some words after work, October 27th

I couldn’t stop myself from writing during dinner. Alone, at the dining room table for six, I heard car doors slam outside. Soon, I wouldn’t be by myself. The truth is, I haven’t been for a long time, but adversity makes me dramatic. Every time I read a book, my abilities grow, like powerups. To compare life to a game might be the only way to win, after all. I’m not the only one struggling or gaming, though.

I clocked another shift today at work. I didn’t give @kryptik the time of day, nor @elliotjgardner about putting in overtime. I couldn’t relate to that imagery. Adding a few more thousands of dollars in debt will certainly change your tune. Today I confirmed missing a bill would terminate my streaming service. Owing money and losing these subscriptions might’ve hurt a younger me- but somehow, I feel well. The picture isn’t so doom and gloom, though you might need my eyes to see it. I still have my wits about me, so if three thousand hours of a video game left me anything, the game ain’t over til the clock runs out. One signature move could take the pace and turn the tides in my favor.

The signature move I don’t have a name for yet, involves rethinking my thinking. Let’s call it metacognition. The way I thought a day job was for dorks and I could ‘web3’ my way into the sunset reflects one perspective. A good photographer knows that it takes more to get the bigger picture. In a process I believe is called temporal discounting, I overvalue these fantastic end results like financial freedom. I fail to recognize the great value of behaviors in the present like budgeting. Here’s a concrete example.

To buy clothes and a burger for dinner, I could spend 80 bucks. I have 80 bucks right now! in crypto… Namely, I’m holding a stake of tokens redeemable for another token in the future. I’d get about 450 of the future tokens, with my current wallet size. Not sure if it’s irrelevant, but (at the time of writing) that makes each token 17 cents today. [They’re worth less now.] Now having a batch of tokens that could be .17 USD or greater at some point or ~80 USD for food and fashion right now. Which is better? The temporal discounting suggests I’ll take the good times now rather than alter. The time later might even be better! If that take token hits a dollar, for example, I’ll have way more than just 80 dollars. Which do I want? Ignorance and I say money now, because the concept of a payout later is abstract and less gratifying.

The biggest losses I realized in my life revolve around this cognitive error. Compound my wild imagination, poor eyesight and aspirational attitude and you have a boy like me. Reading really checks my behavior when I retain it. Waiting for things doesn’t guarantee profitability, though. Now’s the time for me to capture crypto’s transmuting power. The catch is to limit the value I place on present pleasures when compared to future pleasures. In some cases, the patience to wait compounds the reward- I ate, I drank a milkshake. I’m satisfied for now. Should I go play games with my girl or plan my novel next month? Can’t have it now and later…