Owning Bitcoin has some obvious benefits. Not only is it the growing fastest financial asset ever but it also provides unparalleled security, decentralization, scarcity, resistance to censorship, and some other benefits that make it the soundest money in financial history.

But that’s not all. With Bitcoin, you are forced to learn, train your mind, explore possibilities, challenge current dogma, and expand your horizons about the possibilities that programmable, permissionless, and decentralized money brings to the table.

Bitcoin is a Bootcamp. By entering the rabbit hole you’ll encounter economic theory, monetary policy, cryptography, computer programming, energy production, mathematics, philosophy, and more.

It’s impossible to learn it all as you’d need several lives but it’s also very hard not to try your best. Every Bitcoiner I know has devoted many hours to understanding this technology and plan to keep learning more every day forever.

You don’t need to be an expert to enjoy the benefits of the hardest money ever made but it’s hard not to get curious and keep quenching your thirst for knowledge as you get deeper into the hole.

Bitcoin changes your life, your mind, and your perception of the world. Here are 10 unexpected benefits of swallowing the orange pill.

1. You Start Saving

When you function in dollars, it’s hard to save.

Intuitively, we all know that money in the bank is like holding ice cubes in your hands. Inflation will melt it away and you’ll end up with nothing.

It’s very hard to develop the good habit of saving when money is cheap, credit is easy, and its value goes down constantly.

But it wasn’t always like that.

For centuries, humans have been working hard and stacking away some form of value for a rainy day.

This is easy to do when money is hard and not fake like now. Since 1971 money become fiat and therefore based merely on trust in the government. As this trust declines over time so does the value of the currency.

Now with Bitcoin, a lot of people are bringing back the old tradition of saving. Before it was gold, now is Bitcoin. We know that a satoshi today will be worth more tomorrow so given the choice we rather delay gratification and stack more sats rather than have a high time preference and carpe diem through life.

Do you really need that new jumper? Can your car last another year? Is it wise to upgrade your house now?

If you have swallowed the orange pill, you’ll find that the choice is obvious and easy. Stack sats and minimize superfluous expenses.

Despite what we’ve been led to believe, consumption for the sake of it is a mistake. Not only it encourages a throwaway culture but it also creates too much waste and environmental damage.

We’ve never consumed so much but are we any happier for it?

The satisfaction of having some money left every month in your hard wallet is only comparable to the peace of mind brought by watching your stack grow in a financial vehicle that provides security and independence.

2. You Become Sovereign

When you rely on banks, the government, and the fed to manage and secure your money, you become dependent on unreliable third parties.

Your bank account can be frozen for any reason. Your government can devalue the currency at any time. The FED can print an infinite amount of cash overnight effectively destroying your purchasing power.

We live in a system in which we have to rely on intermediaries. We need permission to use and store our own money in order to function as citizens.

OR we used to…

With Bitcoin in a cold wallet, no one can mess with your money, no one can censor it and no one has to give you permission to use it.

The level of freedom and independence you acquire by owning Bitcoin is unprecedented. Never before in history have we had a form of private property that can’t be violated by anyone anywhere ever.

Bitcoin makes you a sovereign individual and empowers you as an adult unlike paternalistic solutions like fiat that make you dependent. Just for this is worth owning.

3. You Become More Generous

Donating money away to charities is great. Not only are you helping people in need, but also you are doing the right thing and that’s always a satisfaction.

However, are you sure the money you send away to Africa reaches the intended recipients?

Obviously not. Most NGOs realize that about half the money sent away gets lost in the way due to administrators, corrupt officials, and greedy politicians.

If only there was a way to send money to those in need directly.

Well, there is. It’s called Bitcoin and thanks to its peer-to-peer network, value can be transferred securely from A to B with no middlemen involved.

No need to pay 20% fees to Western Union. No need to bribe corrupt governments. No intermediaries need to take a cut. Just money sent at the speed of light to the right people directly.

Since I’ve been involved in this ecosystem, I have become more generous. I enjoy the act of giving and I’m sure many in the community are doing the same.

Bitcoin payments are so easy and secure that donating sats becomes a more fulfilling activity than writing a check.

Bitcoin has the potential to change the lives of billions and both, the giver and the receiver benefit from it equally.

4. You Become Aware Of the Big Issues

How often do you think about macroeconomics, strategy, or international trade?

If the answer is not very often is because you haven’t started in Bitcoin yet.

I now dedicate many hours a week to learning about deep issues and how those affect our lives and the economy.

The world is complex and it’s easy to withdraw from such hard matters and focus instead on our daily existence.

Until you enter the rabbit hole that is.

I have learned more about economics, monetary policy, inflation, energy, and global trade in the last few years than all the time prior to that.

Most people still think that money is backed by gold or the government or God. Well, let me tell you, that’s far from being the case.

Governments benefit from our ignorance so they have no incentives to invest in our education. If anything, they go to great lengths to keep us disinformed and compliant.

But it’s difficult to keep you in the dark when you acquire the thirst for knowledge. Bitcoin does that for you and once you see it you can’t unsee it.

5. You Start Questioning Everything

We are all aware of the shenanigans perpetrated by governments, bankers, and corporations.

While not all conspiracy theories are true, some stories like weapons of mass distraction, spying on citizens or transitory inflation have eroded trust in institutions, the media, and think tanks.

When you learn about the fractional reserve, unlimited printing, and the spiraling debt you start wondering if we are in good hands. If they lie about money, what else have we been misled about?

Once you start questioning monetary policies, inflation, and debt, you might as well carry on and challenge every dogma we’ve been forced to swallow since Adam and Eve.

How much of history is written by the victors? Is democracy really working as expected? Are nations nothing more than a mental construct used to enslave you in the name of patriotism?

Of course, not everyone will agree on everything, I often argue with fellow bitcoiners about certain issues but, the fact that we talk and think about it makes a huge difference in a world that seems to be sleepwalking towards totalitarianism and dystopia.

Bitcoin brings back that critical thinking we used to have as youngsters. We see everything from a different perspective and challenge every existing dogma until all narrative and storytelling are filtered out and only facts remain.

Objectivity is a great habit to develop.

6. You Stop Wasting Time

Nothing makes me more aware of my own mortality than looking at the blockchain including a new block every 10 mins.

How many blocks do I have left? What do I want to achieve in my lifetime? How much can I learn?

Since I entered the Bitcoin rabbit hole, I have become much more productive, efficient, and focused.

I read, write, make videos, talk, and listen to great content every single day. I do not watch tv, engage in gossip, waste time on social media, or daydream anymore.

I’m not 100% efficient yet (nor do I want to be) but my life now is full of productive joy as compared to the past.

Do you want to stop wasting time? Dig deeper into the hole.

7. You Develop Thick Skin

I used to shy away from arguments, criticisms, and exposure.

Now I dwell on it.

Do you think this article is full of sh*t? Feel free to reply and challenge me. I will reply back with rational arguments, not emotions, and we’ll both learn something in the exchange of ideas.

I’m not immune to the impostor syndrome yet but I have developed enough confidence to challenge anyone publicly on any money-related issues. I’m not always right but I can see many that are always wrong.

If only I had the chance to sit down with politicians and journalists spreading fake news on Bitcoin.

This of course is never going to happen but just the feeling that I’m ready to take up on them makes me realize how far I’ve come.

Want a crash course on assertiveness? Join the revolution.

8. You Learn to Focus

You can only become proficient at something if you narrow down your focus.

I used to be curious about everything and anything. No progress was achieved despite the countless hours learning random stuff.

Now I have discovered my mission in life and everything else has been canceled. I won’t have enough time to learn everything about Bitcoin but at least I’ll try.

Do you want to improve your concentration? Find your niche.

9. Don’t Trust

One thing that you learn from going down the rabbit hole is not to trust anyone.

This sounds a bit negative and even dark but the reality is that throughout history every government, king, or institution has been eventually corrupted by money and power.

Bar none.

Don’t get me wrong. You can still trust your family, friends, and those you know personally, and don’t exert excessive authority over you.

But when it comes to presidents, chancellors of fed chairs, you can safely assume they will become crooks. It’s just human nature.

This is why I like Bitcoin. A system that needs no trust, that can’t be manipulated by humans and that is transparent and immutable. It´s a breath of fresh air among all the filth and corruption surrounding power and money.

Trust the people that you know well. Choose systems that can’t be corrupted for the rest.

10. You Become the Best Version of Yourself

Self-development is a great way to live your life.

Those who are cynical about it are usually just lazy and don’t want to make the effort to improve themselves.

I get it, it’s easier to watch tv, do the minimum effort and drink yourself to oblivion every evening.

But I have become very convinced that there are no lazy people, only unmotivated individuals.

If you have not been pulling your weight lately perhaps is time you look at your motivation and incentives.

Trying to bring down the fiat system, take away power from central banks and separate money and state is a great motivator that will keep you on your toes forever.

No chance in hell we are going to achieve that by slothing around. You need all your energy, time, and focus to even stand a chance.

Since joining the rabbit, I have endless supply of motivation.

Conclusion

Bitcoin can make you filthy rich, it can protect your wealth against inflation and it can provide a safe haven for your hard-earned cash.

But that’s nothing compared to the indirect benefits it brings.

If you think the world is broken and should be fixed, if you think politicians are not the answer but the problem, and if you think you’ve been taken for a ride all your life, then, welcome to the club.

We might not agree on the answer but we agree on the problem and that’s enough to start working together toward a better future for our children.

It’s not fair to f*ck the planet, borrow from the future, and break the economy for generations to come. We must do something fast to avoid total collapse and Armageddon.

Politics is not the answer. Money might be. Fix the money and you fix the world.

An incorruptible, open, transparent, immutable, and decentralized system is out there available to all. No discrimination, no unfair advantage, and no Cantillon effect are allowed.

No more making money out of thin air to keep most of it and condemn you to poverty forever.

The system is broken and Bitcoin is the fix. But before that, you have to fix yourself.

Do not trust, verify.