The Needy Complicated Human
As humans, we spend a greater amount of our lives acquiring and amassing all sort of things, we acquire wealth, educational qualifications, titles even amass friends and enemies along the way.
We start yearning for and amassing these things from when we are as little as a button. Our needs as a species in the animal kingdom go beyond food, water and shelter. As toddlers, we need the love and presence of mum and dad to teach and impact different kinds of lessons important for the absolute development of the best possible psychological and emotional balance we need to thrive and survive as adults and any less of the presence of their presence, will lead you to hear things like 'she has daddy issues' or 'he is a mummy's boy'.
This is not to say that everybody who doesn't grow up with both parents in their lives turns out badly, but these phrases exist because of people acting a certain way frequently enough to be tagged and bracketed, and a good percentage of these people grow up without either or both parents.
I was watching a documentary on a certain serial killer in the US after he had been apprehended, and some journalist was giving him a bit of airtime. He said that some of his early struggles were down to the absence of his dad in his life (committed his first rape at 15). This was a 39-year-old man blaming the root of his crimes on his childhood because he didn't get something he thinks he NEEDED from his father.
Serial killers and social deviants aside, human beings seem to need many different things at every single stage of our lives, and when we don't get them, we act and lash out. We need the right amount of socialization, the most conducive environments to blossom, the right amount of everything, else we turn out as bad rotten eggs and become a menace to the wider society.
We need motivations to workout and lose weight, we need the inspiration to eat and live healthily. We need motivations to be morally upright and be good people and when we do a little good, we need cheers and validations to feel good about ourselves and what we did, we need a reward.
Yes, reward another thing we seem to need every time and it comes in many shapes and sizes, from essentials like water and food to luxuries like validations, titles and accomplishments.
We pride ourselves on our accomplishments, we wear them as badges of honour, we absorb them and make them who we are, let them define us, the essence of our being. A medical Doctor all of a sudden abhors the mention of his name without the Dr prefix, a police lieutenant never stops to remind you of his rank in the force, just like those high ranked military personnel, you just have to remember to address them "properly" if you want to be on their good side.
I reckon man's attachment to titles is his way of announcing his membership to the power strata, similar to the animals in the jungle. The stronger an animal is, the higher it is placed on the food chain, but since human power isn't just measured in brute force alone but in his socio-economic influence, then the higher the importance attached to his title, the higher his importance in the society and the more powerful he becomes.
Put Yourself Out There
A lot of people develop cold feet when they are required to do something new for the first time, doubts tend to creep in and they question their talent and capabilities to produce quality. This is absolutely normal for a large percentage of people who try to do something new for the first time in their lives, even the most confident and conceited people also self doubt every now and then.
I was moved to write this article when I stumbled on not one, but two articles on this platform, each doubting their writing capabilities and wondering if people would even bother to read whatever they write. I read these articles and I thought to myself, wow there is a lot of self-doubt going on here.
Like I said earlier, it is okay to doubt yourself every now but it is not okay to always doubt yourself and wallow in this pit of doubt, self-pity and self-sabotage, you have to snap out of it as quickly as it crept in.
Now if you are reading this and you feel like one of the people that made me write this article, I have a thing or two to share with you, maybe you'd see things differently afterwards.
***The internet offers you anonymity, take advantage of it***: While growing up as a teenage boy, I used to have this dread of talking to girls and asking them out not because they are gonna bite me or anything, but because of the fear of rejection and the embarrassment that would cause me because hey, everybody is gonna know that you were rejected by a certain girl and they are gonna talk about it non-stop. I am sure you understand how that feels and I am guessing this same dread is what people feel when they are doubting their abilities to do certain things.
Now imagine being able to put your thoughts and ideas out there, write about that thing you have been thinking about, no matter how boring or weird it might be without any physical, face-to-face backlash, wouldn't you go for it? You would right? Then what are you waiting for? The internet offers you one of a kind opportunity to spread your uniqueness far and wide without anybody really knowing you personally, grab it and take full advantage of it.
***Your point of view is yours and is unique***: Sometimes you might look at the top-rated articles on this platform and the many tips they have generated and you think to yourself; how am I ever gonna come up with something this good and you think because that article got some attention and some good engagement then it must have been really good. No, it didn't get that much traction because it was written exceptionally, but because the writer wrote his view and certain people related well to that view. Some of the highest-earning articles on this platform are on topics that are so abstract to me that I cant relate but there are people who can and those people are commenting, liking and tipping those articles.
As of the time of writing this article, there are 55,545 registered users on this platform and no matter how odd and boring your article is, at least two people out of this pool would be able to relate to your view and the content you produce, just write your own thoughts and views.
***Welcome to the pool of budding writers***: This platform and others such as it, offer everybody the same opportunity to write about absolutely everything and anything. I have read some personal stories here, I have even written some myself and every single time I peruse the articles here, what I look out for is what point the writer is trying to make and how they go about it and by this doing this, I am learning and making tweaks to my own way of writing.
I am not usually focused or concerned about grammatical errors because I assume every single person posting articles on this platform is still honing the craft of writing thus a few grammatical errors here and there is to be expected. And you know what else I am sure of? I am sure that not everybody writing in English are from English speaking countries or have English as their first language but they made the effort to put their thoughts down in English and put it out there. So when you are thinking of how your articles might come off because your grammar is not all that good, know that not everybody here is a native English speaker, so write your articles, make your mistakes, learn and grow.
The internet belongs to everybody and these crypto-based platforms have given us a chance to stake our claim and become part of a growing number of freelancer writers and entrepreneurs and the only thing that is capable of stopping you is you, put yourself out there.
***Note: You can download Grammarly on your browser (phone & laptop) which would aid you on your writing journey.***
Living 4 Tomorrow
No matter the volume of health-related content deposited online on the internet daily and how these contents are broken down to cater to everybody, people are still gonna be obese and people are still gonna die from lifestyle-related diseases, that is just a sad reality. You could be fit as a fiddle and have a lot of people around you who do not share the same zeal nor have the will power to make the lifestyle changes their health needs, which goes to prove that living a healthy lifestyle is a personal decision.
One time I tried to discourage an already overweight friend of mine from drinking fizzy drinks, and she was quick to remind me that it is her body and not mine and she could eat and drink whatever she wanted. What she said to me was in fact true, I mean she is an adult after all and can do whatever she likes with her body. But they say it is all fun and game until someone gets hurt and end up getting bedridden for an ailment that is totally avoidable and then the friends and family now have to partake in the burden of taking care of them and catering to them.
A lot of young people do not take their health seriously because they think they would be forever young, they believe in living in the moment (YOLO) but they fail to understand that we get older and our body gets weaker each day dawns. What happens when your life philosophy changes from YOLO to something more conservative when your body had already started suffering from the YOLO lifestyle you had lived? LOL
You think you are always going to be as strong as you are in your youth, your sight is always gonna be as sharp, your metabolism is always gonna be as sharp they are in their youth, their sight is always gonna be as sharp, their metabolism is always gonna be as sharp. One of the curious things about the bodies of living organisms is, they start ageing immediately they are born and this is the same with us, humans.
We aren't wrong when we see growth like that - growth- but we are wrong when we think it is just that. I am sure we were all thought about the law of diminishing returns in elementary economics. As we grow, we ultimately peak somewhere and then start heading south from there. Everything sort of grows till the cells in our body can no longer renew and regenerate, so they stop growing and start deteriorating.
I know we are all going to die someday whether we live fit and healthy or we live recklessly, there is no running away from it as this is the fate of every mortal but nobody says you have to be very old and weak at 60. Wouldnt you rather be healthy late in life and take yourself wherever you wanna go instead of waiting on people to take pity on you and take care of you? There are things you can do to reduce the speed at which your body deteriorates, you wouldn't want to be a burden to yourself and your loved ones at just 60 - 70.
I knew a YOLO gentleman once, we called him WHY-WORRY?. His name is both a question and an affirmation. A question demanding why worry, why not just enjoy life? An affirmation of the positive side of life, living free like a bird, not letting the problems of the world stop you. The problem is, WHY-WORRY demonstrated his love for life by drinking and smoking. He was a heavy drinker and an even heavier smoker, although he always kept it neat and civil, never seen drunk or with a stick between his fingers out in the open. He was presumed to be living his best life, and I have no doubt he might have been until he became sick.
Sadly Why-Worry was diagnosed with kidney failure and had to go through dialysis for months while sourcing for funds for a transplant. Unfortunately for him and his family dialysis is such an expensive procedure to keep up with for long and when family resources ran out, they started sourcing for funds from friends and well-wishers.
Soon enough, they caught a lucky break, got some funds and a matching donor too, and a couple of weeks later he was flown to India to have his transplant.
The transplant was successful and Why-Worry came back from India after two months in India. He was recuperating just fine and was living according to the doctor's instructions now, he has a new lease on life and he wasn't gonna mess it up.
Everything was looking good for him and we had even forgotten he had a life-threatening ailment once but all that changed when we woke up one morning and heard that he had died. Barely 8 months after he had come back from India, he was said to have had a little complication and since there was no money to go back to India to check what the problem was, he made do with the doctors back home and it wasn't long, he passed.
Mr Why-Worry lived a life of YOLO in his youth, but when he wanted to make changes to his lifestyle, there was no time. His lifestyle came back to haunt him, his finances, his family and his loved ones. In the end, his burden was shared amongst everyone that cared about him. There is a lesson to be learnt here.
Hello @zellypearl, please I would love for you to teach me how to make withdrawal from leofinance.io
I would really appreciate it, please respond under this article so I could tell you how you could help me. Thanks
How e de be?
With all the kyn fyn fyn monikers wey you go see for this platform, e go hard to know who be your brother and who be passerby. Even my own moniker sef de confuse me sef sometimes. Abeg no mind the moniker, I be naija guy wey de inside naija de roast like this. I been wake up one early morning, stumble ontop this site, na so I just reason say, which name I fit use run this level now, as i de shake head, na so morningstar enter my head, I say ok na, why not if not...
I don write all kinds of things for this platform take raise cash, some of them na real life experience, some I still garnish with small maggi and salt make e for sweet but this one now, na the second time wey I go write in Pidgin.
I de enjoy Pidgin die, sometimes sef, when I blow grammar for real life, I go come de feel bad say mehn, we get this kyn unique language, why we go de even speak English sef, why we no go just make this language our official language?
E no get anybody for naija wey no de enjoy Pidgin, I mean e go allow you feel free, talk wetin de ur mind,no be say you go de talk, de match break small small make you no go make mistake...LOL
Anyway sha, no be Pidgin matter I wan talk about, but everything still follow. I no really get anything in particular to talk about but I just wan test this jonsing bot wey de give person cheese for this platform, for sometime now, anything wey I write, e no go reason my matter and you know say deep down na money matter carry person come here, make I no lie.
I come observe say e get some articles wey dem use some kyn languages write wey de move market, like Philipino and Indo people wey de here, dem de write for their language e de sell, de jonsing bot de show them love, and I remember say de first piece wey I use Pidgin write, e been show me small love, I come say ok, e be like say na to change modus operandi, see how e go be. Shey you feel am?
I don even de reason to create a community for ourselves, for we wey de speak this language, if de community get enough number, de strong, de bot go still de visit articles wey dem drop under.
I don de reason dis matter for long but something just de hold me back, because Naija, sometime our matter too de strong, our competitive spirit strong die, so I de fear somehow about wetin to expect but las las, I go run am.
Mehn! Man get responsibilities full house and this small small thing wey we de see for here follow de help situation but no be my end goal be this, yes I de try small small for writing matter but writing de exhaust me die, each time wey I manage drop one article, body de do me like say I run marathon. Then come imagine wey I feel like this finish, this bot no go come gree give me money, no be die be that?
Me I wan increase my earnings for here, so I go fit raise enough cash take enter Crypto trading, that one na en be my end goal but the revenue no just de consistent at all.
I de read about one guy reviews about him earnings for February from all the Crypto blogging sites wey him de active on. This bros break down how him take earn around $2k7 CAD in just de month of February, no be play play money be that na. Although I know some of those sites wey him de earn from and I de write there too but I still de come up for the matter but this bros na veteran already.
Money wey I don make for leofinance.io, na how to take send the mumu token go where I go dissolve am into better coin na en come be wahala. That site sef too get wahala...power up, power down, delegate, curate etc. Them just de complicated I swear. I don ask two of our brothers wey de active for the platform make them show me how I go take collect my cheese, bros them just de.
My own na make I fyn wey take increase my earnings online na en de do me now, cos work no de offline. Offline hustle sef de cause depression, and e de involve too much waka waka and nyash kissing...I be bouncer and gym instructor, but work no de at the moment. Since wey Oga close down him club, bouncing jobs now na on contract...
Mehn!! I gats make am oO cos I don work both hard and smart but luck never shine just yet. Abeg make una like and sub make we move this ministry go front.
Its Not Always Rosy
Nothing inspires that awwnnn expression more than the sight of a very beautiful, innocent-looking baby, yeah beautiful babies can do no wrong. This is why it is always difficult when you try to imagine that these cute little cuddly, wonderful looking babies grow up to be the obnoxious and infuriating adults all around us - yes, you and I included. LOL
The truth is when we think about making babies, at least for the less experienced first-time parents, what usually dominates our thoughts are the images of those beautiful cuddly babies, the thoughts of hearing them say their first words, watching them crawl and walk for the first time and all those really beautiful things.
https://pixabay.com/photos/baby-child-toddler-girl-childhood-933097/
Being a parent offers a unique perspective on some of the tough decisions our own parents had to make, some of the times they had come off as bad parents because they couldn't meet certain standards with us, some of the challenges they faced trying to put us first because that's the only option that parenthood had afforded them.
Parenthood indeed is one of the most tasking jobs anyone could ever imagine, but no one gives you medals for being a top parent because no one asked you to be a parent, you made a conscious (sometimes unconscious) decision and you are merely being good for it. There are some fine intricacies involved in childbearing and rearing that are not thought about before delving in and truth is, we are never truly 100% ready for all things bearing and rearing in children, we kind of grow along with our kids and learn some of these things as time goes by, yes because there are no manuals and blueprints to follow.
Nobody tells you what postpartum depression feels like until you start experiencing it first hand, and sometimes you are stuck between catering to your own emotions and that of the baby. You try your utmost best to make sure non of whatever is going on with you rubs off or affects the child in any way. Hahaha...talk about being in pain and demanded not to cry. Sometimes when my baby girl is crying out for too much attention and being so unbearable, I am tempted to scream at her and say - hey, I am someone else's child too, I need love and care too, I need some pampering myself, leave me alone. LOL. How relieving it'd feel to be able to say that sometimes and get a good response.
Being a first-time parent, one of the things that keeps me emotionally restless is the constant need to know my baby's whereabouts, her safety, the state of her emotional wellbeing. I don't know about my partner but I would say I am built differently. I am always engrossed with thoughts of her safely anytime she is with me - how clean is the floor, I hope she doesn't pee on the tile and slip, why is she be crying now so deep into the night, oh, her temperature is unstable, please don't be sick. I worry too much and it is so exhausting sometimes.
I remember one time she got sick late in the night and I called up my mum and tried to tell her my baby was sick. The panic and agitation in my voice made her laugh, and she even made fun of me afterwards. She explained to me that there was more of those kinds of feelings to come, that child growth and illness go hand in hand, they don't grow without being sick, she said to me, so you better brace up and be strong. Phew!!
When I was much younger and very naive, I always said I was gonna have a very big family, you know a wife and at least 6 children, but I usually had 8 children in mind (Hahaha). I made this ignorant declaration because of the way I usually felt whenever we had a family gathering. We are 8 siblings in total and it was such a congregation whenever we come together and I liked how that felt.
Now, looking back and thinking to myself, having experienced what it means to be totally responsible for another human being and I am talking about decisions from what they would eat, to what they would wear to cleaning their poop, bathing them and putting them to sleep and all the mental, physical and emotional challenges that come with childbearing/rearing, I wonder how my parents did it. I have just had one and I am already swearing by everything I know that one kid is enough, I mean I need to enjoy my life, I cant spend the rest of my life taking care of and worrying about other human beings. LOL
My 17month old daughter wants to boss everyone around and blackmail you with emotions when it doesn't go her way. When I am talking on the phone, she comes and snatches away the phone and go on yapping noisy nothings to whoever is on the other side, good luck trying to take your phone back. She wants to stick her little fingers into your food and you need to allow her, else she would scream the whole house down and she knows how to land a good smack on the face too. Well, I have told her to grow up and get ready for some spanking, because I am not having that at all. LOL
As a parent, it feels good watching your kids grow in health, blossom and become good members of society but it takes pains, lots of hard work, emotional intelligence, a lot of sacrifices and compromises to bring to fruition.
Are you an accumulator, an Investor, a trader or a bystander?
For every crypto enthusiast, there is always a history, a story of how their entrance into the world of cryptocurrency came about, and everybody's story usually points to the kind of interest the person holds.
***What is your pleasure? Do you want to buy and sell for the short term or buy and hold for long term?***
For instance, those who bought their first crypto assets through an investor's recommendation usually end up becoming just investors (longer-termers), and the same is true for those who got their recommendation from crypto traders (short-termers). But whichever route anyone took to get in, two things are given and those are ***owning*** and ultimately ***making money*** off of crypto.
The first time I ever bought a fraction of BTC was in December of 2016, I bought 0.067BTC at the price of $52, which is currently valued at $3,449 from an exchanger. I actually bought my first fraction of BTC so I could invest in a Ponzi scheme that was operating on an international level at the time, with BTC as currency. (Some people had already begun thinking about the future).
Before I purchased my first fraction of bitcoin, I had been hearing about it, the way I had been hearing about Forex but I never paid attention and so I didn't really care. But in 2017, I had a bit of an education in all things cryptocurrency through airdrop bounty. I learnt about all kinds of crypto projects, read all kinds of whitepapers and accumulated all kinds of shitcoins, some of which amounted to a ton of money and some which are still worthless.
Around late 2017 and early 2018, I graduated from airdrop bounty, sold all my airdrop coins which had value and bought BTC and ETH and moved a bit more into holding and trading. My path soon took me through altcoin trading, when I learnt it had more potential of making you rich within a shorter period of time compared to the major coins. My brief crypto itinerary saw me move from investment to accumulation then finally into trading.
My journey might have encompassed all these many routes into the world of cryptocurrency, but I am sure everybody's routes couldn't have been the same and everybody's reason for being a part of the movement wouldn't be the same either.
At every point in time, there are always three kinds of people active in the crypto world who have one asset or the other to their name, these people have their preference according to either how they see the market or how they have been made to see the market. They are...
***1) The Investor***: Nobody knows which coin might be the next BTC and ETH, so you gotta catch them young and catch them cheap. This is usually the mindset of every investor and he usually accumulates solid projects, projects he had done a bit of research on. The rise of Bitcoin and some other major crypto assets has opened the eyes of so many people and potential investors to the prospects and profits which crypto holds - imagine my $200 transaction in 2016 as recorded by blockchain is valued up to almost $15,000 currently. Investors usually think long term, they usually think in years than in months and through years of holding, they sort of develop some kind of emotional attachment to such projects. Recently, a bulk amount of BTC (about 50BTC) was moved from a wallet for the first time since 2010, which means the owner has been sitting on his stash, knowing what he has and waiting for the right time to liquidate some of his holdings. A true investor.
***2) Accumulator***: An accumulator is a part investor and part trader, he finds himself in-between because he is a lot more flexible than an Investor and a trader because he usually thinks short/midterm and never long term like the Investor and he doesn't have a preference for any particular project. A typical accumulator looks out for very cheap coins, some of which he buys doing ICO, holds for a while and sell for any good spike, especially during exchange listings. Those who are in this category are more of risk-takers because they are willing to add any coin to their portfolio even when a good resale value isn't guaranteed and they are also willing to cut a coin loose when they have seen a reasonable profit no matter what promise or potential such project holds long term. They are never emotionally attached to any projects, they buy cheap, in large quantities hold for a few months then sell, rinse and repeat. An accumulator could spread $20k across TRX, ADA, POE, MANNA, CND, XRP and all those coins below $1 and wait for spikes to sell. They are more like domain flippers.
***3) Trader***: Crypto traders are very different from those in the other categories because of the way they approach accumulating and disposing of coins for a profit. Traders usually always buy well-established coins like BTC, ETH, BCH, BNB etc because their movements are less volatile and a lot more organic than very cheap and yet to be listed coins. Traders also usually buy the same type of coins every time and just ride out the natural wave of the good old demand and supply. People in this category are happy to sell their big bags on a small spike and fall back again to buy the dip and wait for another spike because they care more about turnovers than big chunk of profit from one sale. In other words, they buy the bottom and sell the top, rinse and repeat.
Traders have no particular love for any projects, they just want to trade something solid, stable and predictable, any project you could predict it's movements to a reasonable extent using fundamental and technical analysis. A trader usually just concentrates on one or two major coins, he doesn't usually spread himself thin.
*Shout out to the bystanders, the skeptics and the headshakers, the analysts and the naysayers who have no asset to their names, your reward is in heaven.*
The Great Depression
When things are extremely dire and have been for some time, it is hard to keep a positive outlook because positivity takes energy, the energy that you no longer have, energy that has been completely battered out of you. When it is dusk, you find it had to sleep, sometimes you just cry yourself to sleep and when you wake in the night to go pee, you are filled with this dread, the dread of dawn, the dread of a new day, a new day of continued misery.
Where is the magic going to come from, what else can I do, you ask yourself, what haven't I done? Is it all in my head? But how can it be? It is so glaring that it isn't all in my head, my neighbour talks to me and looks at me in a certain way, a pitiful way, disrespectfully. I can tell because he doesn't look at and talk to our other neighbours that way. Might it be because of my demeanour, my composure or lack of it? Might it be my countenance? But I am trying the best I could to stand on my own two feet, but I seem to have the burden of the entire world on me. Yeah, you might think its all in my head but I actually have some real-life situation going on, so there is no way in hell it is all in my head. I refuse to believe that.
In the past, I have tried very many things to make ends meet, put food on the table for my family but it all seems to go to shits sooner than later. Can one person be so unfortunate? I am bright as hell, I am my peers guidance and counsellor but what the hell has that done for me? I need a break, I need a win, a smile for a change. I have the means to succeed through illegalities but my conscience is such a wedge. I love putting smiles on people faces, I love seeing people happy so I cant take away their smile for my own glory. I have to find another way, an upright way.
A lot of people are going through some really sad and emotional challenges and it is difficult to see and do nothing. You see a lot of really depressing pieces like this one on read.cash, a lot of people trying to reach out, trying to stay afloat emotionally and psychologically, a lot of people watching their loves ones suffer and die and cant do nothing about it, because they dont have the means. It is not only a burden to the less privileged, it in fact becomes an emotional burden to those reading, because what are they supposed to do with all that sad information? Well, nothing, but what happens when those writing can no longer keep those emotions within? Writing about their shitty life is not just for a pity party, but for a way to decompress and release and not implode.
These things happen, they have been happening since man knew life, they are happening now and they are gonna happen tomorrow. Some have and some don't have, some used to have but no longer have, some didn't have before but they do now and, some didn't have before and also do not have now, some had before and also have now.
I guess that's just how life is designed by whoever designed it, but what is different now? Why is it so much in our faces now, why do we see sad depressed people everywhere we go? Because technology has helped create a new kind of community, a global community. At the stroke of a key on our phones and laptops, we can send signals of emotions to friendly strangers and anonymous friends a world away, we can send smiles across without our face being seen, we can send cheers across without our hands being seen, we can send our voice in support without being heard or even opening our mouths. It is a global community now, one where actions are carried out differently but in the same human way.
I don't know if it has anything to do with the pandemic but there seems to be a rise in the level of depression-related cases all over the world, read.cash sort of proves this point with the amount of SOS articles in the Depression Community. The great depression?
This article is dedicated to everyone passing through the rough side of life, please do not give up, keep doing your best and one day you would have the opportunity to tell your story with a smile on your way.
*Written in a flow state in 48mins*
Crypto 101 - 7 things you should know as a noob.
It has been a remarkable bull season and everything is beautiful, portfolios are looking greener by the day, new crypto experts are springing up, there is a lot of shilling and propaganda going on, thus bringing forth new whales, large amounts of BTC and BCH stash are being moved daily and the disciples of the New World Order (Crypto) are happy and reassured. For anyone who has been around the block for some time, there is nothing out of the ordinary here, it is just another season in the Crypto Industry with familiar twists and turns.
Another thing that is very familiar is, every bull seasons tends to bring with it a new set of noobs(enthusiasts) and weak hands who got on the train just because it is the trending thing to do and dump their portfolio, mostly at loss at the first sight of blood (OMG! its crashing!!), alas, this season's bull run hasn't been any different.
*Below are a few things to note if you had just newly got onto the train or you've been on the train but still needs a little bit of reassuring.*
**1)** ***It doesn't always go up***
You probably must have been introduced to crypto during the bull season and you bought a few dollar worths of one of the most shilled tokens/coins and just like magic, you watch your portfolio grow in zeros without having done a single thing, now you are mad with excitement and you think that's how it always is. Hahaha, please don't make me laugh. You need to familiarize yourself with terms like price correction, consolidation and volatility because if BTC and other coins just take the upward trajectory without looking back, then the emergence of cryptocurrency wouldn't have been seen as the common person's best chance of levelling up. So, brace yourself, the ***bear*** is always around the corner.
**2)** ***It doesn't always go down***
No, Bitcoin isn't crashing, a little red (maybe a big red) in your portfolio doesn't mean all hell is breaking loose and everything is finally crashing, it shouldn't signal SALE, it shouldn't signal SCAMPER and it shouldn't signal PANIC either, you know why? Cryptocurrency is here to stay and it ain't going anywhere. I might be generalizing about Crypto when talking about price movement but surely, I am not talking about every single coin/token/project out there, because some coins are utterly worthless and might have been pumped out of their minds by the time you FOMO'ed in, thus the only way from there might be down and sometimes some of these coins just don't recover and may never get back to the price you bought them at. TRX burnt me in 2018, so always DYOR and get a bit of an education on projects you wish to buy into.
***3) You are only at a loss when you sell***
This is possibly the most assuring thing about holding BTC or any other crypto asset, which is one of the reasons why the word HODL is so popular in this industry. When the bears come as they always do and you look at your portfolio with bloodshot eyes thinking about how shitty your life is ATM, thinking what NEXT now? Well, no action is needed here for those who know the game, but for those who don't, they cut their "losses", tuck their tails between their legs and scamper for safety, leaving a trail of loss and tears. You gotta get this into your conscious and subconscious mind - ***you can only incur a loss when you click that sell button.*** If you haven't sold, if you still got your assets intact, no matter how shrunken your portfolio is, there is always a chance of an uptrend. What goes up usually comes down and vice versa and the same is true with those coins in your portfolio so breathe easy, drink some water and buy the dip. LOL
***4) Always think in satoshi***
Satoshi is the tiny bits and fractions that make up one Bitcoin and the fraction in your portfolio is always the same, what fluctuates is the price/value of that satoshi in fiat, be it dollar or whatever currency you are pairing up with. So if your 0.0145 BTC is worth $100 now and in a couple of hours sheds a bit to $95, the valuation of your 0.0145 in $ reduced a bit but your 0.0145 is still 0.0145 and will still remain so if eventually, it increases to $1000 in fiat valuation. In other words, we are saying that a bar of gold is a bar of gold no matter how much price in pounds or dollars it might be at a given point in time. So don't look at your portfolio and scream, your quantity in BTC is still what it is, the fiat valuation is what never stays at a place.
***5) The money is in the volatility***
Buy low, sell high, sell low, buy back lower. This is probably my favourite side of BTC which translates to more satoshi and ultimately more, more money. Volatility is what traders pray and hope for because the price movement at each angle either puts more money in your pocket or more satoshi in your portfolio. What I am saying is, the money is in the erratic up and down movement of crypto. When the price goes down, it presents an opportunity to buy more satoshi at a dip, when the price goes up, an opportunity to sell for profit presents itself. It is such a sweet cycle, but this is the reality for traders and not long term investors or HODLers, so you have to know where you belong.
***6) FUD will come***
Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) are some of the factors that drive the price of BTC and other crypto assets down, apart from the good old demand and supply. Some times, these FUD are spread deliberately and strategically by whales and big corporation (new entrants) to drive down the price of a certain asset so as to buy it cheaper when weak hands have dumped their load out of fear. Some other times, FUD comes as a result of one country or the other banning the trading and owning of crypto which leads to a massive sell-off (dump) which in turn leads to a drop in the price of BTC and other crypto assets. If you own any crypto-based asset, then you should always be ready to hear and dismiss the naysayers, the prophets of doom, because weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Hahaha
***7) FOMO is real***
Just one tweet from Elon Musk was enough to get many bystanders to jump onto a speeding train which Dogecoin was at some point last month and when you try to jump onto a speeding train, only one thing is guaranteed to happen, and that is total wreckage. Unfortunately, this psychological phenomenon is common among crypto traders and enthusiasts. When a particular coin is mooning at a crazy rate, without any history of such movements in the past(obviously being manipulated), some people usually want a piece of the action, a quick bite at the profit. Thinking the coin would continue on its unrelenting uptrend they quickly jump in, throwing caution to the wind and end up catching a falling knife.
Your Happiness Is Never In Your Hands Alone.
When I woke up this morning, I was sure I was gonna be writing a crypto-related post, I mean I have many lined up in my draft. I was trying to raise my energy and go full flow. First I went on a reading exploration, I visited Leofinance.io first, did a lot of perusing and kinda learned some new things, very important things, in fact, things that would impact my daily earnings positively, hopefully.
I was really getting charged up, my cup of the muse was getting filled up as I perused different articles, then my phone rang, my elder brother had called and wanted to know how everybody was doing and if our other brother tried to get in touch...we talked a little bit about everything, then he said he had to run and we said goodbyes.
This simple phone call and the conversation that ensued was totally healthy but the context kinda threw me back into a dump. Our exchange back and forth was definitely nice but immediately I dropped the call, it dawned on me how much role money plays in the happiness and health of humans. I mean it is easy to tell someone to be content and all that motivational crap but sometimes reality hits you so hard, it makes your head spin, literally.
Lack of money makes people do things, say things that boggle the mind, but it is totally understandable. You might be all tough, stoical and all that in dealing with lack but what about the people around you, those you love, how do they handle lack? Is there really a perfect way to handle lack? I am not talking about paying insurance or paying for college, I am talking about being able to feed and clothe and pay for rent! I guess people relate only to the kind of problems they are facing at the moment. If your problems at the moment are being able to finally own your own house or buy that car you have always wanted I guess it is as big a problem to you as my being able to feed and cloth is to me.
***Phew!! Life humbles you***
You are out there putting up a front about how tough you are and how everything is not so bad, meanwhile, your loved ones are making deals, trying to get a lifeline for all of you. Would you say you are simply out of touch with the reality of how bad things are, trying to be all that hard and stoical or would you say your loved ones arent simply handling it well? Maybe you are all stoical and putting on a hard exterior because you are pretty sure that you are doing the best you could and you don't want it all to affect your composure and emotions and ultimately your attitude towards life.
***But, the reality is the reality I am afraid.***
Religious and superstitious people would tell you that the spiritual rules and controls the physical, you could argue this as an atheist and a science disciple, but can you argue that emotions don't rule man? Emotion is such a powerful force, so powerful it can change the bearing of your physical form.
***Pause, breathe*** ...
I had to make a quick dash to the bathroom because I suddenly felt uneasy as I was writing and I was just talking about how emotions control us. My emotions had been stirred but what's that got to do with my stomach and bowel? Well...
I still have to write that crypto-related article because I think I have Emotional Trading as the topic at the top of my mind, and this post write here might just be the fuel I need to get going. I feel totally deflated.
Each day, ignore the world until you've created something.
During the Covid-19 lockdown of last year, I watched an interview of a Nigerian billionaire businessman and CEO of Coscharis Group Mr Cosmas Maduka who I would say is one of the most disciplined people on earth, that's if he actually lives by the principles he stated on the interview.
The interviewer asked him how he got to where he is as a man and as a business owner and his response sounded simplistic at first. He just said he cut out distraction from his life and focused more on what really matters - his business.
The interviewer asked him to elaborate on that and he said he doesn't watch the news because there are no TVs in his house and neither does he own a smartphone. He says when he is itching to read the news, he buys a newspaper like it is done in the old days and that's it. According to him, there is nothing happening on the TV that would help him or his business in any way, and because of how addictive the Tv can be, you could spend the most productive periods of your days watching or waiting to watch your favourite TV program, wasting your time with news and getting unnecessarily agitated, engaged and stressed by what is being dished out in the media.
*It is quite the irony that I stumbled upon this interview about cutting distractions and not watching TV while I was actually watching TV.*
We live in an era of smart electronics, an era where learning how to stay focused is such a herculean task and mastering it is actually a superpower. You have smart TVs in your homes, Smart Wristwatches on your arms and Smartphones in your pocket and everything from entertainment to news to your bank is at the tip of your finger. You have all these things requesting, begging and coercing your attention every passing minute of the day.
You bring out your phone to text a friend about a certain job opening you came across, and the first thing you see are notifications from IG and Twitter. Apparently, you have gotten a lot of engagements on that HOT picture you posted on IG and your controversial Tweet had garnered a lot of traction on Twitter. You give out a cheeky smile and immediately tap on the IG icon, you get the validation you crave, get your ego massaged then you head over to Twitter to go pour some more fuel on the fire, sweet! Meanwhile, you had forgotten about that job opening you wanted to text your friend about. This is a typical example of how our time and attention are stolen from us daily.
*Imagine what you would achieve if you block out distraction and stay focused on your goals.*
I have come to understand that people who are the best minds in their various fields are usually geeks, who didn't have interests in mainstream entertainment(distraction) or were lucky enough not to have been exposed to it early in their lives, so they never imbibed the lifestyle and were never slaves to distraction. In other words, they are people who had just a few or a singular interest to focus on. Think about it.
***How do I deal with Smart Distractions?***
I was guilty of getting sidetracked and getting lost in time while scrolling through social media apps. My bane was Twitter and it gets worse when you have the app installed on your phone as against using the web. I had multiple niches and accounts I usually followed up on, Football, local news, motivational and money twitter but every now and then, celebrity gossip would pop up on my timeline. I comment on some, follow up on comments, banter and argue with other users, and I just wouldn't stop scrolling. I am convinced that these big social media companies have the world's top psychologists on their payroll because they seem to know how to work the human brain, get you hooked and turn you into a mindless zombie.
It wasn't until I stumbled upon this quote on motivational Twitter "***each day, ignore the world until you've created something***" that I realised the power of everyday distraction and how much of our time and attention are stolen daily. This quote actually inspired a positive change to how I manage my time now.
Since I work fulltime from home(Blogging & Crypto trading), it is tricky and sometimes difficult to feel that work vibe you get at the office. So what I do is, wake up, shower and head to my study/gym room, power my laptop and set up shop for the day. I brainstorm on what to write about, how to connect it to my everyday life and how to make it relatable.
I block out distractions by staying away from them, I don't touch my smartphone, nor watch TV until I am done with work for the day. What I did is, program my day towards a 9-5 system of work and since I don't have any social media account logged on my laptop, nor do I have any form of recreational videos or games on it, I stay totally focused on work until 4 pm. So there is no form of distraction as long as I am sitting at my desk.
Since I started doing this, I have become a lot more productive and the return on my time investment has been brilliant. I write at least 2 articles daily and post across all my crypto-based blogs and I earn at least $10 daily in Crypto assets and every day I am exploring new ways to make that $100 daily. I have learned to be a producer and not just a consumer, and to produce quality, I have to give it all my time and attention.
FOMO
There are panic and excitement in equal measures in the crypto community at the moment. Panic for those who are still noobs in the game who are yet to understand how the market actually works and excitement for the battle-scarred warriors whose heart have been cooked by years of bull and bear tussle and all emotions sieved out of it.
Fear of missing out is a psychological pull that is so powerful, it is unrivalled. People are scared to take risks on opportunities that haven't been validated by the general public when it is safest to get in, and when a bit of news blows around in the media and that opportunity gets some media hype, all of a sudden it looks good to these people and they all wanna jump in. WHY? Did it suddenly become a good investment? Arent you being unreasonable and illogical right now? What happens when the hype dies down?
The popular consensus by doubters after the 2017 Bitcoin dump after hitting $20k was - how long till BTC finally crashes? Fast forward to 2021 after multiple ATH have been reached and shattered, it seems BTC and crypto generally have little to no doubters. Even the old money billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffets who had one or two harsh things to say about BTC one time have suddenly taken a neutral stand.
***So, now that BTC is out of my reach, what else can I do*****?**
BTC might be the poster boy of the cryptocurrency movement but in my honest opinion, it is an investment opportunity that has already peaked, although you are still sure to get some good return of profit if you still invest but why take that road? BTC at $50k is looking a little bit overbought and smelling like one giant trap and this is not me having little faith, this is me being cautious with 2017 in mind. The road to $50k took some mean giant strides and it is expected that there would be a correction because that's how the market works.
Now, what would a 40% correction in price from the current position mean to the portfolios of those who just jumped in because they think there ain't no other place to go but the moon? I am not predicting anything though, this is all hypothetical but think about it again, what would a 40% fall in price from the current price do to your portfolio if you have just gotten on the train?
Of course, you can still get crazy rich by investing in crypto and of course, there are projects that are yet to take off, projects that are still hovering way below their true potentials.
***So what other coins can I buy?***
One of the problems with BTC is since it is the poster boy of crypto, it is prone to manipulations and propaganda by billionaires and corporations (Elon & Tesla) and this doesn't bode well for the small-time trader/investor because the price movement no longer seems organic and you could just lose your whole portfolios just like that.
This reminds me of my 2017 experience trading altcoins where I fell to the hype of pump and dump groups and ultimately lost my portfolio to price manipulation.
Yes, the other coins you could buy? Well, let's see...
1) BCH($490): Ever since the fork of 2017 and the birth of Bitcoin Cash, this project has continually grown organically and I would say, hasn't scratched the surface of its potentials. If you getting in now, rest assured that you are getting at such a good time, the price hasn't peaked, it isn't currently at an all-time high or all-time low. It is currently a very good project with an excellent community and multiple developer teams and investors currently involved in the landscape.
2) BNB($218): This is another coin that seems to be going places and for the virtue of owning its own trading platform, I say this is one of the coins for the future. What I like about coin movements is, slow and steady natural progression but that's not to say that that's what makes a coin a good investment. BNB has a daily trading volume of about $200 Million and with a growing number of users thanks to the Binance Exchange, it is certainly a good coin to look at.
The other coins I would look to buy if I were investing are Litecoin ($177) and Ethereum ($1500) These 4 coins are the ones I would look to HODL for the long term because they are all solid projects and are currently within good price range, especially BCH which I think is undervalued at the moment, but that's a good thing for new investors.
***Disclaimer: Everything written here is just my thought and in no way a business or investment advice or suggestion.***
Lending a helping hand
I wrote in one of my old articles about how the world is just a muddle factory and all we do is solve one problem or the other until we depart earth and like we say in my country - problem no de finish (problems never end). But every effort we make as humans from when we wake up in the morning till when we finally retire in the evening is all in a bid to live a lot better than we did yesterday. All our strife is just for a more comfortable life, good food, better clothes, money in the bank to take care of our needs.
But why do we hold on too tightly onto things of the world, why don't we help as often as we should with things in our possession? I know you can't help everybody but can you beat your chest and say you tried your best? Life is full of twists and turns, sometimes good karma visits us and pays us in kind, some other times it pays us in a different currency. But do we help, hoping to be visited by the good Karma or do we help because seeing that person in that situation brings tears to your eyes?
Why are some people built that way? The empathic I mean. In a world where greed, selfishness and self-centeredness are normal and termed competition, being empathic feels like a curse, a burden. And it gets worse when you don't have the means to help or the means to help as much as you would have loved to. But is there anything like helping enough? Does it matter how little or how big you helped? I think the only thing that matters is the intention. I help because I am a softhearted human who hates to see others suffer. LOL, I can't even kill an animal to eat because I hate to see them suffer.
So, does it mean someone with a good heart and the purest intentions who offers the help of $100 dollar to a friend in need is far better than someone who offers a $5000 loan to a friend but expects interest on his loans till it is fully paid back?
Why do we unconsciously expect something in when we offer a helping hand? Has helping as a virtue been commercialized? Has it become a tool to massage our egos with? What are your truest intentions when you are lending a helping hand? So you can talk about it and say hey, I helped that guy? Are you doing it to be cheered upon? Is it really wrong to want to earn accolades for offering helping hands to people? I wouldn't say it is wrong in my own opinion but I am sure it shows how small a helper actually is, and how big he thinks of himself.
I have been on the receiving end of many humbling gestures from friends and family in my lifetime and when I offer any sort of help in return, I don't feel like I have paid back a debt, I feel like I have done my human duty, the duty of love and community.
I have rendered help to absolute strangers who I even hide from when I coincidentally see them again because I just can't stand them greeting and thanking me all over again, it breaks my heart that they were in that situation to start with. It sucks when you are empathic in this cruel world of ours, you feel tasked to solve everybody's problems. You wish you had more so you could do more. Hmmm...life is better when everybody around you is smiling, life is better when you are helping and giving.
When I used to go to church, I had gone into the chapel to pray once, actually, I came to offload my burden because I was feeling emotional, I was feeling stressed, my business wasn't moving and it was giving me a lot of stress. I had finished and was about to head out when this guy approached me and was saying something about his daughter, in between blurt of crying and stuttering. I couldn't wait to understand what he was trying to say but I was already heartbroken because he was almost kneeling down. DAMN!!
I pleaded with him to stop and follow me...I wanted to go withdraw some money in the bank before I branched over at the church, so we headed to the bank. I did the withdrawal and gave him 1/10 of everything I had in my savings and this guy started saying prayers for me, it was such an emotional scene. He asked for my name, I told him not to worry about it. He was still bemused that a total stranger would give him such a big wad of cash but I wasn't a stranger to those kinds of things at all. I bid him farewell and left him.
What else is there to do in life than to help one another? Sometimes when I am having a quiet moment and I see people suffering, doing menial jobs to put food on their table, I feel sad for the world. Please help as much as you could, that's only what we are here for.
Pardon my rant, this is freestyle writing which I did in about 35mins. I didnt think of writing prior to actually writing this, but I just stumbled upon the Good Karma Army community and decided to drop something to say hello.
How Safe Is Your Crypto?
Its the season of the bulls and everyone is excited, well, everyone except those who have no single Crypto to their names. Nevertheless, it's an exciting season all the same, whether you have any crypto investments or not because its the dawn of a new beginning, the era of decentralization, where the people would have more say in their lives than in the past, where the government's power and authority over the people will be restricted where it shouldn't have been in the first place.
Now if you are reading this, I assume you have some Crypto holding to your name because you are presently reading this from a crypto-based blog, but if you don't have any yet, your intention is to have some right? So let me ask you, do you have total control of your crypto wallet? I mean the ones you have earned or bought, do you have them totally secured? And the ones you intend to buy or accumulate, do you know how to secure them?
When it comes to cryptocurrencies, there is usually more noise about earning, buying, investing and accumulating them than there is in securing them. I mean it is easy to be sidetracked thinking it is all about owning it when half of the effort (for the vigilant) goes into making sure it is safe.
Securing your online assets is a job on its own and if you let your guard down, you lose all your assets.
I know your mind might go straight to hackers when you read about losing your online assets, well that is one way to lose it but that isn't the only way and from experience, it is easier to just misplace the keys to your assets than losing them to hackers.
Yeah, now I am gradually arriving at the point I am trying to drive home with this article. Our crypto tokens are virtual assets, which means they are there but you cannot touch them, you can only see the figures going up and down but you can't actually feel them, you can't hide them away under your bed or in that safe deposit box in your house (or can you?) but what you can feel and touch are the keys and passwords with which you have secured them on the internet by writing them down.
**WRITE DOWN YOUR PASSWORDS & PHRASES IN A JOTTER**
Yes, keys, passwords and recovery phrases, terms you get to deal with every day in the cryptosphere. These phrases and keys are mostly gibberish of random words and numbers which means it is easy to lose your assets if you don't write them down and keep them safe. Why were these passwords designed to be hard to remember? Why do they have to be so much long phrases of nonsense? Why do they have to be 12 random words? Why are we usually asked to write them down? There is one simple answer to all these questions - Security.
A working, efficient and effective security system is supposed to be difficult to bypass, isn't it? Is not supposed to be porous, the passcodes aren't supposed to be guessed right, even in 1 million trials. That simply is the idea behind these long gibberish passwords and phrases. Now, these platforms, websites and apps have done their part by generating these un-guessable phrases, your part is to write them down and secure them, and you should if you are serious about not losing your assets online.
What motivated me to write this article? 5 days ago, I realized I couldn't get back into my leofinance.io account after I had logged off. It was a relatively new account but I had posted 3 articles there and had already accumulated some $. When I tried to log back in, I realised there had been some phrases generated for me at the time of my signup that I didn't save, I was careless and it just dawned on me that I had lost that account forever because there is no recovering of password through email or phone number. This realization immediately took me back to the many crypto tokens I had gotten through airdrops in 2017 but ultimately lost because I could no longer remember my Login details. I had forgotten where I had written the backup phrases to some of those accounts. Yeah, I wrote them down alright, but because I thought some of those coins wouldn't amount to anything (we called them shitcoins) I wasn't careful about keeping those phrases as safe as I should have.
I had gotten 270 dogecoins when it was worth around $0.00023 per token (now $0.054 - 0.08 when Elon Musk hyped it) I also got about 23 WAVES when it was below $1 per token (now $11 per token).
So in these two token alone combined, I have lost around an estimated value of $500. I have lost them and there is no getting them back, but I am sure I am not alone in this as this happens more often than it is talked about.
There are millions in BTC and other coins and tokens locked away safely, lost to their owners because of a situation like mine - CARELESSNESS.
Actually, I didn't lose my DOGECOIN because I couldn't remember my Login, I lost it because I left it on Cryptopia, which is the Exchange I had used to receive the airdrop. Cryptopia was hacked in 2019 and crypto assets worth around $16million was stolen and the exchange didn't survive that hacking, neither did my Dogecoin. This brings me to another point in the measures you should take in securing your coins and tokens.
**DONT HODL IN EXCHANGES**
If your goal is to HODL on to your coins or tokens for a long time, make sure you are not hodling on an exchange because there are factors and variables at play that are way beyond your control and you could just lose your assets. One of the ways you could lose your assets HODLED on exchanges is through de-listing. An exchange for whatever reason might just decide to remove a particular coin from their platform but before they do this, they are likely to inform you through E-mail and give you a 30 days notice to transfer out your coin or risk losing it. What happens when this mail ends up in your spam box and you don't get to see it? One of the main reasons why I was reluctant to send out my Dogecoin was, I didn't really know where to send it to. I mean I had wallets then but I wasn't sure if my wallets could store Doge because I had gotten into a bit of discussion with one of my airdrop buddies then and he told me how he had lost a particular coin because he had sent it to a wallet address that doesn't support such token. So, this brings me to yet another security measure you should always take in securing your coins and tokens.
**KNOW THE WALLETS THAT SUPPORT YOUR TOKENS**
There are universal wallets that support a long list of different tokens and coins and there are dedicated wallets that support a few dedicated tokens and coins too. You just have to know where your assets can be stored safely without being lost. You don't have to know it by heart or try to memorize them, there are lots of wallets and many types of tokens on various networks ERC-20, BEP-20 etc, you just have to always do a quick internet search when you are feeling a bit confused right before sending out your coin.
**USE COLD WALLETS**
Cold wallets are the most secure means of storing your crypto assets as there are no chances of hacking and any form of internet compromise because your coins and tokens are stored in a physical device which only comes on when you wish to send or receive coins. So like we mentioned somewhere at the beginning of this article, it seems you could physically hide your crypto assets after all. Cold wallet or Hardwallets as you could also call them are primarily USB devices that help you generate and store your private keys offline, outside of the internet.
**USE 2FA**
Using 2 Factors Authentication is one of the ways to guarantee you don't lose your assets to phishers and hackers. What it basically does is confirming that whatever action is being carried out on your wallet is initiated by you, just the way OTP does. This works best when you have your 2FA app on a device different from the one you carry out your transactions on. So what would happen in this case is, the code required to complete a transaction on gadget A is generated on gadget B, this guarantees safety and security for your assets. Each generated password becomes useless after a few seconds and you will have to wait for the app to generate a new one. There are ***Google Authenticator*** and ***Authy***, which are the two most used 2 Factor Authenticator apps on the internet.
**DONT CLICK ON EVERY LINK YOU SEE**
There are many ways hackers can get into your device and steal your personal information, one of them is through Phishing and this is done by indirectly making you click on obscure links. Sometimes you could stumble upon links with inviting captions on the internet and you could ignorantly click on them without knowing you are handing over the keys to your castle to hackers. Fact is, many people don't know how they are hacked but I would say this technique comes up 7 times in every 10 hackings. Treat the internet like s*x, don't click anything you see, or you run the risk of losing your assets. http://leofinance.io/
*Did I miss anything?*
Highest Paying Crypto Blogs
In my last article, I said I was gonna make another article where I would give a detailed breakdown of Crypto-based sites where you can earn by writing unique, quality articles. Like I said in that article, a lot of excellent projects with solid teams behind them have embraced the idea of owning blogs and mini-blogs thereby creating an ecosystem of some sort, and their various tokens are used in running these ecosystems, ultimately furthering adaptability.
The beautiful thing about these sites and the idea behind them is, you don't need to write articles about cryptocurrency. Your articles can be about anything as long as it makes sense and as long as you aren't stealing someone else's work. The important thing is, by posting your articles, earning tips on them, reading other people's articles, commenting and tipping them too, you are invariably perpetuating the idea behind these platforms which is information(crypto and non-crypto based) circulation/dissemination using their websites as well the circulation and usage of these tokens. Makes a lot of sense, don't you think?
Before I burn out all I have to say, let me just dive straight into these sites. I will be starting in the order of sites with the highest earning potential (IMHO) downwards. Then there will be some honourable mentions. So here we go...
1) Read.cash: (Coin: BCH) If you know about read.cash then you wouldn't be surprised I placed it at number one. But in case you don't know much about it, then read on, you will find out why it is number one on the list.
Readcash is BCH powered platform and the earning potential is unbelievable. One of the reasons it has such a good earning potential is because of the rural, closely-knit nature of the communities on the platform. It is like a small village, everybody kinda knows everybody. http://read.cash/
There is a user on Readcash who has been carrying out some remarkable projects in rural Nigeria communities with the help of the Readcash community who come through with financial contributions and this user updates them periodically with videos and photos of stages of the projects. That is such a beautiful thing and it goes a long way in spreading the word of Bitcoin Cash and at the same time reaching out to those rural regions who are crying out for basic human amenities.
Here is his page
Your article could also catch the attention of Angel investors like MarcMeMesel and you get the biggest surprise of your life. Like this guy here...
Then there is the bot officially in charge of reading and tipping articles accordingly, @Randomrewarder. Here is how it decides what to tip and what not to tip. It is kinda strict but usually very generous.
So basically you can receive tips in BCH(Bitcoin cash) from any one of the aforementioned sources (other writers/readers, Angel investors and the bot) you could receive tips from all of them if your articles hit home. This tips you receive on Read.cash are withdrawable as soon as the tips is given which is almost immediately. https://read.cash/@Maxdevalue.BCH/work-in-progress-bch-irrigation-project-in-africa-b6bdf57a https://read.cash/@Jessquit/no-i-will-not-stop-telling-people-bch-is-bitcoin-eebc6acb https://read.cash/@TheRandomRewarder/have-i-tipped-you-a12541ca
The tipping and withdrawal processes on Readcash are very simple, there are no technicalities and there are no wait time before your token could be withdrawn.
2) Leofinance.io (Token: Leo)
Don't let the name demotivate you if are a generic writer because contrary to what the name might suggests, you do not need to write on just Leo nor finance before your articles would be acknowledged for tipping, at least from what I have seen so far on the platform.
Leofinance.io is a Leo(token) powered blogging platform where you can write and earn Leo Token which is withdrawable after 7 days. This is largely because 7 days is the time span allowed for every article to reach it’s gross potential in terms of earnings, then whatever it had accumulated after that 7 day period, you can then withdraw.
Here, the tipping pattern is a little bit technical if you are looking to understand it but looks easy on the eyes if you don't care. This is because; articles receive tips according to the voting power of readers/tippers. Some upvotes you see on articles are just merely LIKE while others carry the weight of actual token, it just depends on the tipping power (Leo Power available to the curator/tipper). http://leofinance.io/
Just like Readcash, there are more than one way your articles could be tipped – By the platform, and by readers/curators.
The earning potential on Leofinance.io would have rivalled that of Readcash if not for people like Marcdemesel but I would say it comes a close second, all things considered.
The bit that could be considered a downside on Leofinance in terms of funds withdrawal is the 7 day wait period. It makes sense though if you look at it from the point that it is merely a period of time articles are allowed to gross out before you could withdraw the funds they have accrued.
An upside here in comparison to Readcash is, Leofinance doesn’t place premium on exclusive/unique contents. Which means you could also post YOUR content from other platforms.
3) Hive.blog: (Token: HIVE)
Hive.blog is another platform where you could earn significant amount of the HIVE token by producing quality articles. I am not gonna be writing much about this particular platform yet because I am not clear yet as to how it functions, in terms of tipping and withdrawals, but it looks a lot like Leofinance.io. So far, my earnings are quite good but there is a lot of things that still confuses me about HIVE. Maybe when I have explored it enough, then I would edit this article and add whatever I had gathered, but given what I see on the trending page, the articles there are grossing really good, lots of articles earning top dollars.
*These are the 3 top platforms I am currently blogging on with massive earning potential for writers. If you are consistent, you could make up to $200 a week minimum posting on these three platforms.*
There are some honourable mentions too like I mentioned at the beginning of this article.
Noise.cash (Token: BCH)
A mini blog carved out of Read.cash with a tipping system similar to that of Publish0x. Here the platform gives you BCH fractions and you are required to tip other users varying amount and keep some for yourself. Noisecash is a lot like Twitter where the accounts with the biggest followers get the most tractions and most tips from their followers. The tips would go straight to whatever BCH wallet address you provide. Depending on how big your followership is and how active you are, you could make anywhere from $0.50 to $4 or more...
4) Publish0x( ETH, AMPL & FARM)
This is a popular crypto-blogging platform but doesnt quite pay as much as other blogs in the same popularity circle. The highest grossing article I have seen on Publish0x is about $30 in tips and that would have taken a lot of time to accrue. Users are given fractions of ETH/FARM/AMPL to tip articles in a pattern I talked about above. You can only tip a user once in 24hrs, but cross tipping happens once every 7 minutes.
It is a bit tiring using this platform if your aim is to earn because it would take a very long time to earn anything significant. But if your aim is to have a presence everywhere in the cryptosphere, then publishing here is OK.
There are:
*Uptrennd.com*
*Substack.com*
*Blurt.world*
*scorum.com*
How To Earn Crypto Without Buying
Are you seeing what is happening? What has been happening since the turn of the new year? It seems everybody and his cat is talking about Bitcoin. There is some sort of sudden information eruption of the cryptocurrency and it has flooded everybody's consciousness.
It appears that 2021 is the year of Crypto because, since the turn of the year, nothing has dominated global news more than Crypto related news. This is such a mean feat, given we are still in a pandemic and the Covid-19 vaccine is finally out, but somehow BTC still trump's these news in the media.
Bitcoin ushered us into the new year with a new all-time high, couple of weeks later some countries were looking to adopt Bitcoin fully as legal tender, while some other countries who feel threatened by its rise decided to place bans and restrictions on it (India and Nigeria). A couple of weeks again later, we are talking about a new all-time high, we are talking about Bitcoin at $50k!! Who would have thought? That's Bitcoin doubling it's 2017 surge to all-time high in a matter of a month or so. This is beautiful.
I always catch a sad story or two on Twitter, people wishing they had gotten at least some fraction of BTC when it was below $20k, others whining and reminiscing about how they sold off too early before the breakout. Hahahaha...Crypto has surely gotten people's attention now, full-time.
Do you have a crypto portfolio? Of course you should, you wouldn't be reading this if you aren't already accumulating some for yourself being here, on this platform. Now, how much have you been able to accumulate and how many avenues have you explored and exhausted?
Many crypto traders take trading as a full-time job and rightly because it is such a complex endeavour and needs all the time you can give it, but who is to say you cant be a full-time crypto pacman too? I mean accumulating these tokens without having to actually buy them?
This article is inspired by @scottcbusiness He wrote an article about the potential of Cryptoblogging.
I am going to be talking about 4 different ways you could accumulate some token, some of which you may already be doing but I am going to talk about them all the same. https://read.cash/@scottcbusiness/the-earning-potential-of-crypto-social-media-09aed6ac
**1.Writing & Chatting**
When Crypto hadn't gone mainstream, reddit and discord were the go-to platforms for everything crypto. Filling out forms for airdrop back then most times required you have an account with either or both of them plus twitter because those platforms are where a lot of crypto awareness is generated and disseminated.
2020-2021 crypto boomed and everything changed, almost every good project quality team behind it now has it's own platform(Hive, Steem, Leo, LBRY) The landscape has changed, from regulated mainstream social media to Crypto-based platforms. For every discord, there is Leofinance, for every reddit, there is read.cash and for every twitter, there is noise.cash.
Decentralized Crypto based social media is the new norm and to keep everybody interested, there is a reward for participating. Every crypto based blogging platform wants to be the most talked about and grow their community as much as possible, every one of them out there is hoping to be the new reddit, the new discord, the go-to decentralized platform for everything cryptocurrency(or at least it's own coin) and you can get a piece of the action by providing quality content for any one of these platforms.
In my next article, I am going to be doing a proper break down of platforms where you can write and earn, how to navigate them and their policies on Plagiarism. http://read.cash/ http://noise.cash/
**2. Podcasting & Video Channels**
Yes, these platforms are so vast, so many that you can also accumulate as much if not more than writers by watching videos and uploading unique quality videos as well. Easy huh? There is a guy on Odyssey who uploads videos of guinea pigs in his farm and he earns LBRY tokens by doing so.
If you have a podcast or a youtube channel, you could also synch it to Odyssey and earn as people watch.
**3. Referrals**
Now this is the true definition of passive income because your earnings aren't as a result of your direct input. You earn a certain percentage when the people you have invited are rewarded for their content. Read.cash has such referral system and you could actually build reasonable income through it. Some people make more BCH on Read.cash through referrals than they do writing.
**4. Airdrop**
Airdrops is one of the ways you could accumulate tokens without spending money. Most times receiving airdrops from a particular project requires you to do some adverts and publicity for them and they pay you with some of their tokens. Some projects would only need you to download their apps, add their smart contract and then send a very small amount of ETH to a particular wallet and then they reward you with their token.
In 2017 I got some very tasty coins through airdrop. Waves, BCH(after the fork) Hydro and Dogecoin.
Right now as at the time of writing this article, there are some projects doing their airdrop tasks which would be circulated soon.
Whether writing, podcasting or you are into photography, there is platform for you and you can accumulate as many different tokens as your talent and drive can carry . http://read.cash/
A Nation Hunted
I have always been critical of Nigeria especially how it is run because I believe that as culturally diverse as it is, Nigeria will never maximize her true potential if she is continually run as she is currently run.
Since Nigeria gained independence from the British colonial rulers in 1960, it has been engulfed in conflicts stemming from power tussle, religious intolerance and cultural differences. There has always been tension amongst the three major ethnic groups in the country - the Hausa-Fulani, the Yorubas and the Igbos - which usually boils down to who gets to control the resources from the centre (Oil)
Each region seems to have a certain level of mistrust for the next, there always seems to be a perceived ulterior motive and whatever truth a region says is taken with a pinch of salt from the other regions. These conflicts seem to have started on a less hostile manner in a way of politicking and electioneering for political office right around the period the British were preparing to hand over the reins of power to Nigerians.
The Igbos, incensed at how things were proceeding, were threatening secession, the Hausas on the other hand, think the Igbos were only threatening to break away because of the newly found oil in their (eastern) region which would make secession economically possible for the Igbos. So they were on the stand that if such talk of separatism were to be entertained, then the national treasure (Obviously talking about the newfound oil) should be shared. The tension was obviously brewing but was somehow managed until the British finally left, and the First Republic was ushered in.
Fast forward to January 1966 and there was a bloody coup which was termed an IGBO COUP because it was largely carried out by the top Army commanders from the Igbo tribe and the casualties were mainly top northern civilian as well as military leaders including the then Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and the Premier of the Northern region, Sir Ahmadu Bello.
July of the same year, there was another bloody military coup, this time perpetrated by the top Northern Army officers and most of the casualties this time were top Army officers from the Igbo tribe. This was a counter-coup, a return of favour and it didn't even take long. These unending conflict between the different regions ultimately resulted in the Nigerian civil war which claimed the lives of about 3 million Igbo civilian lives. The Igbos had revitalized their agitation for secession as a result of the many Igbo casualties from the 1966 counter-coup, but the government of Nigeria, then led by the military head of state in the person of Yakubu Gowon who is from the Hausa tribe was not having it, which resulted in a full-blown civil war.
The conflicts between the many tribes and ethnic groups that are comprised within the country run deep, and I think even much deeper after Crude Oil was discovered in commercial quantity in the south and secession, which ordinarily might have been smooth, became a lot complicated. From then onwards, it became a forced union with many aggrieved parties, a union of convenience for some and tolerance for others.
It has been 51 years since the civil war ended and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight to the reoccurring conflicts that have always plagued the country. There is still obvious tribal favouritism when it comes to appointments to strategic public offices, there are still persistent regional politicking, the Igbos still want to succeed, there is still no trust amongst the various regions and the major ethnic groups and there is rising regional tension waiting to erupt just like a volcano.
**The way forward.**
Nigeria just like the US is conglomerate of nations in the real sense of it and is way too complex to be just one country. Think about merging the liberal, anything-goes lifestyle of the US and the conservative and rigid religious values of the Arab world. Here you have two extremes who from all indications cant possibly coexist without problems. The South (Igbos, Yorubas and other minor tribes) are a lot liberal, more progressive and acceptant of modernization (what the Northern Muslims call Boko Haram). The North on the hand is rigidly grounded on their religious/cultural values which makes it difficult for both sides of the divide to function under one set of rules.
****Problem 1****
**CRUDE OIL**
This is supposed to have been the driving force that should have sent Nigeria on its way to becoming one of the best economies and ultimately countries in Africa and the world at large, especially during the early oil booms. But ironically and sadly the discovery of oil in Nigeria plunged the country into a perpetual scamper for resource country and exploitation by the ruling elites.
Nigeria like I said before, is a conglomerate of nations whose once individual economical sustenance before amalgamation had nothing to do with oil. The agricultural industry is rich enough in the potential to compete with Oil, tourism also is another industry that should have been able to rival those two and I am talking in an international capacity. These other industries have been the driving forces of countries who don't have the oil privileges but Nigeria, unlike other oil-rich nations, has failed to utilise the oil boom to diversify the economy.
Because Oil is basically the cash cow of the corrupt ruling elite, other industries of the economy are either not given the tools to grow or are simply cut short (with bad policies) when they start threatening to replace the pull/push oil has on the economy and ultimately the lives of the poor and middle class. I mean the government only wants what it can control entirely and the more control you have over the regulations of the economy, the more control you have over the people, you can simply choose to impoverish or liberate them as you please. Nigeria would wake up one morning and decide to increase/reduce the price of fuel, add/remover fuel subsidy etc.
**Solution 1**. ***Diversify the economy***, help the other industries grow and reach their potentials. Support the tech industry with good policies and other necessary tools it needs to thrive. Oil and agriculture are old money, the tech industry and the tourism industries are the new money, the world is fast-changing, get in line. There are the tech industry, tourism agriculture and the entertainment industries big enough (at least in potential) to rival oil and help in healthy wealth creation and distribution. The growth of these industries would help the economy become less dependent on oil, which would in turn grow the economy in leaps and bounds.
****Problem 2****
**DYSFUNCTIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE**
The country is still running on the setup of the colonial rulers, a setup that was made strictly for the easier ruling of the amalgamated parts than their collective progress. The failure to acknowledge the uniqueness and ultimately the significance of different religious, cultural and traditional values of each region/tribe and how they affect the overall political, social and the economic dynamics of the country, in general, has been a problem. Many states in the northern part of Nigeria are predominantly Muslim states, the governors and legislators of that regional extraction are also Muslims with core Muslim ideologies and belief. The governors constitute laws along these ideological leanings and their citizens abide by them and the legislators come to the federal senate trying to make rules along these ideologies too but this time, looking for the whole country to be bound by them. What I am saying in simpler terms is, the North wouldn't mind Nigeria as a whole adopting a Muslim Sharia law as almost all the northern states practice the sharia anyways, in fact, the Northern ruling elites have once or twice tried to push the agenda but subtly. On the other hand, the other parts of Nigeria are more liberal in their religious and cultural leanings and thus wish to enjoy all the benefits of democracy, in other words, a more liberal environment.
To put this into focus, the recent social media bill and hate speech bill that has both been on the Senate floor for a while undergoing debate has been championed by lawmakers from the Northern extraction. These bills would have been long passed into law if not for the outrage from the more progressive liberal South. The same has been the case with the recent restrictions on cryptocurrency, the northerners want it banned entirely, the south don't. In the North, alcohol consumption is frowned upon and you can get into big trouble buying or selling it. In the north, you cant be seen holding hands with a member of the opposite sex in public, else you would be arrested and prosecuted by the Sharia police(Hisbah). You cant be seen eating outside during the Muslim fasting periods, else you would be arrested and prosecuted by Hisbah and it doesn't matter if you are a Muslim or not. In effect, the core Muslim states in the north are running a parallel government, running their states using Islamic rules which are unconstitutional but yet binds everybody living there in the north, whether you are Muslim or not.
**Solutions2.** ***Restructuring***: When you have both liberal and conservative ideologies tussling over which has total control over the lives of the populace, then there is a problem. In the US, both Marijuana and Commercial Casino Style gambling are legal in some states and illegal in others, even gun ownership. This is like this because of how the states are structured, the style of state autonomy practised gives the states the constitutional power and authority to make laws that bind its citizens. Now, in this case a person going from a gun-carrying state to a non-gun-carrying state knows he would be breaking the law if goes into such state in possession of a gun. These laws are constitutional, thus the citizens know what to expect.
Nigeria administrative structure has to be redesigned in the same manner as is attainable in the US. The states should have autonomy and make laws that govern them exclusively. This would improve security as there would be a different law enforcement system, a more local one opposed to the current federal style of state policing. Each state should form its own Policing system, which would trickle down to the local government level just like the state and county policing system in the US. A New Yorker shouldn't be sent to go enforce local laws in Los Angeles unless we are talking about the FBI who only enforce federal laws and have their jurisdictions.
This administrative restructuring would also give the various local economies the freedom to grow in line with their potential. A state that outlaws alcohol shouldn't be getting allocations taxed out from state who's economy is powered by the sales of alcohol. A state whose economy is powered by cattle rearing shouldn't allow its cattle herders to roam free and destroy the crops of those economies that depend on commercial farm production. Every state should have the autonomous authority to make laws that protects it and its citizens, just like in the US.
****Problem 3****
**INSURGENCY & BANDATRY**
Insurgency took shape for the first time in Nigeria when the Niger-Deltans(militants) took up arms in protest of the environmental degradation of the region as a result of oil spillage and flaring which was caused by the activities of the Oil companies present in the region. Their frustration was directed at the companies and the government for not doing enough to provide financial and economic assistance to the region whose means of livelihood (fishing) had been destroyed by oil spillage. These militants sought to get the companies/government's attention by kidnapping expatriates and bursting pipelines. Finally, the companies and government came together to design a means to cater to these people, provide jobs and economic aid for them as well as grant amnesty to those who ultimately laid down their weapons. Peace reigned again in the region and the kidnapping stopped, although the act of bursting pipelines have become a means of making fast illegal money in the region and might not be going away as long as Crude Oil still has value.
Boko Haram and The Fulani Herdmen Militia have taken insurgency to a whole different level in Nigeria. According to various reports on the internet, at least 36,000 people have been killed since Boko Haram started waging its Islamic war in 2009. What does Boko Haram want? Boko Haram loosely translates to (Boko) Western Education (Haram) Sin which in other words means that the western education and way of life is a sin and thus need to be eradicated. They have been waging this war ever since and it has been almost 12 years and there has been no headway in arresting the situation. The best the government has done in trying to stop this insurgency is dialoguing and negotiating with them, sometimes paying them off to avoid attacks. When they are arrested, they are "forgiven and rehabilitated" and reintroduced into the general population. In case you want to be sure, yes we are talking about Armed terrorist group. Are the northern governors in bed with Boko Haram? Are they being enabled by the government?
Fulani Herdsmen are nomadic cattle rearers whose activities have brought nothing but chaos and bloodshed in Nigeria. Where in the world, in 2021 do you have people engaging in nomadic cattle herding? Moving from one area of the country to another, destroying farmlands and killing farmers in their host communities who dare to stand up against them.
**Solution 3**
Since the leaders of the Northern states seem to have the same religious ideologies as Boko Haram and want nothing but a total Islamic practice in the region, restructuring the country would make certain that wish. If restructured, the new administrative formation would allow every single region/state to determine how it wants its region run and the senseless killings and unrest bedevilling other regions would stop. In the case of the Fulani herdsmen, cattle ranches should be built and interested herders should either lease or buy these ranches outrightly. This would put a stop to the incessant killings and unending conflicts between these marauding herders and farmers all over the country.
Addressing these problems would not make the country better overnight but it is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, one which would ultimately expose the country to more progressive international relationships and investments.
Elon Musk Might Wreck You
Elon Musk is one of the smartest men on the face of the earth, a true tech geek and it shows given all the breakthroughs he has made in the short while he shot up the limelight. He has steadily climbed the richest men ladder over the years and it hasnt happened by chance.
Musk seems to be the kind of guy who knows when to take a chance on a project and also when to get off. He may appear shy and timid in most of his live interviews but I am sure with the power of the internet, the social media and the millions of followers he has on his social media accounts, he understands the influence and sway he has over people and he uses it to perfection.
His recent love relationship with the crypto community is a good thing to crypto no doubt. Imagine a man of his status, a man worth what he's worth at the moment actively and consistently talking about BCH, I guarantee you the price of BCH is going to skyrocket and I am sure that would be lovely, at least for those HODLing some BCH. But that being said, why do you think Elon is suddenly promoting the token he is currently promoting?
I remember back in 2017 when I first became aware of the crypto world, what I had been introduced to was BTC. Back then, it was as though crypto was all about BTC and BTC was the only Crypto. I learned to trade Crypto by trading BTC on Luno and Binance but then I was introduced to 'quick money' alts by an acquaintance.
I remember being advised to buy a certain amount of TRX, POE and MANNA and HODL for a while that those coins were going to make me rich. I was a noob, I didn't know I was being led to the slaughterhouse. I bought TRX at an ATH but I didn't know because a very "experienced" trader had told me to just buy. Just buy she said, it will moon soon and you are gonna cash out big. When moon, when Lambo? LOL
Well, it never mooned and Lambo never came, in fact, after I had bought those coins, they dipped so bad that they nearly went back to their ICO prices. I didn't know at the time, but I was just a victim of a PUMP and DUMP, you know those guys (wales) that would collectively buy a coin at the dip, hype it so much and try to get people to jump on. When they do, coin price rises significantly then they (wales) dump their portfolio on those noobs trying to FOMO in...rinse and repeat.
Before I finally got frustrated and sold off my TRX et al, I was always hanging around on Twitter, and one influencer or the other would rave about TRX and how it is the people's coin. Talking about what an awesome project it is and all, even Justin Sun, the developer of TRX would hype it so much and give the noobs so much hope but these guys were just working together to make a profit. Yeah, that's what it is about because Justin reportedly dumped his own portfolio, about 6billion tokens of TRX.
*Doesn't he believe in his own project? Why was he hyping it then?*
Now, back to Elon Musk, why is he doing what he has been doing lately? I get the hype around BTC and jumping on to the bandwagon of embracing cryptocurrency for a tech geek like him, but what is special about DodgeCoin and why has he been promoting it?
To drive my point home about DogeCoin, I will use an article from Bloomberg and an extract from an interview with the guy who built DogeCoin.
*And here is Billy Markus, who built Dogecoin in 2013:* https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-02-08/elon-musk-works-his-magic-on-dogecoin-and-bitcoin
*Mr. Markus, who no longer works on dogecoin, couldn’t believe code he wrote in three hours on a Sunday gave rise to a cryptocurrency worth billions of dollars in total market value.* https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-02-08/elon-musk-works-his-magic-on-dogecoin-and-bitcoin
*“The idea of dogecoin being worth 8 cents is the same as GameStop being worth $325,” said Mr. Markus, 38 years old. “It doesn’t make sense. It’s super absurd. The coin design was absurd.”* https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-02-08/elon-musk-works-his-magic-on-dogecoin-and-bitcoin
*That same article notes: “A vocal group of buyers on Reddit have made it their mantra to push dogecoin to $1.”* https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-02-08/elon-musk-works-his-magic-on-dogecoin-and-bitcoin
Elon Musk might be a geek, but in the end, he is still a businessman and profit is one of the essential things in business. He might have just learnt to play the game most crypto influencers play, buy a coin, hype it, coin moons, then dump it and make outrageous profits in the shortest time possible.
Here is my advice to anyone trying to jump into coins because influencers are talking about those coins. You might be looking to make a profit by jumping in, but you are actually the profit. FOMO is real, FOMO is bad, stay away.
Before buying into any coin, why don't you take a little tour to this particular coin's progress over time, you know, try to check the chart a little and know what you might be getting yourself into. What is the coin about? What is its level of adaptability? How has it progressed over time? Are you buying the top? Are you buying at an ATH? If it were to dip on you now, what are the chances of it getting back to the price you bought in at?
These are some of the critical questions you need to ask yourself, don't just FOMO into a coin because somebody famous tweeted about them. Should you be buying a coin just because Snoop Dogg tweeted about it? I certainly wouldn't.
Gloom, but not doom.
I have been feeling a little low for the past couple of days because realities of life came staring me in the face and there was no hiding from it, I just hate feeling powerless, I dont operate well like that, it makes me feel like an underdog, and I hate being the underdog.
And it doesnt get any better that there is still that crypto ban issue of my country to deal with. It might not be a big deal to those moving big funds but it certainly would be if you are moving small funds, because either the peer to peer exchanges dont deal with you because you are talking about insignificant funds, or they would eat deep into the little money you are trying to withdraw by giving you ridiculous rates.
I dont blame them though, I mean business is business right? If I am in their position, maybe I would do the same because I would care more about making profit and getting ahead rather than trying understand what the next person's story is. In the end, business is business.
This new crypto regulations rolled out by my country, kinda makes my predicament more precarious because I had intended to crypto my way out of the mess I am currently in and this new reality kinda messes with my plans a little bit. I dont know, I just feel ahhh! Maybe its not just about the ban, but everything just came together to mess with my emotions.
I took a stroll to Publish0x to go check out whats cooking over there, then I run into this article written by my fellow countryman and he was ranting about the same damn new regulations. Hilarious! This ban irrespective of the possible impending solutions or workarounds to it, has been an absolute nightmare to many crypto enthusiasts in Nigeria. I mean, this is how we have finally created a job for ourselves and now you want to take it away? You want to make it difficult and make us sneak around and about like hoodlums? (LOL). The ruling class actually loves that term hoodlum, they tag everyone with it and it is class buffoonery.
Anyways, under this article in Publish0x, there was a comment under by another user who advised the writer to, instead of reading the news and focusing and writing on the negatives, he should focus on positives alone, on himself and every good thing he can think of. It was actually a solid advice, one only absolute winners would give you. You know the news have a way of keeping you focused on things that do not matter to your immediate growth, news would keep you glued and up to date on junk information.
I remember how scared and petrified I was during the first lockdown of 2020. I would glue my eyes to CNN and FOX News and they would bang on about those terrifying statistics, updating you on how many thousands have died in a very small county and all. My OCD levels went up a notch, I would wash my hands a thousand times, carry sanitizers about in my pocket and all. It was scary and that is what listening to new does to you. But if we do not listen and pay attention to the news, how do we know when we are being told to run? LOL
I have learnt not to read the news when I am feeling a bit low, its hard, easier said than done but I seem to have a detector that just automatically tells me to stay away. For example, when some people are emotional and depressed they look for comfort food or just any food as the case may be and they try to drown their worries in food or maybe drown the food in their worries. LOL
When I start feeling awkward, I tend to want to be on twitter, scrolling away like a mindless zombie, sometimes not even internalizing what I am reading or looking at, but I would just scroll away as time ticks away. This is my own detector, whenever twitter starts calling me too much, I just know I gotta stay away from news and updates.
There are things I have been doing to curb these emotions and stay on the right path because I am the head of my house, I have people relying on me for emotional support and stability and other kinds of support too (LOL)I cant afford to lose my sh**t, that would be a disaster, I gotta stay strong for me and for my family. One of those things is what I am doing right now, ranting online.
When I start feeling a certain type of way and I understand where it might be heading, one of the things I do is to disengage from real life, then I come online on Noise.cash or Read.cash to rant. If I am gonna talk about how bad I feel, I might as well earn money doing it.
The other things I do are:
***I Workout:*** Working out is one thing I absolutely do not need motivation for because I love to workout, I love bodybuilding and its been my passion for most of my adult life. Lifting heavy weight and sweating steamy hot sweat always takes care of any bad spell I might be in. You know working out is a way of releasing pent up energy which is what those negative emotions are, bad energy. So when you work out, you are spending those bad energy and getting good ones in return. Try it next time you are feeling low, even push ups and situps would revive your mood.
***I read Stoical teachings:*** This is what I have been doing for the past two days, reading up on teachings from Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. There is no better way to draw motivation than to get schooled by stoics. It works everytime. You get to see some of those things that bother you in new perspectives, some of them become less of problems and more of lessons. I have been reading THE DAILY STOIC. It has 365 teachings on wisdom, meditation, perseverance and all round art of living. That is to say, the book has a thing to tell you for each new day. I love reading it when there are no winds in my sail, it jots me back into focus.
***I stay off social media:*** The little junk you eat, the little you will have to digest. Better to consume healthy information from a small pool than junk information from an enormous, gigantic pool. On Social media, there is no limit to what you are absorbing, as long as you are there, you will see them...News, porn, entertainment, politics, sports, gossip etc. Imagine taking all these in and not have mood swings. LOL.
Cheers!
Nigeria's Crypto Ban: What is it really about?
With the news about Nigeria and its new policy which seems to want to cripple crypto and its related innovations, what a relief it would it have been to just read, shrug and simply wish Nigerians well in these trying times. But alas, I am a Nigerian living in Nigeria and I am simply outraged by this news.
When the news broke about the country's apex bank's latest policy which instructed commercial banks to refrain from facilitating the deposit and withdrawal to and from any crypto-currency platforms, there was panic and confusion amongst Nigeria's crypto community.
The leadership of the country simply do not understand the direction the rest of the world is heading to and they don’t care.
Imagine such an abrupt policy with its directives to take effect immediately, without any sort of prior warnings or heads up. Imagine ordering commercial banks to close every and any account used in withdrawing or depositing funds through any crypto platform, indirectly outlawing owning and trading any kind of crypto-currency. Just imagine that for a minute. Even India was at least reasonable enough to give its citizens a time frame to liquidate their assets and not throwing a surprise bombshell at them.
In an age where countries are moving away from simply being agro/oil-based economies, where tourism and the tech industries are championing the economies of progressive countries, what does the leadership of Nigeria thinks it is doing trying to stifle the rise of the tech/crypto industry?
**Is this about Power and control? Is it Vendetta or probably both?**
Talking about Power, the Nigerian government hates anything it can’t control, anything that thrives in spite of the mess they seem to strategically make of the economy. How dare the youth make something for themselves out of this very bad economy? Who do they think they are by not coming to grovel at our feet and ask for loans and handouts? How dare they thrive in this inconvenient environment we have made for them?
Is it about Vendetta? During the #endsars protest which rocked the countries major cities and municipals last October, the government moved to kill the protest by freezing the bank accounts used in receiving and disseminating funds raised from sponsors and sympathizers of the protest for facilitating the smooth running of the protest, the relentless youths rallied together and created gofundme accounts as well as providing BTC and BCH wallets for donations.
This singular move by the protesting youth represented a big middle finger to the government and ultimately showed them there is an emerging industry that can emancipate the oppressed and bridge the gap between the poor and the upper classes - the tech industry.
Since that protest ended and everything that led to it still unresolved, there seem to have been a lingering tension between the ruling class (the government) and youthful population whose majority are tech enthusiasts. The government is still angry at the guts of the protesters and those who gave financial aid to them, thus are yet to unfreeze the bank accounts it froze during the protests. So is this Vendetta?
If it is not any of the two reasons above, then it must be for a good economic reason, right? But this government isn't known to make good economic decisions, so I wonder what it might be. I am willing to be schooled though, but I doubt there is any positive that can come out of this policy.
Remember the abrupt closure of the land border sometime late in 2019? Lagos state's ban on Gokada and other hailing startups in Lagos? What does Nigeria have against startups and the tech industry in general?
Nigeria is the biggest and one of the earliest adopters of crypto in Africa, so it would be interesting to get to see the full effect of this ban on the price movement of BTC, BCH and other crypto-currencies.
It would also be interesting to see how platforms like Buycoin, Binance and Luno react to this ban and what action they take from here onwards given that many/all their users are Nigerians.
What now for traders who aren’t conversant with peer to peer trading? What is the fate of the small-time trader who is looking to build his portfolio using the automated route that these platforms offer?
People like me who make weekly withdrawals of $10-15 just to put food on our tables? Those of us who can’t wait to accumulate tokens before making withdrawals? What now?
Given the cash movements to and fro crypto platforms and the commercial banks, it would be interesting to see how this ban affect these commercial banks given the revenue they realize from the many charges they place and the commission they get from all these cash movements.
It will also be interesting to find out what effect this ban would have on the overall dynamics and outlook of the already handicapped, one-dimensional economy.
For all the questions asked so far, the obvious and easiest answer would be, 'we'll see what happens'
We will see how long this policy lasts and how we adapt and move from there.
Death Becomes Us
Isn't it sad that when you become old enough to talk about the future, and what it might hold for you, you are actually talking about 60-70 years from the moment of that conscious thought? Any future beyond that is one you will never be aware of.
So in other words, we are merely planning for how big or small our burial is ultimately gonna be. No? What else is there? Nothing you own or acquire is going anywhere with you, everything stays back while you sojourn to the world unknown. Legacy? What is that? If it's a thing, then your brain would have been dead and incapable of helping you realize what it might mean. Everything we are and aspire to be is just for our conscious self to devour because death becomes us all.
Death, yeah the chief tormentor of even the most fearless of men and all living things. The Christians say their God is the alpha and omega, but I say death is the true Omega, even death came for Christ, the son of God. Now, this isn't in any way aimed to blaspheme the Christian faith, far from it. This article is aimed at bringing you face to face with what you fear the most, what we all fear the most, death.
If there is anything that represents the phrase "fear of the unknown" then it is death. Imagine the power it holds over us, the power of uncertainty and doubt. We are more scared about what becomes of us after death than we are of the idea of dying. When you die, what happens next? Do you just cease to exist and all your memories and consciousness gone forever? Are you going to be the kind of VOID mentioned in the book of Genesis?
Where nothing exists but dark void, no light, no consciousness, no life, no death, no nothing. Or is there going to be a continuation of this life, a better one or just the same as this? Or is it gonna be torture/bliss like the Christian/Catholic faithful believe?
This dilemma right here is what makes death the most dreaded phenomenon mankind has faced.
Now, it is possible that this dilemma hunts only the unbelievers because I am sure that as a faithful of whatever religion you find yourself, there would have been teachings and doctrines that have been laid down for years driven into your subconscious, to make the thought of this passing (death) not scary at all. Like a practising Christian is taught that as long as he loves God and does what he commands, he is guaranteed a place in heaven where there is no sadness and sorrow. This would certainly be playing in this Christian's mind at the point of death unless such person dies a death sudden impact where his life would have no time to flash before his eyes.
It is a given that other religions and faiths too have one teaching or the other about death and what happens beyond, so dilemma might be for the unbelievers after all.
But, no matter how you have been indoctrinated to think a certain way, the fear of death most times wipes this teaching clean off and replaces it with all kinds of emotions, fear, anger, laughter, sadness. Why do you think grown men cry on their death bed, or why some people, no matter what they believe in, pee or shit themselves when a gun is pointed at them? Why do people pass out when there is turbulence in the air? Fear, fear of what, death, why? Because nobody knows, nobody knows what lies yonder and such is the might of death.
Thinking about it objectively, life is like being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, damned if you do and damned if you don't, if for any reason life becomes too unbearable for you and you think to take your own life, you would only be fast-tracking the inevitable. Weather it out, what's the rush? LOL. So the best plan is to go when life has battered you enough to numb your senses enough to not feel those death bed emotions(I am talking about old age). I said the best plan, but nothing really works out how we usually plan them so, that's just wishful thinking at best.
This article might seem so random and so out there, but haven't you ever thought about how you'd eventually go? Doesn't it scare the shit out of you? It sure does me, I mean when I am out there enjoying myself and all that, sometimes I pause, take a minute and think to myself, someday this is all going to end, someday some people are going to cry and weep because I cant be seen any more, because they can no longer call my phone and hear me say HELLO, because they can no longer call me to come hangout, because they can no longer come check up on me at my house anymore...this is some scary, scary thought.
This piece could come off as a dark scary article talking about nothing but death or it can serve as the ultimate motivator to whatever you want to do in life. It just depends on what your mindset is at the time of reading this or your overall mindset as a human.
Remember next time you feel scared or inhibited to take that investment risk, to walk up to that beautiful woman, that handsome man and tell them how you feel, ask yourself, what do I have to lose? We are all gonna die someday soon, aren’t we? So common then, take that risk, fall in love, stand up to your boss and tell him he is wrong, be fearless in your doings because that person you are scared of, that situation you are afraid of getting into is nothing compared to the fear of death.
Life has nothing to offer us but death.
The Muddle Factory
Sometimes, it feels like all we do in life is to solve one problem or the other till we cease to exist, thinking about it, I think that's all we actually do. When you finally solve a niggling problem, a new one would be created for you immediately, either by your health, your finances, your boss at work, your spouse, your kids or sometimes by yourself. Yes, we can sometimes create a problem for ourselves when none originally existed, and this we do mostly by overthinking.
Sometimes we have these thoughts in our minds, we fiddle with them, turn them this way, that way, weigh them in Pounds and KG, and before we know it, we bring them to life and right there it would be, in physical form, problems, staring at us in the face.
Have you ever wanted to do something that normally would have given you peace of mind but would have probably raised a few eyebrows, but instead you think to yourself, what are people going to think? Let me do what everybody else is doing, then you end up in a mess and there is no peace of mind in sight. You now have a mess in your hands and you might actually need physical/tangible resources like money and time to fix.
Hmmmm...The world is a mill of problems, there are different specifications for each one of us at different points of our lives, and sometimes there are many specifications for one point in our lives. Like a man who loses wealth and children in a divorce case. How many specifications of problems are those for this one man? Or a poor wretched man who has a chronic disease.
This piece is dedicated to everybody going through one problem or the other, know that you are not alone.
In my poverty warped mind, I used to think 'well, he is rich, what else could be a problem to him' I was naive and I know a lot of people still think this way. You know that thing we want so much but are finding it difficult to come by are usually what we think as the biggest problem there could be. We forget that in everyone's corner, lies a niggling, nagging problem that might appear insignificant to you but a mountain to that person, because you know, he who wears the shoe...you know the rest.
That rich guy might have all the money in the world but probably has anxiety issues, a terminal or chronic disease or a rare medical condition. He might look so powerful and invincible to you in own poverty-ridden eyes but in his mind, he probably would give up his wealth and affluence if it means he gets to enjoy a life free of the kind of illnesses he battles.
We are all dealing with one problem or the other, it never stops, it just changes shape, form and maybe season. It is not fair to play down the problems of others because you presume they have it better and you would have handled theirs better than they can handle yours. So to you out there going through trying times by your own standard, your worry and concerns are valid, your problems aren’t too small insignificant, but please take it easy, the cavalry is on the way.
All we can do is find ways to cope with each one as they come, a good coping mechanism is important.
I know you need to make this money so you can give your mum/dad that life you have so much wanted to give them, to say thank you to them for all their sacrifices, to give your family and loved ones the kind of life they deserve, a life of access and opportunities, a life better than you had. Keep working smart, keep trying your best, your efforts are going to pay off soon. In the meantime, consider living a minimalist life, read good books, to aid your decision making and help keep you sane.
I know that big contract would be a turning point in your life and you are absolutely banking on it, keep putting in the work, keep pressing on and even if you don't win that big contract, you are most likely already in the right circles and you are definitely going to be alright... think about those who'd feel absolutely blessed to be in your present state.
I know that rare medical condition wears you out and wears you down, and sometimes you think, oh, how unfair life has been to you and how fate has dealt you a bad hand, I couldn’t possibly imagine what you could be going through, but please keep holding on. I believe there are many people that draw strength from your existence, those you put smiles on their faces. Please be strong.
I know bearing your own child is something special, your own flesh and blood, every intending parents would want their own, nothing beats that blood connection but as you keep trying, think about all the good kids in foster homes, kids who didn't ask be born but are here anyways and are likely suffering for their mothers/Fathers poor decisions, extend your love and warmth to them while you keep searching. The world is just here and there, give that love you have brewing in your gut to those beautiful kids when you grow to love them, the love might likely not feel any different from the one you have for your blood.
I know you are looking for an effective way to rid yourself of that substance addiction, addiction can weigh a thousand tons on your shoulders when you know you are consciously trying to stop but you are not strong enough. You are strong, believe me, you are strong, you need to be strong to have acknowledged the power that substance has over you and wanting to get rid of it. You are not alone and you are most definitely not weak...I read in The Autobiography Of Malcolm X how the Nation Of Islam effectively treated people with addiction problems. Give the book a read and draw the strength you need to go through the withdrawal.
Our problems don't end; we just recycle and pass them around. Draw strength from the little ones you faced yesterday to face a new one tomorrow, use the knowledge you gained from facing and scaling a big one yesterday to help someone going through the same today. Yeah, that's all we do, solve problems continually till we physically vacate earth. We either solve our own or a friend's/stranger's/relative's with cash, words of advice, kindness, clothes, shelter, you name it, we are always encountering and solving problems.
I am an empathic and sometimes the problems of others absolutely drives me crazy and I get mad emotions, and this is one of my many problems, which I have come to accept and try to use to my advantage, by helping as many people as I can sincerely do, with whatever resources I could muster.
Good people don’t deserve to suffer.
Introvert: The Misunderstood Personality
**Different From The Beginning**
When I was much younger, during my adolescence and teen ages, I always knew I loved spending time alone with myself.
While other kids would run wild, play in the sand and make a lot of wild noise, I would stay alone in the house doing one odd thing or the other, but I would certainly be doing them alone.
I always had eyes for little things, paying attention, observing little things, taking in the tiniest information anyone else would usually not see.
Whenever I was alone, I would hunt down a house fly, smack it just enough so it got weak and then I'd drop it right close to the entrance of an ant cave and watch the ensuing tussle. I can remember how excited I usually was watching the ant do their thing on the housefly, it is like playing your best video game or watching your best movies..lol. First, the ant that encounters the housefly first, runs at an accelerated speed back into their burrow to call on the other workers and the big guys that would help dismember the unlucky housefly.
I initiated these ant/fly tussle more time than I could remember, soon I knew all the ant burrows everywhere around the house and I came to understand ant behaviour. It was fun, it usually was, and enlightening too, it was like a practical of your best science subject.
Because of how every other kid around me was always loud, playful and expressive, I came to think myself as odd. I hated attending kids parties, I hated doing what every other kid did, I hated noise and rowdiness. I was cool, calm and collected and I wasn't going to be part of all that craziness.
All I wanted to do was spend time with myself while observing nature and it's wonders.
**Societal Pressure**
Fast forward to when going to parties became a cool thing for teenagers, you know house parties and all that, and then I saw myself really struggling to cope, to cope with the pressure of fitting in, the pressure of being “normal”, the pressure of not being the odd one out.
The more I tried to fit in, the more miserable I became because I just couldn't do it, it felt impossible for me to do yet it seemed important that I did.
This became a psychological and emotional tussle for me, a tussle between being myself and fitting in, a tussle between my real personality and popular culture and it didn't help that I was constantly being reminded that I was too quiet and always all by myself. I was always encouraged to mingle more, play more with my mates, be more expressive, and be like every other kid.
I was fighting a lost battle, I became disillusioned and frustrated. I actually didn't know or understand what was going on but gradually I withdrew into my shell because I just couldn't make that transition, I couldn't because it was impossible. I started disliking my personality, I hated my life, I began to think that something was really wrong with me, I felt I wasn't good enough...I developed an inferiority complex.
**You Are Who You Are**
Now, during these battles between what I am and what society expects me to be, I never knew the word INTROVERT nor what it connotes. If I had known, I would have at least gone to war prepared. But luckily, as destiny would have it I got to learn through the word introvert that there was actually nothing wrong with me, this enlightenment came quick enough to save me from losing myself.
I got to understand the different personality traits peculiar to introverts, extroverts and ambiverts and it dawned on me that I wasn't odd at all, I was just different, different in a good kind of way because there were others like me too. Imagine the wonders such knowledge would have done for the confidence of a budding teenager who was obviously conflicted about their personality.
When I learned all I needed to learn about my personality, I began to consciously and actively work on my self-confidence, on my perception of things. I needed work my way back, re-educate myself if you will.
When I realised that it was okay to want to be alone almost all the time, it was ok to not want to go out, to hang out, I started enjoying and appreciating my life again, I started absorbing that peace and quiet again and I would laugh at anyone who calls me shy or timid.
Now, this is my story while growing up, I may have been able to get hold of the situation before any real damage was done to my psyche or my personality but lots of kids or even adults aren't and won't be so lucky.
This is an issue now because obviously, the society views introverts as shy, timid and abnormal while extroverts are celebrated, so while growing up, lots of kids are pressured by their parents and their peers to be more up and about, against their very own nature.
You are forced to speak, even when you know deep down that you have nothing of value to say. You are constantly told to go play with the other kids when all you want to do is stay indoors and study, you are constantly barraged with questions and looks of pity. Lol
Introverts are like sponges, they soak up whatever energy their environment is giving out, now imagine soaking up noise, small talks, chitchats and music and traffic noise. Phew! My head actually hurts imagining that.
I read a book called QUIET by Susan Cain and I felt alive, I felt empowered and my confidence in myself spiked. The book was such a powerful read and enlightenment, while all so relatable. This book will help you understand yourself as an introvert, what the world views as odd and flaw in personality, you would come to understand as unique and a superpower.
I used to be so tensed and anxious whenever I was in a group of more than three people. I usually felt this way because I had been coerced into thinking that I always had to contribute, engage and express myself whenever I find myself in such environment, even when it is not in my nature to do so.
Now, whenever I find myself in a group of more than 5 people, I do less talking, more smiling (I got a killer smile) more listening and observing because those are my strong points.
Now when I find myself within such group, I feel so calm, so calculated, so powerful because I usually think I am the only one who knows what the hell is going on, because I am the only one paying attention.
Even to this day, my significant other sometimes tell me to go out more often, be out and about, make more friends. I usually ask why though? I have a tiny pool of friends which is by my design; I have a good network of acquaintances, I have everything I need to function efficiently as an adult human, why do I need to go out and make more friends?
***Conclusion***
· When you observe and realise the traits of introversion in your kids, don’t force them to be like other kids, help them be more of themselves, talk to them, understand them, help them grow, don’t kill their genius by trying to force them to be loud and expressive, that is not who they are.
· When a kid is forced to be like other kids, made to feel like he isn't normal, like he isnt adequate, he tends to withdraw into his shell and that becomes a long term psychological problem, of which not everybody is equipped to come out from.
· There is nothing wrong with introverts, neither are extroverts the model personality.
· Introverts are grounded, emotionally deeply rooted people. They are usually the best in things they invest their time into, be it good or bad, because they spend their times, learning, observing and internalizing.
What Is Wrong With Africa? Pt2
*What is wrong with Africa?*
**Religion?**
Before the advent of Colonialism, the African man had his own religion, he served and worshipped the Gods of his land and the Gods of his land in turn guided and protected him. He prayed for wisdom and direction from the Gods, while he did his work. He understood that he couldn't sit on his hands and let the Gods feed him. In fact, he goes out there to work and even bring some for the Gods as offerings.
The contemporary African man, having worn the garments of new religions, the religions of the slave masters and the colonialists thinks everything starts and ends with prayers. While the rest of the world is making breakthroughs in science, politics, innovations, the majority of the countries in Africa can't boast of steady electricity and pipe-borne water - in 2021. While the rest of the world is building industries and improving their economies in leaps and bounds, African countries are building the biggest church auditoriums where they go to pray to God for 3-course meal and for good jobs.
Some of the world’s richest pastors are from Africa, in fact, make it 4 out of the top 5 richest. Very few known billionaire businessmen and Tech CEOs own private jets, but many African pastors own private jets, some of them even own more than one.
Instead of facing his problems head-on and coming up with an objective solution, the average African, marinating in God's word, would rather go to church and pray.
*What is wrong with Africa*
**Corruption?**
This should be somewhere at the top of the list, but so should the other points I have outlined, which goes to show that each of the problems holding Africa back has been firmly rooted, you can hardly talk about one being better or worse than the other.
The politics and it's many administrative follow-ups we have and experience in Africa is all about personal interest first, personal interest second then the people's interest can come at a distant third.
The institutions of Government in many African countries are so weak it is laughable. But don't think for one second that they are weak as a fall out consequence of the other problems mentioned here, they are weak because they have been made so intentionally, strategically to make sure those in power can have their way as they please. How could a state governor handpick his son-in-law as his chief of staff without prior administrative experience? Then later make him a commissioner in one of the state's parastatal? In the same tenure, this governor formed a commission that wasn't formerly in existence and put his daughter in charge, and this is supposed to be a democratic system of government with checks and balances?
Why should there be a law that says a sitting governor cannot be investigated for corruption and embezzlement as long as he is in office? A sitting governor in Nigeria was caught on camera receiving contract kickbacks from contractors he awarded contracts to. He was never investigated and he is still a governor.
For a continent whose countries keep begging for loans and handouts from international bodies and other advanced nations, the cost of running their respective government is sometimes more expensive than the government of those other countries giving them loans.
Imagine Nigeria, a country currently in recession earmarking $7.5 Million for feeding and travels for the president and his vice in 2021. What the hell are they going to be eating? Where the hell are they travelling to?
You see my point? This ridiculous amount has been approved by the senate, in fact, the senate has approved the same amount every year for the president and his vice in the past 5 years for their travels and food. With their bogus salary and allowances, can they not at least cut some kind of cost here?
The police are strategically underfunded and overworked so they can be used at will by the political elite. Imagine a police officer paid with taxpayers money being used as a willing tool to oppress the taxpayers, because he doesn't earn enough through salary so doing what "Oga" asks is a sure way of earning ten times his salary.
*Africa is a curse upon itself. The very resources that should be the reason for our growth happen to be the reasons for our backwardness.*
*What is wrong with Africa?*
**Brain Drain**
Finally, a true consequence of all the ineptitude and the clusterf**k of the African leadership – brain drain. I think what gets on my nerve the most about what is going on in Africa is, the continent has a very high rate of a youthful population, who have embraced the modern ways of doing things and are eager to step up and take care of things, but the old generation keeps stringing them along the old fruitless ways.
Africa is blessed with some of the best minds in the tech industry, the health industry and other booming industries dominated by Tech Savy youths, and since the environment is nowhere conducive for them to show what they can do, to really express themselves and showcase their talents, these young folks emigrate to other countries and they are accepted with open arms.
African countries are gradually losing their best potentials in human resources to Europe and The Americas, who have much better plans and strategy for capacity building and are willing to accommodate these talents.
Is there good news in sight? At what point are things going to change? With the last point I made with brain drain, I am afraid, there might not be an end in sight to what is going in Africa.
The first point, which is the effects of slavery and colonization, is sad and regrettable but how long are we going to continue using that point as a reference to why we are still as we are?
Africa has all the tools to be anything it wants to be, and sadly it has chosen to be mediocre and until the leadership of Africa realizes the potential the continent holds and sits up and put their respective countries first, then nothing is going to change.
What is wrong with Africa? Leadership is what is wrong with Africa, Africa is what is wrong with Africa.
What Is Wrong With Africa? Pt1
*What is Wrong with Africa?*
**Effects Of Slavery & Colonialism?**
Africa, the continent that has been at the receiving end of some of the most severe human injustice there could ever be. Termed the cradle of human civilization, the continent during the era of slave trading, was almost robbed naked. Natural resources were pillaged and transported back to Europe, the men, women and children of were captured and sold into slavery, across the Atlantic to pick cotton and live in perpetual servitude.
There was an onslaught on the continent by the Europeans, I mean at a point during the African pre-colonial era, Europeans met in Berlin to partition Africa amongst themselves, to decide who gets which part of Africa and what name to call them. At this meeting, there were no African representatives. Was there even need for one? Africa were already a conquered people, so there was no need seeking their opinion in the matter.
The continent was stripped off its essence, its language, culture, tradition and entire identity. New names and identity were imposed on them, new language and religion - those of the colonial masters.
Different tribes and cultures were merged together, given new names and forced to coexist, whether by peace or war, as long as the colonial masters weren't disrupted in the plans at pillaging.
A people having been stripped of their history and identity, are left to run in circles, perpetually and that sadly has been the case with Africa.
Playing down the effects of Africa's encounter with Europe as the reason for its present underdevelopment would be stupid, BUT when does it stop? When will Africa take charge and take over? When will Africa stop portraying itself as a charity case to the developed nations?
Many African countries are richly blessed with both human and natural resources. In fact, Africa has the largest deposit of Gold and Diamond, Africa has some of the largest crude oil deposit in the world. Africa has the capacity to become a supercontinent, but what is the problem? What is holding it back?
Some of the most popular and strongest African countries got their independence some 40, 50, 60 years ago but what have they been doing since then? I am not saying that that is big enough time to fix up and become as advanced as the Europeans, but where is the progress? That is my point.
The Chinese, as powerful as they are were once a colony (parts of it) of Britain, but when they fought back and took their country back, they did their best to erase any trace of the Europeans in their country, and preserve their identity as an independent, self-determining people and since then, they haven't looked back.
*What Is Wrong With Africa?*
**Puppet Leaders?**
When I was in school in my high school days, I was told that only multinational companies were responsible for cash flight. They set up their companies and organization in these countries, rake in profit and then send it back all home. When I became aware of my surroundings as a discerning adult, I realised that African leaders had upset this status quo. I mean they are robbing their own countries and sending the loot to Europe to stash in banks. They set up multi-million dollar businesses abroad. Imagine the fuckery!
I don't entertain the conspiracy theory that the Europeans are still the piper in Africa and its leaders are their puppets. I mean it could quite well be true but it doesn't even make sense. Why would Africans help Europeans to keep Africa poor and underdeveloped? It is a possibility, one which makes my stomach turn, which is why I don't entertain the theory. Yes, I am in denial, it's better that way, because WTF?
They'd rather be the rich and influential few in their respective countries, than work towards developing their countries and making them rich and influential countries in the global scheme of things. Are there any more self-sabotaging set of leaders anywhere else in the world?
Mugabe stayed in power for more than 35 years, his administration made Zimbabwe worse than it was during colonial rule, he never made any tangible progress nor did he bring any sort of development to Zimbabwe but he was one of the richest African presidents.
Paul Biya has been president for more than 30 years; Cameroon is still poor, backwards and under the thumb of France.
The current Ugandan President has been in power for 35 years, he has amended the constitution several times to extend the number of terms a president (he) can rule, while in turn using the military to hound and kill his opposition, making Presidential elections in Uganda in fact, a no contest.
Africa is blessed by mother nature, even at the rate and velocity at which it was pillaged and looted by the colonial masters and the slave masters, it still reserves rich natural resources, some exclusive to just Africa, others the biggest, in comparison to other continents. What the hell is wrong with those ruling Africa?
Have we given in to the idea of a conquered people so much that we have handed over the keys to our lives and minds to the developed countries? Have we lost our capacity at self-sustenance and determination?
We can't think of a cure for Malaria without running to Europe for help, we can’t even produce the medicine for Malaria, talk more of finding a cure to eradicate it, a disease that kills us, Africans in our thousands daily.
We can't think of settling our own territorial disputes without begging Europe for their military intervention.
We can't research like other continents and find a cure for diseases bedevilling our continent and when these cures are made available, instead of us to be a self-respecting people and pay for them, we beg to get them for free. We beg for aids and loans every year from Unicef, UN, WHO and the Worldbank and when we get these funds, which usually come with exploitative T&C, African leaders loot 70%, send it back those countries in the form of personal deposits and investments and then the remaining 30%, 25% are shared amongst themselves and their friends and relatives, then the remaining 5% is put into the projects they were collected for. Rinse and repeat.
China practically owns some African countries and control their resources as it now because these countries have signed away their lands in return for loans. They are so indebted to China, that it might be outright impossible to pay back these loans. What's Colonialism again? This time, there is absolutely no sign of forceful entry, we invited them in.
During the Covid-19 lock-down, African countries got all kinds of relief funds from Europe, America and Asia, but did their countrymen, the ruled class benefit from these relief funds? Even the medical equipment sent for disbursal to the medical and health workers were cornered, hoarded and used by the political class. (Sighs).
The covid-19 vaccine is out, countries that couldn't produce theirs are placing orders to buy, but African countries are patiently waiting for a handout.
What the hell is wrong with Africa?
We might have become "independent" of the European ruler but it is obvious we are still mentally enslaved.
*Why do we portray ourselves as weak and mentally dependent, as a global charity case?*
Do you see the way Hollywood depicts Africa in its motion pictures? Yeah, as crude, uncivilized, tribal people running around naked and barefooted, the best they do when they want to portray a developing people? They depict the whole of Africa as one big ghetto. But who can blame them? African isn't covering itself in glory, who should?
Before I posted this article, I visited Pixabay to get a lead picture, I typed Africa in the search bar and all the result returned were those of lions, giraffe, dry land, deserts, malnourished kids. (SMH) Is that all that Africa is about? The rest of the world seems to think so, but who is gonna help change the narrative?
*We can't even tell our own stories, the way we know them.*
We have the natural resources and the human thinking capacity to go shoulder to shoulder with some of the most developed countries, why can't we make it happen?
Qatar will be hosting the 2022 World cup and they have built some of the best stadiums in the world. The Arabian gulf are rich in Crude Oil deposit, just like most African countries, they have successfully turned their region with these resources into a world wonder and can boost of some of the most beautiful tourist attractions in the world. They used their oil money to make their countries better, and the tourism continues to bring in more money and development follows.
They generate wealth from their own backyard, they keep the largest chunk of that wealth within and develop their countries with it, no cash flight and the economy breaths good air.
*What Is Wrong With Africa?*
**Weakness In Diversity?**
Europeans relationship with Africa during the slave trade and the colonial rule was purely for profit. The Europeans only ruled Africa in the way they could maximize profit best. It is safe to say that the way and manner Africa was colonized had nothing to do with Africa's slightest interests. Divide and conquer? Amalgamation?
When the colonial masters came to Africa, they saw people of diverse cultures, religions and traditions, so to make it easy for them to rule Africa; they had to band these people of different cultural, traditional and religious beliefs together.
The colonial rulers after banding these people together put in place, stringent administrative and policing apparatus to oppress, intimidate and exploit them, as well as making sure this apparatus protects them, the masters by any means necessary. One of the tactics employed by the Colonial masters was, they always favour one of the amalgamated tribes and use them to rule the others (Indirect rule). They did this in many African countries they ruled over and the effects are still reverberating in those countries till this day.
When the Chinese (Hong Kong) broke away from the shackles of the British, they were able to rally together, dismantle the administrative structures set up by the British, bring everything down, rebuild their country and their identity and purge themselves of any traces of the British. They were able to do this because nothing else mattered, nothing else was more important than their identity, because they had just one, one identity, one language, one culture, and one tradition. There was no second-guessing themselves; nobody had any ulterior motive bigger than the common good.
When the British and the rest of Europe left Africa to self-rulership, the African countries, unlike the Chinese, were too diverse for their own good, had no common goal nor identity, they didn't dismantle the structures the colonial masters had set up to rule them with, because they were busy tussling amongst themselves about who gets power, who gets to rule over the rest and enjoy the power and protection the Europeans once enjoyed. They couldn't come together to dialogue and agree to disintegrate amicably the same way they had been brought together by colonialism. The regions that control power oppress and intimidate the other side, any region that manages to get hold of power doesn't like to hear about the other side seceding. This cycle continues and every thought of growth and development as a people, is replaced with the common goal of merely being in power and looting their country dry.
Europeans forcefully mangled together different diverse African nations long time ago, Africans in power continually force these unholy matrimonies to continue.
The genocide of Rwanda, the Nigerian civil war and the civil war currently going on in Ethiopia is testament to this.
The Africans in power continued in the way of the Colonial masters, this time, exploiting, intimidating and oppressing their own people with the same apparatus set up by colonialism. As of recently, many countries in
Africa were ruled by military regimes, military set up and trained for the purpose of oppression by colonialism. The ones that pretend to practice a more people friendly system of government (Democracy, Parliament) often amend the constitution to accommodate their quest to stay in power forever, and when the people rise up to revolt, they are killed in their numbers using the military forces.
What is wrong with Africa?
...To be continued(Most definitely)
Emotions & Writer's Block
**My Affiliate Link**
When I discovered I could efficiently put my thoughts down on paper, in a way a reader would even bother, I realised a talent that could be honed and harnessed.
Imagine my excitement when I found out that I could write and earn a reward in crypto.
I am not a good writer, or at least I don’t know what that actually entails, but I know I can tell my stories exactly how I want them told, so I knew right away there was something here for me.
I had stumbled upon this platform on a local blog; this dude was advertising his affiliate link like it’s the next best thing. Now, I was a bit sceptical at first, because nobody made any corroborative comments on his posts, nobody that commented seemed to know about this platform, everybody was asking if it was for real, but nobody gave an affirming or negating response, even the dude himself didn’t bother to explain what the platform was about.
Well, I knew for one that I could write, and I also know enough about crypto to understand that getting paid in BCH for writing was actually a big deal.
Now I had to find out by myself it is was actually real or not so I jumped right onto the site, I didn’t feel like he explained enough for me to use his affiliate link, so I passed (Sorry dude).
First of all, I perused the site. It felt light and simple, I read through some articles and posts written by older authors and saw the tips they had garnered and I thought to myself, this isn’t going to be hard at all. I mean I read through some posts that seemed like personal journals, real life experience kinds of write up.
I was a bit more relaxed now because I had thought, given that writers we were going to be getting paid in BCH, posts and articles were going to be strictly crypto based. Well, I was wrong and I couldn’t be happier about it.
I quickly signed up, saved my backup phrase and proceeded to make my first post.
I didn’t know about the platform bot (randomrewarder) until after my first post. When my first post didn’t get any tip, I wasn’t worried because it didn’t take me time to compose it, then I stumbled upon the bot’s handle and read the kinds of articles it was likely to tip and the kinds it wouldn’t and I understood the longer your article, the better your chance to get tipped (Quality matters too).
After I had acquainted myself with Mr Rewarder, I understood why it didn’t tip my first post. It was an ‘I am new here’ post and it doesn’t tip those.
**I was On A Roll**
I was familiarizing myself with everything on the platform; everything was getting clearer at each login. Shortly after, I wrote my first proper article and within 5 hours of posting, I had been tipped $4 in BCH and that rose to $7 in the next 24hours.
I dropped 7 more articles in the next 8 to 9 days and the articles were racking up some really exciting numbers, I was awed. Dont get me wrong, the rewards may be small, depending on the part of the world you are reading from, but imagine writing at the speed I was doing and accumulating these little bits and fractions of BCH in your wallet. In no time, you could be holding onto a whole BCH or more, depending on your quality and consistency.
After 2 weeks on the platform, I had racked up a reasonable amount and I thought it was time to make a withdrawal (I still hadn’t believed it was real TBH).
I input my BCH wallet address and sent my reward homebound. LOL. A couple of minutes later, I checked my app and saw an incoming unconfirmed BCH transaction. Now I was truly convinced that this was a legit venture, and my imagination immediately ran away with me.
I continued on my initial roll of writing quality articles and the rewards was all the motivation I needed, because the tips kept coming in and subconsciously, I began painting a very large picture at the back of these incoming rewards, maybe just too big for my own good. LOL
I made another withdrawal a week after the first one and it was such a sweet feeling. These withdrawals were after just merely 3 weeks on the platform, and when I thought about it, the potential that I just uncovered and how it could change my financial dimensions, I was fired up.
Going into the new year, I had put plans in place to help me raise at least $4k in the first quarter of 2021 for my crypto trading portfolio and for bills. I had made these plans before I knew about this platform but after I became active on the platform, I realised that it had much better potential to raise me this $ sooner, alone than the rest of the other avenues combined. How about that for perspective?
The potential that this platform presented (and still holds for writers) was so overwhelming that the excitement actually disrupted my thought process. I thought to myself, to get to my $4k target quicker, I would have to write certain number of articles daily and a certain grand total monthly. This was totally doable, I thought to myself, but I had something else coming.
I had my little success on the platform, writing a certain way, my way, a way I have always loved to write, storytelling. I usually fuse real-life experiences, with a bit of fiction and deliver it with a little humour. It was the way I learnt to write, it is the way I figured I am best suited to write. I could write up to 2k words in a matter of an hour and half effortlessly, which was how it was when I was on my roll during my first two weeks here.
**My Barren Episode**
But because I had already thought ahead to the financial reward, I had already counted the money and even spent it in my mind; I put myself under pressure to churn out articles, the pressure and emotions affected my creativity and numbed my capacity to think in a certain way, to get into a certain state of mind, the state of mind I usually get into where I could write about anything and everything.
I felt like an artist who forgot how to hold his painting brush, I could no longer string words together the way I used to, I couldn’t connect more than two paragraphs together and get them to make sense.
I was really struggling to create and I got the confirmation I needed when I managed to mangle together one raggedy article of 900 words (barely) and the bot didn’t tip me, I wrote another one and got a tip of about $0.36 and that was it. There was trouble and something needed to change, I thought I really needed some help because I think what I was battling with was the writer’s block. LOL
I had actually pressured myself into a block and it was weird, it felt like having blocked nostril during flu season, the more you struggled to breathe, the more you couldn’t breathe and the more your nostril closes further. Hahaha. Swell!
I tried everything I could to get out of the damn episode, but nothing was working. I looked up the internet and tried some of the things suggested, but they were easier said than done. Like the suggestion that said I should try taking my mind off writing, relax and unwind. Well, that sound so cool but not realistic for me, because the more I idled about and did nothing, the more I thought about writing and the more I thought about how much BCH I would have gotten if I could just put out some damn articles. (LOL) and it didn’t help that we were in a bull season and the price of BCH and other major crypto were soaring through the roof.
*My block episode was taking too long (almost 8 days) and something had to give. I did something that opened up my mind and helped me get into that creative frame of mind again. I wrote a very long rant in a different language and mangled it with English here and there. It was an angry rant and even though it wasn’t written completely in one particular language, it made total sense for anybody who could read and understand the language – Pidgin.*
***The Reasons For My Writer’s Block***
*High Expectation*: Because of the little success I had experienced, the potential I realized that this place holds, I set too high a target for myself and put myself under a lot of pressure.
*Pressure to Deliver*: Because of the high expectations I had placed on my shoulders, the pressure to deliver became too much for me, and this in turn affected my creativity and thus output, in terms of quality.
*Complacency:* I had racked up a significant amount within a very short period of time, and it felt so easy. This indirectly got to my head, I felt I could do it with my eyes closed and it changed my frame of mind from agitated and ambitious to relaxed and fulfilled. Such a shame.
I am totally out of my barren episode and back to writing again, and I will be dropping the kind of nice articles that got me those very nice rewards, but I am no longer thinking about just the rewards. When I am not writing, instead of calculating unearned rewards, I spend my time reading some of @love_16 articles for perspective. I love the way she writes.
Village people for this new year
**My Linkup Guy**
Mehn, I no come understand wetin de happen oO. E just be like say I don write everything wey de my gut finish. I no just understand.
When I been newly signup, I was on such a roll, dropping articles like mad, raking up $ as e de hot. After my first 3 weeks here, I make up to around $85 effortlessly. As e be me during that roll, I come even the pity the dude wey been link me up.
One early morning wey I de do my usual perusal for internet, de scour for means wey man go take put something for belle, na en I stumble upon this guy thread for Nairaland. The thread been dry, nobody been de comment, but those wey been manage comment, na their yeye mail address them just drop (Lazy yoots). I no blame them sha, cos dude just de drop link to him profile so you fit use am sign up, then him still put a screen munch of him earnings for corner, him been de fine referral bonus.
People been no de comment because I know say them go think say na the same people, you go understand wetin I mean if you de visit nairaland wella. Well, me sef no comment, but the idea of earning in crypto for writing whatever appealed to me very much. Na so me just jump enter this site oO. I been no believe, because e been sound almost too easy, but I calm down peruse the site first, when I come understand my way around small, I come drop my first article. That one na 'I am new' article, so them no give me shishi, I no bother sha because that one been no take me time to compose, I come drop my second article wey be like around 3 minutes read, that one come return few cents in tips. Mad oO.
**Them clear my doubt**
I come cool down write another article; I pour things down from my heart. Mehn! na so this randomrewarder tip me almost $7 worth of BCH, the thing shock me, I no go lie.
After my first 9 articles, with 6 of them actually making any sort of money, I come cash out $34, barely two weeks in. You no go understand the levels of excitement wey build up for my head, because as at that time, na roast I been de roast.
As I cash out my first $, I come see the possibilities, I come visualize wetin I fit make in so so and so time with so so and so number of articles. I no go lie, I saw nothing but possibilities, and as I been de on a roll already, I feel say na so e go de be, I come de pity my man wey I use him link take know about the site, cos baba was dropping articles but this randomrewarder been the form stingy for the guy, I come de pity my guy, I come de reason to give am clues on how him go take run am, so that them go reward am plenty, I come de feel say I get all the answers. LOL
Well, me finally no reach out to am, because I no sure say wetin I go tell am go even work, and I no get strength to come de answer question everyday wey I login, so I park.
I still de drop articles de go, sometimes twice daily, and most of the articles, I wrote on the go. I no de even think the topic or the content, na as the spirit lead I de run am. Just like this one wey you de read like this now, na my lamentations and I just decide to run am for pidgin, I don tire to write English.
Soon after my first withdrawal of $34, I still withdraw another $35 through my Luno app. Me wey been no get shishi to my name before, come de get balance of 20k+ after the some expenses wey I don run. I was so damn excited, not for the money in my account, but for the possibilities that abound. I realised I could finally earn enough money to settle my debts and make some financial moves, all by doing something I loved, something I knew how to do very well.
The reason my writings been de come easy for me be say I been de write from the heart, about relatable things and in a sort of storytelling form. It felt like I was writing in my personal diary. I fused humour in my stories and made sure I remained completely anonymous so as to remove any sort of bias from my readers' eyes. I no drop country name, I no de drop any clue wey fit make you guess where I de. It was a roll for real.
**E come choke**
Wetin come spoil na? Wetin come be de issue now? I go gist you na, calm down. This na my book of lamentations, and I never even lament the lament. LOL
When I been find out the prospects and possibilities here, I come press calculator (for real, I press calculator) come de see say with certain number of articles, I fit de gather up to $1k monthly...abeg no blame me jare, problems full, problems wey that money no go even fit jam still de alive. As I press the calculator finish keep, na so belle come begin de sweet me (literally). You know that feeling when you new fall in love? Oyibo de call am butterflies. I was seriously feeling butterflies in my stomach. I was so excited that I couldnt sleep one night, I no just fit explain am, ontop money wey never enter my account oO, articles sef wey go give me the money, I never even write.
I no know whether the over excitement release some funny hormones wey mess up with my brain cells and my ability to write, abi na the many articles wey I don put for my head say I need to write. I no just know which one but na there my wahala start.
I come get major writer's block, I come forget how to write, how to string 5 words together without them looking disjointed or vague. I no come fit write from my soul again, the next 5 articles I wrote before this one now, no even raise me up to $5.
My articles come de sound mechanical, I come de sound like articles wey you go see for internet, common and of little value. I no come de unique in the way I wrote...the thing just tire me. The more I de try to come out from the episode, the more I de enter, much like a drowning man. I even leave writing for up to a week, go face them for their other site noise.cash. Noise de bring small small thing, but at all at all...When I still come back say make I write, e no still de enter, if I even write finish, I no de gree read wetin I write because I no come de enjoy my own writing again. Me wey be say I go read my article up to 5 times in admiration before I go post...just like this one https://read.cash/@Morning_Star/i-fell-in-love-with-a-sociopath-pt1-b248de8f
I don understand the many devils responsible for my present predicament and I just hope I can get out of it, because my future depend on am. My aim na to raise up to $3k in the first quarter of the new year, pay my rent, pay outstandings, then fix up my crypto trading portfolio while I continue to write on the side.
The devils wey I de battle with now na.
**High expectancy**: Because of small returns wey I see, I press calculator, see potential come set too high a target for myself.
**Pressure to Deliver**: Because of the high expectancy na, the pressure to deliver come begin de weigh me down. The pressure numbed down all my creativity. I couldnt think of anything worthy to write, wey be say before, I go just look my curtain, idea don enter I go just begin de write. Now, I de think too hard before I go write, I come de lost for words, my vocab pool come dry up all of a sudden. Mehn, writer's block is real.
Another thing wey I de battle with na **complacency**. As I cash out twice, I come feel say I don get the magic key. See me the reason to show person de way, based on say the guy no de make any money. Mtcheww...na ment!
This whole thing now take me around 50 minutes to write, and na so I been de usually write, from my heart. I just hope say e go help sort out my writer's block because pocket don dry again oO and my landlord don de lose patience small small. LOL
Clutter: Learn to Organize Your House
There are somethings you outgrow, but you just can't place your finger on how it happened or how you did it.
I used to be a sentimental packrat, almost every piece of trash around me seems to hold some kind of value. lol
As I said, I don't know how it happened, but over time I realized, I started disliking clutter. I started appreciating my immediate environment with less litters and debris.
I understood what OCD meant later in life and realized my new found love for a clean environment had something to do with a mild psychological disorder I had developed (again, without knowing at the time).LOL. I am not weird at all.
Keeping things organized is a superpower, you don't agree? Try living with messy and unorganized people. Simplicity is truly life's rare beauty and it is such beauty that gives birth to organization.
Being organized comes so easy and effortlessly for some people (like me...winks)but to others, it could be such a drag. From making the bed to organizing their wardrobes and clearing their kitchens, it is such a task, no wonder House Cleaning is such a thriving business everywhere in the world, people are getting lazier as the day goes by.
It is ok if you have the finance to employ as many house-helps as you possibly want, after all, by doing so, you are creating job opportunities and helping the economy of your immediate community grow.
But what if you can't afford domestic help and you are such a messy person? There might be hope for you after all but that would involve putting your back into it. Do you think you can put in the work?
Messy people might be some of the most kind-hearted people on Earth but really, nobody wants to be roommates with someone who cannot clean up after themselves, it's annoying and infuriating.
Below are some of the ways you could go about keeping your life organized and I hope you put it into practice because really, you messy people are very upsetting and most times very unhygienic.
**Early to bed, early to rise.**
One thing I have noticed about messy and unorganized people is, their sleeping pattern is a mess, they sleep a lot when they are supposed to be awake and active and are awake and active when they are supposed to be sleeping and resting. They sleep all the time, they are awake all the time, they are lethargic, thus can't keep up with their own overlapping daily activities. Very annoying.
If you could try to get hold of your sleep routine, things would be a lot less complex and every other thing would be easy to put in place.
**Have a to-do list**
Before going to bed on the night of the previous day, prepare a list of the tasks you are supposed to complete the following day, this would help remove clutter in your day's schedule and help cancel out tasks one after the other. Unorganized people don't just suck in completing tasks in their daily lives and their immediate environment, they also suck at arranging these things first of all in their minds.
If the mind can conceive it then it can be achieved, but the problem with these people is, the mind really can't conceive it, so they need the to-do list to help put them in line.
**Say no to Multitasking**
Managing your energy and attention in order to carry out your daily tasks efficiently is important. To make sure you maximize your time and energy, it is best not to do more than one chore at the same time, until you have mastered the art.
Target and eliminate one task at a time, when one is done, move your attention to the next.
Sometimes, you find that you make more mess when trying to do everything all at once than the mess that was there originally.
This point is especially valuable, not only for unorganized people but people with short attention span. Maybe, unorganized people are so because they have a very short attention span, if so then we are still talking to the same people anyhow. LOL
**Have a routine.**
This looks like the same thing with a to-do list but it's not. To-do list is there to remind of the things you have to do that you are yet to do. Having a routine simply means patterning daily activities systematically to suit your life. For instance, my morning routine has nothing to do with my to-do list. I wake up in the morning, I make my bed first, then I tidy up my room, go to the kitchen and drink two glasses of water, idle about a bit while my system comes to life, then I head straight to the loo. After I had finished conducting my business in the loo, I brush my teeth and take a shower. This is more or less my morning routine, I have my evening routines too which includes working out and reading.
When you have a routine, everything happens like a clockwork, that sense of duty helps mitigates lousiness and helps you stay organized.
**Big chores for weekends**
Reserving the bulky chores for the weekend means there wouldn't be a clutter. You know who your enemy is and you know what needs to be done. This is better, as opposed to doing them during the week and possibly abandoning them because of having a lot of things on your schedule. It helps you save energy and focus during the week and then redirect them where they are most needed during the weekends.
Ultimately, it boils down to putting in a conscious effort to do things right. You might know all these things and still love and enjoy the chaos around you. Lol
http://value.lol/
Love Alone Is Not Enough
I love you! This magical phrase is often a seal of endearment, one that is supposed to prove that we are willing to go all in, delve in deep and sacrifice everything, blood, sweat and tears for our partners.
This phrase is often the premise on which many romantic relationships are started, and one on which many marriages are built and are supposed to thrive.
If we aren’t talking about arranged marriage (which I am sure you know we aren't), it is a given then that some form of attraction has to occur between you and your lover, there has to be a spark, chemistry – ***love***, and these are the first sentiments that start the natural progression of a romantic relationship and ultimately marriage.
At first, it is all that seems to matter, all that is needed, you know. I am sure you have heard "I love you and that's all that matters" once or twice in your life. You might have even said it yourself or have been at the receiving end. It can be such a powerful proclamation, a show of faith and loyalty, but without other major ingredients needed to build and sustain such marriage, that's all it will end up as, merely a show.
The emotion that we call love is fleeting, what we continue to enjoy in the long term after love happened isn’t the same love that happened all those many years/months ago. Something different must have come in; something different must have been built on top of that very fiery emotion. New elements of endearments must have come into the equation to cement the first emotion we felt, the one that started the whole thing. But in the unfortunate event that no other good virtue or element is built, the first emotion we felt, becomes too weak a foundation to hold the weight of the relationship.
At the end of this article, we may even end up with the realization that love is not as paramount in relationships and marriages as we give it credit for. But we are not going to jump the gun here; we would first of all input all other ingredients and see what is cooking.
**Money as an ingredient:**
I know this looks very obvious, and yes, I know money grants you unlimited access in life, but it is deeper than that. But I am not talking about that kind of money, I am not talking about riches, you know, Forbes-list worthy kind of wealth. I am talking about the kind of money that guarantees you know where your next meal is coming from, the kind that makes it possible to pay your bills and meet your immediate needs, the kind that makes sure you live a dignified life.
The presence of money glosses over some of the petty tendencies that you might never think a person possesses. The true nature of our being is made plain when we are in need, when we are lacking.
Money carries so much weight and influence, you can't even begin to imagine it if you have never been in a financially constrained romantic relationship. As a man, you tend to lose a shred of the respect you command from your partner and as a woman, you become so dependent on your man that you lose your voice and capacity for opinions and suggestions. Imagine a situation where the money isn't even coming in from either one of you, maybe for some unforeseen reasons we may not be able to relate with.
This is where you find out that the challenges that face a family with money are usually different from those faced by the family without it.
Not being able to pay rent on time, pay tuition fees; medical bills etc are some of the recipes for nagging and bitchiness in a house without money. Love wouldn't hold out for too long in an environment like this, even love needs money to flourish.
**Personality Compatibility as an Ingredient.**
There are lots of things you cannot find out about your partner during the courting season, no matter how long it might have lasted.
Like I wrote earlier, the human is a very complex and complicated being and you can't know him to the latter.
Knowing enough about your partner and their personality is as essential as love and money because you have to be sure what you can or can't tolerate and cope with before going in.
As an extrovert, you might find your partner's introverted personality annoying and you might even view it as a disability if you do not understand it, especially when you have the impression that activity equals productivity. It gets worse if your introverted partner isn't bringing any money at the moment. Both personalities ought to complement and cancel each other out, but the difference in personality can also become a hindrance to a strong healthy union.
As a person that has OCD, how do you cope with a partner who doesn't take personal and general hygiene seriously? How do you cope with the demands of a partner that has OCD?
These are some of the things you might not be able to detect during your courting period. As an organized person, how do you deal with a partner that trashes the house without making any kind of effort to clean up after themselves?
These might all sound minute and insignificant, but it compounds and in the long run becomes noticeable and thus problematic.
**Sacrifice & Compromise as Ingredients**
Life is not a bed of roses, there are ups and downs in life, even in our own individual lives, we sacrifice and compromise a lot just to get by. We work 9-5 jobs to put food on your tables, when we find ourselves working under annoying and insufferable bosses, we chose to be patient and persevere, because maybe the salary is good and we wouldn't want one annoying boss to spoil it for us, or because we have no other option so decide to make do. Whatever the case might be in the office and working environment, the same virtues and sentiments are required in the marriage institution.
They say familiarity breeds contempt, but what is a romantic relationship without familiarity? What do you do to make sure the familiarity between you and your spouse isn't the type that has been made popular over the years? What you do is, learn to manage their excesses and shortcomings, just as they do yours. You learn to be patient with them, deal with their mess when they are sick and incapacitated; you manage them as you would a toddler. This with time becomes a lifelong practice, one on which the long term fate of your marriage might rest upon.
In marriages and other romantic unions, we spend a lot of time agreeing to disagree, breaking up and making up, compromising, sacrificing and being patient, after all, we are dealing with people with varying personalities, different family backgrounds, political views and all whatnot.
Having outlined and discussed these many essential ingredients responsible for a stable marriage, we can boldly say that love alone isn't enough. Build a relationship with love, money, sacrifice & compromise, personality compatibility, then take away love, I am sure no one would notice because money and the rest of the ingredients would certainly keep things rolling and keep everyone busy. But, leave love and take away money and all of a sudden you can smell trouble. Leave love and money and take away sacrifice & compromise and you face the potential of unrest in the family.
However you look at it, love is not the be-all and end-all of marriage, so if you are getting into one, you better enter prepared.
Be Better: A Case Of New Beginings
**The Pragmatist View to New Year**
A pragmatist like myself would tell you there is nothing different from a new year and an old year. Merely a slight change in the numbers we see on our calendar.
Practically, there is nothing new about a new year. The weather would have been the same as the previous day (year), the size of your bank account would be the same, and the size of your ego would be the same.
And if you are a procrastinator, the size of your excuses would be the same or even considerably bigger. LOL
Being humans and having relatives and friends who believe that the new year is some kind of special season, it is difficult to detach yourself totally from this mentality, this frame of mind. There is nothing explicitly wrong with it though, nothing wrong with thinking the New Year is special and bodes something nice and promising for you. But it becomes a joke when you think those good things are just going to magically happen without your effort. I have come to realise that the only thing that would truly usher a new and different year, is a right change of approach to things, which means putting in the effort and doing things differently, positively, being forward and upward.
The New Year starts with a lot of drinking, eating and celebrating for a lot of people and sadly, the higher percentage of those who think something is magically going to happen for the good are amongst this "lot of people".
You want the New Year to be actually new and different? Yeah? So what have you done? Willing to do? And doing about it?
Don’t get me started with the "new year resolution" bandwagon. LOL. Those ones are laughable, why? Because almost all of them fall off the damned wagon by the second week of January. LOL. Am I right or am I right?
Well, luckily for those band-wagoners, the New Year offers everybody some kind of soft landing. Everybody seems to feel some kind of way towards January, some kind of bias. Your boss is more likely to fire you in any other month for bad conduct than in January. Your landlord is likely to give you some kind of grace for unpaid rent in January than any other month...For these special grace that January bestows upon everybody, only a few take due advantage of it and those are the people I call realists. I am not talking about the New Year resolution people. LOL.
I am talking about those who know about the New Year resolution people and their disposition, who also know about the new year bias and use all of them to their advantage. LOL
So, I think I have made my point now if you can dig. Now, what do you want for the New Year? What do you think you deserve? What do you think you are due? You have a chance to go at it, you have been presented with a new, clean slate. Would you be sincere and use it to your advantage or are you going to jump on and off the New Year resolution bandwagon and finish the year like a loser? I bet you wouldn’t want that. Nobody would want that, but what everybody wants, few people actually work towards achieving.
So where are you going to be setting up your tent? With the WORKERS or the WISHERS? LOL
Do you want a better income?
Better physical shape?
Better circle of friends?
All-round better outlook?
We all want better everything, but if better is easy, everyone would have better and be better. Being better means setting goals and crushing them, setting up tasks and completing them. Better means not giving up when it isn’t going well. Better means having that warrior mentality. Yeah, that warrior mentality, never say die attitude...if you want all these, I could point you in the right direction. But, all I can do is point you, you are going to have to carry your damn cross by yourself. Ain't nobody sharing the glory with you when you have finally become the better you. LOL
**1. Read Books**
There is a popular saying that goes thus - readers are leaders. That is one of the truest things that has ever been said. What is your reading culture like? Do you even read? I am not talking about reading to pass an exam, that isn’t reading per se, that’s merely memorizing. I mean reading to be a better human being, reading to fill your subconscious with conscious information and data.
There are gold buried in books, you have to read up to dig up, there are unique potentials buried in you, you have to read up to unravel some of them. Reading makes you smarter, a better a thinker, a rational decision-maker, you can learn how to master your emotions from reading certain books, you learn how to make financial decisions, how to make remove emotions from certain decisions. What else can I say? Reading makes you twice as tall, elevates you from the level of average to a unique giant.
Now, a lot of people either do not have the reading culture or are just can't be bothered. Well, if you know the true value of filling your mind with all kinds of workable information, I am sure you would be bothered. I am gonna suggest some books that would get you started, help you develop the reading culture and immerse you into the reading pool. It doesn't matter how busy you think your day gets, give reading at least 2 hours of your time every day and watch yourself blossom.
· ***Marcus Aurelius – Meditations***
It is such a wonder that the life of this Ancient Roman Emperor resonates with our century, our world as if time hasn’t passed. Reading up on Marcus’s Meditations and all his stoical philosophies would very much help rewire your brain and help you maximise your time and resources as well as productivity and end result. You would sure learn how to remove excesses from your daily living. Read and imbibe.
· See also ***The Daily Stoic – Ryan Holiday***. This one is also so relatable you might think it is your life under the microscope. Read and become a better you.
· ***Susan Cain - Quiet***
This book would hit home better if you are an introverted personality and think you don’t belong or if you find yourself feeling inadequate, shy or timid. Susan Cain broke it all down here and if you think you might never reach your full potential because you are not loud and about, reading Quiet would help you unravel your true potential.
· ***Mark Manson – The Subtle Art of not giving a fuck***
This book lets bare the one thing that is holding some people back from reaching their true potential and that one thing is – giving a fuck about what people would say.
The book isn’t saying you should turn to a prime sociopath, no, far from it. It is basically going to help rewire your brain and help you live your life, not caring what people might think about your decisions, about how you look, about how you walk or how you chose to spend your time and money. The book is actually telling you to live your life for you, unhinged and to the best of your ability. Do not let what people might think influence or affect your life and decisions.
These above, are some of the books that would get you started for the year and if you are serious about them, they certainly would lead you to other books of same value. Get your reading culture activated, be more informed this New Year than you ever were in the past years.
***2. Spend less time in front of the screens.***
If one of your New Year resolutions is being productive and maximizing time and resources then spending time watching TV and scrolling non-stop through social media is simply not going to help your cause. The screens are some of the biggest and most addictive time wasters known to mankind because there is always going to be something new to watch on the TV or to see on social media. Get hold of your life and turn that screen off, quit social media if you sincerely know it has negative effects on you. Social media can be utilized as a great tool of learning but you have to be conscious about it, about learning. Do you log in to Twitter, Facebook and IG to get the latest gist and celebrity ramblings or do you login to learn something productive from some of the best business and investment handles? To keep up with that programming handle? With that book club handle? You see, social media can either the death of you or the saviour of dwindling life. Choose wisely.
***3. Workout and eat healthily.***
Nothing conditions you better towards being a better you than reading, exercise and healthy diet and we have already talked about Reading.
Studies have shown that many ailments that have bedevilled mankind can be tracked down to lack of exercise and poor diet. From Obesity and Cancer to lack of confidence and low self-esteem, we would actually be dealing with a lot fewer terminal ailments if we exercised and ate healthy food.
Let one of your new age resolutions be to exercise and eat better. Exercise doesn’t have to be fancy; it just needs to be conscious and sincere. You can walk for an hour every day; you can develop an indoor workout regimen for yourself, a regimen of squats and pushups. These kinds of workout don’t need any facilities or any equipment; here you have all the tools you need – your own body weight.
Workout, take good care of your body and watch your confidence and self-esteem soar through the roof. This certainly would affect all aspects of your life positively, from your sex life, interpersonal relationships to your long terms decision makings.
Eating junk and processed food has become the bane of human existence. Living in an age where time is a scarce resource has surely affected us in a largely unforeseen way. We want to eat on the go, no time to waste, so we eat meat from chicken pumped with growth chemicals, prepared with chemicals that make them taste better and warmed up (microwave) with the technology that cooks them in a matter of minutes, sometimes seconds.
We replace water with fluids that are practically bad for our organs, and it doesn't help that the advert companies paint these products so good that you’d never think you are literally poisoning your own system gradually. Have you ever heard of Zero Coke or Diet Coke? They look and taste the same as your everyday Coca Cola drink but they are supposed to have Zero Sugar? So what’s in it that makes it so sweet, same as the normal coke? Advert and marketing, that’s your answer, and people are falling for it.
Learn to cook for yourself, make it your new age goal in case you don't know how to cook. Learn to cook and cook your own food, appreciate nature more and replace “juice” and other flavoured drinks with water. If you want to drink fruit juice, extract them yourself from the fruits and drink. Do you want smoothies? Make them yourselves...
***4. Learn an Internet Skill***
If one of your new age resolutions is to earn better pay, then you need to learn the skills that would make you that money. We are in an age where technology is paving way for mind-blowing human and societal growth, are you going to take advantage or are just going to sit on the sidelines and mope? The potential on the internet is so limitless, it’s actually crazy. You can make millions from the comfort of your home without having to talk to or see another human’s face, and the good news is, you can learn all these things free of charge right there on the internet. All you need is a phone/laptop, data, time, discipline and willpower. There are countless opportunities for you on the internet, you could learn...
*Coding & Programming*
*Copywriting*
*Forex & Binary Options*
*Crypto-trading (BTC, BCH, ETH etc)*
*Affiliate marketing*
*Blogging*
Let these marinate a bit, read and make your new year worthwhile, do your own thing and be better. Get off the bandwagon and get to work. We could well continue this article because there is so much to be said about taking advantage of the New Year.
@Morning_Star
