You're not alone.
This industry is moving fast; there's no getting around that. It's faster than the old-school Wall Street bankers comprehend, faster than the views on the latest trendy TikTok video, faster than the fastest DOGE meme, even faster than the mightiest pump-and-dump rocket that Elon and his rich cronies can fire into space. And with all this talk (for years now) about going "to the moon," why have we never stopped to ask ourselves if the moon is big enough or far enough for what we're doing?
I think a lot of us underestimate not only ourselves, but the work we are all doing. As much as we hate to call ourselves a "team" and as much as we love to think that we can do anything on our own, we need each other, and we're all running the same race.
What is the moon? It's a rock in space, pretty much in Earth's backyard. It's so close to us in fact that it is literally drawn to us by the planet's gravitational pull. It's also barren and grey. It's not covered in gold, diamonds or anything we can see that has tremendous value, so why are we so eager to symbolically banish ourselves to its surface?
What's my point? We are already the Earth. We are much bigger and better than the moon. We're the ones with the resources, the skills and the motivation to get things done, and expanding to a relatively small rock just a hop away from the planet's surface will not change that. What do we hope to accomplish on the moon that we cannot already accomplish here?
Enough about the moon. I'm here to talk about the problem of too much to keep up with. The more time I spend in the worlds of blockchain, NFTs, play-to-earn and defi, the less I know. While I'm working hard every day to create and promote not just the company I work for (Splinterlands), but other projects and ideas I believe in, each day a hundred new things make themselves known to me. I want to learn, but just like content creation, learning can be a full time job.
How can I (a simple creative writer turned blockchain enthusiast) keep up with everything that is happening in this world? I'll give you the simplest answer, then off some tips and tricks on ways that you can actually keep yourself informed and educated from reliable sources. First, the simple answer...
I can't.
That's right. In 99% of life, getting things done is as simple as first believing that they are possible. In this space, with as quickly as it is moving, you must go against your impulses and first accept the impossible.
It is impossible for me to learn everything about every aspect of aspect of blockchain, but I can specialize and continue to grow in the things I do understand.
It is impossible for me to be an expert on every new company, project and release in the NFT space, but I can pick specific ones that naturally draw my attention and help others to understand them on the level that I do.
It is impossible for me to make all the right decisions, but in realizing that I can protect myself against unnecessary risks, especially when dealing with money (as most of these things do).
Continuing Education
Programs, apps and operating systems require updates. While updates don't always accomplish the desired result, their intentions are usually similar, and it's in the name. They keep everything up to date. With people, this can be translated to the idea of continuing education. Experts and professionals in every industry have some form of continuing education. Doctors must attend conferences in which they listen to boring speeches by peers. Real estate agents must receive the newest certifications, lawyers must learn about new legal precedents.
Basically, it is accepted throughout the professional world that updates must continually be made to every industry. If that industry is not growing, then it is disappearing, and if the experts are not growing along with it, then they are falling behind.
So how do we solve this problem in the wild and unpredictable world of blockchain technology? It's difficult enough to even know who to trust in this complex and fast-moving world. Sometimes I feel like I'm riding on the top of a 200 mph bullet train, holding on for dear life, but I'm also expected to have meetings there and to continually prove my credentials (which are mostly made of confidence and speculation). How can I be expected to take notes, keep lists or ever know what's coming next? Have you ever faced a 200 mph wind? I imagine that the skin of your face is so pulled back that you can barely even talk. If you're not careful, the people behind you will be covered in the uncontrollable drool coming from your mouth. Gross, I know.
No matter how much I'd like the train to slow down at times so we can all get our bearings, it keeps moving at breakneck speed. After all, the people who are comfortable inside the bullet train have places to be and meetings of their own to keep, even though they're lucky they don't have to have them on the roof. When a turn in the track comes, I must hold on tighter than ever.
The blockchain train is not going to stop, but some people riding on top of it will lose their grip and be flung off into some strange land. You can prevent this by working with others as often as possible. Offer what you can to help them, and they will offer the same to you.
CONNECTIONS, FRIENDSHIPS and PARTNERS
The world needs more cooperation. I have a theory that meetings have severely declined since the rise of social media. As much as it seems that these tools were designed to connect us more than ever, I think that they were created to make more disconnection than anything. The social media outlets have put people into self-absorbed boxes of their own making, where getting followed and liked is more important than actually moving forward.
My experience with blockchain has helped me realize that we cannot do any of this without each other's help. Companies who think they are above this will fail, and they will fail hard. Idea people need money people, developer people need creative people, designer people need developer people, innovative people need marketing people, writer people needs artist people, artist people need art people, startup people need investor people... What is the commonality? People need people.
Get Connections at DYGYCON
Above are some of the reasons that DYGYCON was created. The Splinterlands team saw a need for more connection in the industries that we love. We have no shortage of hard-working and brilliant people who keep to themselves, but if they always keep to themselves, their brilliance can quickly be wasted, or even worse, turn into despair and loneliness. Loneliness is perhaps the worst plague that humanity has ever seen, and recent years have proven that it doesn't care how many billions of people are in the world. It will strike, and it will do significant damage if we do not take action to stop it.
The answer to loneliness is friendship. That may seem obvious, but good friends are hard to come by, especially today. We are encouraged to focus on each others' differences to the point of ruthless alienation, and we are rarely encouraged to set aside those differences (or rarer still) to celebrate them together.
At DYGYCON, we aim to create an ongoing event that will facilitate friendship. If we can do that, all the other things will follow. Brilliant partnerships and collaborations will form. We will be stronger together. We will all stay educated on the latest blockchain developments, some of which we have little hope of understanding on our own. We have made sponsorship and booth rental costs very reasonable so that no matter the size of your company or project, you will find value in supporting us, and you will make real friends.
DYGYCON is free to attend. Think of it as your opportunity to do some continuing education, while also having a blast partying with your friends. We live all over the world, and none of us have the means to travel to one location to meet up every two months. DYGYCON will make this meetup a reality. At DYGYCON, all you need to do is walk up to someone and strike up a conversation. If it turns organically into a business meeting, just step up to one of the private conversation tables and get down to business.
REGISTER TO ATTEND DYGYCON HERE.
Do yourself a huge favor by attending our 2nd DYGYCON event on March 13th, powered by Gamerjibe. There will be free stuff, fun and games, expert talks, and big companies to connect with. Plus, you can run and jump, making it a helluva lot more fun than the run-of-the-mill e-conferences you're used to.
Bid on an NFT in the Auction House, or list one of your own to be sold. If you have a company or project that you'd like to get involved with DYGYCON, we would love to talk with you about our many opportunities for collaboration and sponsorship.
Just send an email to our lead organizer, Carrie Allen at [email protected]
JOIN US!
We are currently accepting applications from anyone who would like to help with DYGYCON in 2021, including volunteers, auctioneers, salespeople, social influencers, crypto artists and more. It is possible that some of these positions will blossom into regular paid employment with DYGYCON in the future, but first we'd like to give you all a chance to show us what you can do! And we need your help to make this the go-to event for connections that we envision.
SALES TEAM - Initial Application
INTEREST FORM - First Contact
Follow us on Twitter
