child, that he would one day have to face the end of the world not by aliens, Godzilla or other Hollywood made myths. No. Simply by us - humans. The idiots living on it and being dependent on it.
(I will get back to a blockchain no worries)
My brain was firing away tons of other ideas he could do, then go somewhere random and plant some trees, which probably just die sooner than later, since no one is watching them in that extreme heat we are experiencing in Germany currently.
And then boooooom. Brain baby! Why not do something POSITIVE with blockchain. I was annoyed by all the blockchain stuff going on lately because it's all about profit. It's about making more currencies, more profit now through using the buzz word blockchain than actually change something. Yes, digitalization is making companies lives easier, but it does not necessarily change the world. And what got me hooked was the very first and basic idea behind blockchain and bitcoin - to bring the power back to the consumer. So there wouldn't be inflation (Bitcoin has a finite amount), there would be trust in the system again and people would be aware where our money goes and what happens with it.
And the most recent bummer - libra. Surely Facebook is planning a currency to help people in third world countries gain access to money without the usual costs of exchange rates and fees for the transfer. (I hope everyone can hear me roll my eyes…) I just have enough. We have a saying in Germany: Den Hals nicht voll bekommen (not get your throat full) - to come back for more. Is it not enough to have all our data, now our personal details and our money will be in one place, too?! I thought it was all about giving the individual back the control, not give all the individuals data to one company?!
Yes, I love living in a fancy world with my 100 pairs of shoes I can't wear at the same time and my robot hoover Sir Henry. And yes, I could do with more money I would be lying if I would say that I could live as a minimalist and owning a company who would make a profit wouldn't be nice. But why not with a good cause for once? And I mean not the: this will revolutionize a technology or a process. Why not change something or save something that is actually in trouble.
Our beautiful World.
And I can already hear people yawning and calling me an Öko. But I guess I know what I want to do now. I want to investigate how I can use blockchain, probably in combination with some cool smart IoT or AI stuff to help our world and push that overshoot day back a couple of months. The end.
… for now ^^ because now the actual journey hopefully begins. If it will be a book, or a blog or an association? I have no idea how I will do that. YET!