Hello there my Steemit friend:
I'm sure that today is one of those rough days when its extra hard to keep a smile on your face. This is precisely why I decided to write this post at this moment, because I realize that you might be feeling very disheartened, very disappointed with the current market valuation. If you are feeling panic, if you are feeling stressed, I hope this open letter gives you a reason to remain calm and keep your hopes up.
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I've lived most of my life wearing many hats, as an artist I've had to fight to achieve what I've built, but as an Entrepreneur my ability to remain calm, to practice patience, to find my emotional balance has been tested to absolute extremes. This has been the case almost from the start of my professional life, and it continues to be so even today, many decades later.
Spending half of my time traveling, living in Brazil as well as USA, I've had the privilege of having a somewhat objective view on the way markets behave. The country where I was born, Brazil, is extremely hostile to those with an Entrepreneur's heart. Without going into specific details, just attempt to imagine an economy were being late on a credit card payment, or paying the minimums due to financial hardships, results in 400% annual interest.
You might be asking yourself. Why is this relevant to the conversation? Well, to put this into simple words: Operating in an economy like Brazil has taught me to really learn to control my emotions, to keep a level head even when the situations looks extremely difficult, in order to make the best decisions possible.
Looking at the cryptocurrency markets today I was reminded of these particular times in my life and I thought it would be a good time to invite others to reflect upon this realities of the markets. This cycle is actually very normal, and not only within cryptocurrencies, but you could make the case that it's normal in life in general.
I realize many people who participate of this platform are having a really hard time at the moment, not knowing what's going to happen to all the time and money they have invested on Steem. I can see as well that many are selling their tokens in panic. It's obvious when I see the order books on exchanges like binance. But I'm here to tell you that today, right now, is not the time to be selling. It's actually the absolute worse time to be selling your holdings.
As an Entrepreneur I've lived through many financial winters, but overcoming those hard times was not a thing of coincidence or luck. I remember vividly those moments when my emotional fortitude was tested, when I believed sometimes for just seconds there was not way I was going to come out the victor on the other side. I would fight those negative thoughts not allowing my mind to ponder those possibilities bringing me anxiety and pain.
It was just a few weeks ago that I shared on this blog one of my favorite movies, The Pursuit of Happiness. My personal story may not be precisely like that, but in many ways I relate a lot to the character of the story. I also had to struggle to grow, to learn. I also started from the ground up.
When I was younger I did not have the advantage of having a mentor. Someone that could give me advice at times when I truly needed it. This is why I'm so insistent on the idea of keeping an open mind, on being receptive when people that have walked the path before share with us their experiences as I'm doing with you today.
I remember hearing a long time ago someone say that to make money, to create wealth, you need to have money. I know today that this is very inaccurate. At this point there are thousands of examples of people that inherit fortunes, or win the lotto, only to lose it all in a very short time.
To accumulate wealth, to grow, you need a plan, and you need the right attitude. And that is the core message I want to leave with you today. Hold your chin up high, don't give up, don't lose hope, look at these times like the opportunity to practice strength, to practice patience and nothing else.
As I've said already a couple of times this week, right now is not the time to be dumping our holdings into an exchange filled with fear. It's the time to get creative, to see if we can acquire some more, or keep the ones we have, while we patiently wait for the market to turn around, because we know it will. It always does. I believe in this so much I've made an effort to buy more Steem this whole week too.
I'm going to leave this post there, with a simple yet powerful promise. If we stay positive, if we learn to control that fear, that panic and work on our personal development, before you know it summer will have arrived. Then we can look back at these times and smile thinking to ourselves how much we overreacted to it all.
A huge hug to you all, much love