My Name is John, and I Believe the Future is Distributed and Decentralized

Hello Steemit!

My name is John, and this introductory post is meant to give you a little background on me, as well as how I came to be on Steemit. It may have taken me a long time to get on board, but I have finally come to understand just what the blockchain revolution means for the world.

I first heard about blockchain technology in 2014. Bitcoin had made its splash in the news, and people were ranting and raving about this new technology poised to change the world. I didn't understand the implications of it at the time, but my curiosity was piqued. There was a tangible edginess to the community surrounding Bitcoin that was exciting. So many people genuinely believed that it was the next technological revolution that would change everything. Unfortunately, I wasn't interested enough to actually do my research and understand the thing. Instead, I happily went on my way, not knowing that was allowing the investment opportunity of a lifetime to pass me by.

Fast forward to 2017, and my how I have changed my tune. I recently convinced my father to purchase 1 Bitcoin valued at approximately $2,700. Had I done the same for him in 2014, he would have roughly 10x'd his investment. Seeing that really woke me up. I don't want to be looking back in 2020 wishing that I had jumped on the bandwagon 2017. I'm jumping on the bandwagon. And Steemit is a big part of that journey.

So Who Am I?

My parents are missionaries, a necessary piece of information to understand my perspective on the world. Growing up in an American home in a foreign land leaves you constantly learning to bounce between cultures, and languages. I don't think there's anything that could be better for the development of a child. It teaches you how to communicate well at an early age. The emphasis on communication skills in "international" communities astounds me to this day.

Growing up in this environment, normal becomes a very broad term. Whereas people who live in one place all their lives have a very narrow definition of what is normal from day to day, a missionary kids life lends itself to...diversity. Our house was a hub for all sorts of things. It was rare to not have guests, and oftentimes those guests would stay for extended periods of time.

It's hard to imagine a greater childhood.

I lived in the states for many of my teen years, and continued to bounce back and forth between Panama and Arkansas until I was 21. At that point I had broken off a 5 year relationship, and was looking for what to do next. So I moved back to Panama, and met some of the greatest people I've ever known. We spent two years hanging out, and sharing our lives. They changed me more in that short period of time than anyone else has in my 25 years on this planet. They made me a better person, and I'll always be thankful for their influence.

Snap Back to Reality

So that gets us to the present day. What's my plan going forward, you might ask?

I am currently living in Arkansas. I have a boring day job, and dreams about the life that I want to be living. And for the first time, possibly ever, I have an actual plan for how to escape and live those dreams.

The plan includes a site I am building here in Northwest Arkansas called jobsNWA (http://www.jobsnwa.com). It's just a job board for my local area meant to replace Craigslist jobs.

That site is step one. I will be documenting my dive into this new life here on Steemit, and on all my social media channels. I want to benefit by riding the wave of the blockchain revolution, and switching my source of income to being exclusively online.

I guess we'll see what happens!

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and I hope you'll subscribe to follow along on my journey!