I’ve always been wildly optimistic about Bitcoin, and so far, it’s never let me down the way so many warned it would. That said, it’s no longer everything to me. There was a time when I wrapped my whole identity in it; when being the Bitcoin guy felt like a mission, but eventually, that began to feel like a LARP. No one’s personality should be defined by a protocol. Bitcoin resonated with me not because it gave me purpose, but because I already had a deep sense of purpose; it just helped refine it. Bitcoin has absolutely changed me for the better, but one of its most profound lessons is that there are no idols, only peers. Everyone is on their own journey toward a better, more sovereign version of themselves. I stopped looking up and started looking around. I’ve always said: Don’t get so caught up in where you’re coming from that you forget where we’re going…but now I’d add: Don’t get so caught up in where you’re going that you forget where you are. This moment, right now, is all we ever actually have. It’s a gift, and it’s not cliché to call it the present. Watching others grow, age, and evolve reminds me that, no matter how different our backgrounds or beliefs, we all share the same finite path through time. That realization grounds me. I’m not sure whether I believe in coincidence, or whether it even matters. What I do know is that every experience, no matter how small, is uniquely yours. You’re the only one who witnessed it from your exact vantage point, and if something so fleeting and seemingly random can still feel significant, maybe it is, maybe that’s enough. I’ve never really felt like an insider. I’ve always seen myself as someone on the outside looking in, but I’ve come to see that as a strength, not a flaw. I don’t fit in a box, and I don’t try to. I’ve met others along the way who feel the same, and those have become some of my closest connections: people too real, too layered, to be easily categorized. I don’t think I’ll ever stop stacking sats or self custodying what I earn. Maybe that means I’m leaving gains on the table in some metaphorical sense, but I sleep easy knowing I’m in control of what matters most to me. All in all, this has been the most fun and meaningful experiment of my life: Can I live on a Bitcoin standard? Will my life improve because of it? Yes and yes. Bitcoin taught me to prioritize what truly matters: my family, my normie friends, and this community, people who challenge, inspire, and walk this road beside me. I’m rooting for all of you. Whatever path you’re on, I hope today is a good day. Keep going.

In case you were wondering, altseason is only a season for fiat minded speculators. It refers to a brief window where so called alternatives to Bitcoin appear to outperform it, but only when you cherry pick the timeframes and the data. Even then, the outperformance rarely holds. In the long run, everything bleeds against Bitcoin. The proof is in the charts, the returns, and the wreckage. These aren’t real alternatives; they’re parasites. They feed off Bitcoin’s credibility and momentum while luring in the uninformed with promises of higher gains. It’s not innovation, it’s opportunism. Be cautious. Hype fueled by over optimism is a dangerous drug. If you’re not an insider, you’re the exit liquidity. The odds of making it during altseason might be worse than those at your local casino, but every time, there’s a new crowd convinced this is the cycle that will dethrone Bitcoin. Spoiler: it never is. The only thing truly consistent about altseason is the rug pull waiting at the end.

One thing I want to make clear: exposure to Bitcoin and holding Bitcoin in self custody are two very different things. With that distinction in mind, I don’t agree with all the criticism companies receive for adopting a Bitcoin standard, especially when those companies were essentially zombie firms surviving only through access to cheap corporate debt. In many cases, this isn’t a desperate pivot; it’s an honest admission that their business model is unsustainable under a fiat system. That kind of clarity and courage should be respected, not ridiculed. Yes, many of these companies are simply mimicking a proven Strategy, but that’s because the strategy works. Over time, Bitcoin’s performance has validated the thesis, and these companies are following the signal. I’ll admit I’m not a fan of the meme driven, hype adjacent atmosphere that sometimes surrounds these corporate treasury allocations, but I am genuinely interested to see how these moves influence value rotation + retention cycles, and Bitcoin dominance over time. Critics often treat monetary debasement like it’s up for debate. It’s not. It’s a measurable reality, and it’s the primary reason so many people turn to Bitcoin: to protect their purchasing power. Ultimately, any business, whether it’s thriving or struggling, stands to benefit from lowering its time preference and adopting a Bitcoin standard, and if businesses benefit, consumers do too.

We’re still so early in Bitcoin that even when you group together all the companies building around it, it still looks like a hyper niche market to most people. The products being developed might seem odd or ahead of their time, but this could very well be a build it and they will come moment. At this stage, many of the companies that appear to be operating on a Bitcoin standard are still seen through a fiat lens, as if they’re just traditional businesses with a Bitcoin twist, but over time, that perception may flip. Some things, like multi century projects or long term alignment with incorruptible money; might only be possible on a true Bitcoin standard. Eventually, it may make far more sense to invest your Bitcoin into Bitcoin native companies rather than sell it to buy some leveraged fiat proxy. Right now, that idea still feels ahead of its time, but it won’t stay that way forever. Our vision of Bitcoin’s future is still tethered to ideas of the past; rooted in hard money nostalgia. It’s like imagining a flying car that looks like a DeLorean with a flux capacitor; cool, but still confined by retro expectations. The real future of Bitcoin will likely be far more imaginative, and far more practical, than what we can currently dream up. Critics may get bitter about Bitcoin’s rising prominence, but that raises the question: compared to what? The existing system, where a select few benefit at everyone else’s expense? They’re welcome to keep playing that rigged game…but we finally have options. Why wouldn’t we explore the one designed to be fair and accessible? Bitcoin isn’t exclusive…it’s an open invitation to anyone ready to step into the future and understand what’s possible.