Category Archives: What I’m Learning

I tend to be a perfectionist

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I tend to be a perfectionist. I tend to edit everything I do. A lot. Because I want everything to be perfect. I tend to edit what I’m going to say and how I’m going to say it. I’m always editing myself. I’m doing it as I write this. I re-wrote this paragraph and the sentences in this paragraph a few times already.

And it slows me down. And I would justify it by saying, “Quality is important to me.” and “I need to be proud of my work.” Perfectionist. Me. OK. I admit it. I have a problem.

When I was younger, I was taught that “perfection” was a good thing. It’s not.

It slows me down. It stops me from sharing my work. Sharing my art, sharing my music, sharing my words.

Worst of all, it makes me self-critical. It makes me judge everything I do and everything I say. And it makes me feel bad. I’m my worst critic. By far. I’m harder on myself than anyone I know.

So my mantra for today is “good enough.” It’s going to be my mantra moving forward. Because my “good enough” is usually pretty damn good by anyone else’s standards.

Learning The Basics of Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin

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Image by Tumisu via Pixabay

I feel like I’m super late in the game on learning about blockchain, cryptocurrencies & bitcoin etc. Until recently, I only heard about it and never understood how it all works. So I decided to educate myself.

Other than learning from friends, I started by watching a whole bunch of YouTube “Blockchain For Dummies” videos and reading a lot of articles. Some explained it better than others:

  • As an absolute newbie, I really appreciate how it is explained in this 18 minute video: Blockchain Expert Explains the Concept In 5 Levels of Complexity. First the expert explains it to a child, then to a pre-teen, then to a college student. When she gets to a grad student and finally an expert, she gets them to explain it. I love this style of teaching a complex idea.
  • Just watched Banking On Bitcoin, a 90 minute documentary on Netflix. It was a little dry but fascinating to learn about the history of bitcoin: the pioneers, its underground development and it’s challenges in getting mainstream adoption (e.g.  it’s portrayal by the media, it’s reputation for criminal activity, hackers and regulation.) I recommend watching this only after you have a fair understanding of blockchain and cryptocurrencies. You can see the trailer here.
  • Blockchain technology isn’t just about financial currency. Since the technology allows for shared data to be transparent, democratic, decentralized, and secure, there is so much potential for industries such as Supply Chain Management, Forecasting, Medicine, Pharmaceutical, Insurance, Transport, Charity, Voting, Healthcare, Energy Management, Retail, Real Estate.  The possibilities are endless.  19 Industries The Blockchain Will Disrupt
  • As a musician, I’m intrigued by how blockchain could be a game changer for the music industry.  Here’s a a link to a company called Viberate.  Their vision:  “To revolutionize the way musicians are presented and booked as well as to open the world of live music to everyone. We intend to do that by decentralizing the discovery and booking processes with the use of the blockchain technology.

I have to admit that I still have a lot to learn. I can now explain some of the concepts around it – not confidently yet. I still have a lot to get my head around. At least I can now say that I understand the basics.