My Breakdown in WEB3

My Breakdown in WEB3

This is a difficult article to write.

 I am 62 years old; my name is Sandra Abrams

I started down the rabbit hole of cryptocurrency in 2016. I knew not what I was doing. A senior citizen, my fears (believing mainstream medias) had me exit the space with a quickness and sell my 3 Bitcoin, yeah, 3 whole Bitcoin. I have since read The Book of Satoshi multiple times and learned a variety of subjects related to WEB3.

 I am deep into WEB3 and the principles, a curriculum I created and add to on a regular basis. I am the student who shares what I learn as I go. I created Onboard60 for just that; helping others integrate into WEB3 and the principles, have a foundation, a home to feel safe and always welcome.

Around Christmas last year, it became apparent I lost my anchor, lost my footing so to speak on a solid foundation. I went through some tumultuous times emotionally and mentally. It is difficult to admit that I was shattered, broken, no direction or real horizon to look towards.

Since, I have regrouped, did intensive self-care, and planted my feet firmly where they need to be, on the ground, living life in forward motion.  

This roller coaster of rabbit holes can be just that, a roller coaster. As a senior citizen with minimal computer skills and no technical background, it has been a tumultuous experience in many ways. The highs are high, and the lows are low. In the beginning, the  frustration of not understanding what was coming out of people’s mouths led me to learn vocabulary 5 minutes a day.

I have attended many spaces with alpha only to write down the information on many scraps of paper and in journal books, only to not remember what the information meant or have the money to be a part of many lost opportunities. I felt like an outsider looking in; some days, I still do.

I have attended many WEB3 conferences and look forward to the next NFTMIAMI week at the end of this month, March 31,2023 to April 2, 2023. I have connected with a few people and made some strong relationships. I also have been overloaded with information from some conferences that it took a few days to recover. Mind blowing experiences and validating experiences. I say life in forward motion, constantly learning and growing forward.

As the majority of WEB3 space focused on the cryptocurrency and making their bags, I have focused on the technology. It appears there are two WEB3 ecosystems; those focused on the money and those focused on the technology. It is a turn off to me when I hear someone’s sole focus is money. WEB3 is so much more. I for one will not be able to afford the WEB3 ways of communities - gated and pay for access…. yet.  I can share what I’m learning with others as I venture down the road into the future of WEB3.

She believed she could, so she did.

 I believe in the future of the technologies and continue to learn all I can. My mindset is a phenomenon. I get these senior citizen skeptic thoughts and work hard to adapt to what is happening. I am open to adapt and being resilient to combat my senior citizen skepticism. I am the forever student.

I have a regimented self-care routine now that enables me to handle getting my mind blown on a regular basis. It helps in my past career I was a counselor so I can deal with and know how to recover from the deep dives into so many rabbit holes.

I take the time to process what I need to process and the time to absorb and comprehend what is happening. I have the trusted few that I can discuss what I need and get my needs met.

For me it is imperative to have mentors who are present, there when you need them and give you the space to grow, give you the space to fall and be there to help you back up. I have that now and feel like I’m on solid ground.

The experiential learning taught me to be constant, keep showing up. I went through the motions for weeks, with little or no desire to act. The desire wans but the determination to comprehend what’s happening in the world and be a part of it is stronger than ever. I will adapt, pivot, whatever I need to do in order to be there for other senior citizens so they don’t have to experience so many hardships and rides on the roller coaster of WEB3.

* Most importantly, I am here, I keep showing up. *

 I have been in a plethora of Twitter Spaces, met and connected with many people. I learned and have put out a couple of pieces from my collection of NFTs on OpenSea to help myself and co-workers in the restaurant industry. I have joined and successfully completed many challenges that were designed for me to level up my skills. I have joined and become an active member of some communities. All because I keep showing up.  

I believed so I did.

You can too.

Keep showing up.

Sandra Abrams

Onboard60 (Founder)