(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

I have a confession to make‭: ‬I dropped first-year economics in university‭. ‬At the time‭, ‬I told myself it was because it was a Friday morning class‭, ‬but really‭, ‬it was because I didn't think I was capable of understanding‭. ‬The language‭, ‬the charts‭, ‬the theories‭ ‬-‭ ‬it all felt like another world‭. ‬

Fast-forward a few years‭, ‬and I was a reporter for Dow Jones and the‭ ‬Wall Street Journal‭ ‬covering the stock market‭, ‬later moving on to a newspaper in Canada's capital covering multimillion-dollar municipal budget deliberations and all sorts of financial stories‭. ‬Yet‭, ‬I still didn't think I was smart enough to understand my own finances‭, ‬or make my own investment decisions‭. ‬Despite first-hand evidence that‭ ‬I was‭, ‬I believed what the world told me‭. ‬The conditioning is real‭. ‬

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And this would go on for far too long‭. ‬Yet now‭, ‬here I am‭ ‬–‭ ‬investing in the new financial system‭. ‬Still‭, ‬I remain the only one I know who's doing it‭.‬

Crypto took another dive this week‭. ‬Not so much the big names‭ ‬–‭ ‬Bitcoin‭, ‬Ethereum‭, ‬XRP‭ ‬–‭ ‬though they fell too‭, ‬along with some of my favourite projects‭. ‬It was the smaller coins in my portfolio that really tanked‭. ‬I‭ ‬wasn't surprised‭. ‬In one of my crypto groups‭, ‬the leader had said he would be buying again on Sunday night‭, ‬and when he says that‭, ‬prices usually dip‭. ‬He's well connected‭, ‬and somehow he knows when things are about to turn‭. ‬It still gives me the heebie-jeebies to think about market‭ ‬makers and manipulation‭ ‬-‭ ‬the idea that someone‭, ‬somewhere‭, ‬is pulling levers with money that affects mine‭.‬

Everyone expected green candles after Jerome Powell‭, ‬chair of the US Federal Reserve‭, ‬announced a rate cut last week‭. ‬But the cut was smaller than people hoped‭ ‬–‭ ‬just 0.25‭ ‬–‭ ‬and many said the move had already been priced in‭. ‬Some predicted markets would fall before gearing up for the alt season everyone is salivating for‭.‬

In another group I belong to‭ ‬-the one where I learned the basics‭ ‬-‭ ‬the leader taught us to resist manipulation and not give in to fear‭. ‬Yet this week‭, ‬he said he was reducing his altcoin positions by 80‭ ‬per cent‭, ‬citing signs of a downward trend‭.‬

What did I do‭? ‬Listened to my own intuition‭, ‬based on what I've learned‭. ‬

I did nothing‭. ‬I'm not a trader‭. ‬I don't buy and sell on a whim‭ ‬-‭ ‬or on fear‭. ‬I believe in an alt season to come‭, ‬and I've put in a reasonable amount of money on projects I think have real potential‭. ‬If they don't pan out‭, ‬it won't break me‭. ‬But if they do‭, ‬the upside is significant‭. ‬And here's the evolution‭: ‬when I saw my smaller projects plunge overnight‭, ‬I didn't panic‭. ‬I actually felt nothing‭ ‬-‭ ‬except a little thrill that I might want to buy more‭.‬

That shift is huge‭. ‬When I first got into crypto‭, ‬I was still living in financial fear and did what everyone does‭: ‬bought projects I didn't know much about when the hype was high‭, ‬and sold when panic set in‭. ‬I've gotten better at buying low‭, ‬though I still froze at times‭. ‬But this week was the first time I felt true conviction‭ ‬-‭ ‬and genuine excitement‭ ‬-‭ ‬at the idea of adding more‭, ‬at a bargain‭.‬

Other amazing changes have happened too since I started learning about crypto and blockchain and took my finances into my own hands‭. ‬Two powerful life changes‭, ‬in particular‭, ‬that are inextricably linked‭. ‬

I now track my monthly profit and loss and overall wealth in spreadsheets I learned how to build and operate‭. ‬I know exactly where my money is going‭. ‬I delay purchases because I'd rather invest in crypto‭. ‬I save more‭. ‬I allocate more‭. ‬And with every passing day‭, ‬my confidence grows‭. ‬I'm still the only one in my social circle doing this‭, ‬but I don't mind‭. ‬I'm used to being the outlier‭.‬

I've devoured books that have shaped my thinking‭: ‬The Intelligent Investor‭ ‬by Benjamin Graham‭, ‬Cashflow Quadrant‭ ‬by Robert Kiyosaki‭, ‬Think and Grow Rich‭ ‬by Napoleon Hill‭, ‬The Richest Man in Babylon by George S‭. ‬Clason‭, ‬and of course‭, ‬The Bitcoin Standard‭ ‬by Saifedean Ammous‭. ‬Next up on my list‭? ‬The Worldly Philosophers‭ ‬by Robert Heilbroner‭ ‬-‭ ‬a book about the greatest economists in the world‭. ‬Not bad for someone who dropped economics‭, ‬right‭? ‬

And the growth isn't just financial‭. ‬I've finally made a significant investment in my business for the first time‭, ‬and it's paying off‭. ‬When my net worth dips because of crypto volatility‭, ‬I don't spiral anymore‭. ‬I think back to the person I was just a few years ago‭ ‬-‭ ‬the one who felt anxious about opening her investment account‭, ‬who preferred to let others manage her money and felt guilty about it‭, ‬who told everyone‭ (‬and herself‭) ‬that she didn't understand macroeconomics‭. ‬I'm not that person anymore‭.‬

Last week‭, ‬I made a major move‭ ‬-‭ ‬and investment‭ ‬-‭ ‬and joined a women-only global community for cryptocurrency‭. ‬More than 200‭ ‬women around the world who‭, ‬like me‭, ‬are learning‭, ‬investing and supporting one another‭. ‬I'm going to meet some more women in Dubai for coffee who are doing the same thing‭. ‬After 18‭ ‬months making my own way in groups mostly filled with crypto bros chasing meme coins‭ ‬-‭ ‬bless them‭ ‬-‭ ‬I'm finding my people‭. ‬

So‭, ‬if you're on the sidelines‭, ‬worried‭, ‬or unsure‭, ‬I can tell you this‭: ‬now is the best time to dip your toe in‭. ‬Open an account on an exchange‭, ‬buy a little‭, ‬and with some skin in the game‭, ‬I guarantee you'll start learning‭. ‬I promise you‭, ‬you'll never be ready‭ ‬-‭ ‬and you don't want time to pass you by‭. ‬

Once you understand that our financial system is moving onto the blockchain‭, ‬and many other asset classes along with it‭, ‬you'll see why it's worth investing in projects that will shape the future‭. ‬These opportunities aren't on the stock market‭, ‬either‭. ‬They're only in crypto‭. ‬It's a wild‭, ‬exciting and unpredictable world‭. ‬I guarantee that if I‭ ‬can be a part of it‭, ‬you can too‭. ‬

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