Most of us who are working hard in the blockchain space are giving new meaning to the phrase "working hard."

Sure, there are some who spend more time convincing others that they work hard than actually doing the work. Those folks are loud because they have a lot to prove, but I believe they are the minority in this space. I salute you, blockchain innovators, developers, investors and entrepreneurs for having the courage and resolve to dedicate yourselves to something that truly has the potential to make the world a better place.

One thing that is rarely talked about by these hard-working crypto peeps is also one of the most important things in all of our lives. I'm talking about the critical issue of self care. Don't assume I'm saying something like give yourself a chance to cry, find a safe space or take some you time...

I'm referring to little things that you can add to your daily routine to improve not only your daily productivity, but your overall quality of life. Some of them are free and some cost a pretty penny, but all require several conscious decisions, especially if you want any hope of every picking them up as habits.

1. The Decision to be Better - There is a huge difference between beating yourself up for not saying and doing the right things, and feeling frustration about how long it takes to achieve your goals. Everybody seems to know the axom of "you are your own worst enemy," but I think very few people actually consider the ways that they can put it into practice. I am my own friggin' nemesis, standing in my own way nearly every day and at every turn. 

I have always hated the fact that when I'm in the zone, I can do genius-level work in a fraction of the time that it would take anyone else. When I'm not in the zone, everyone around me better look out, because I will attempt to bring it all crumbling down on not only myself, but everything and everyone I love. No exaggeration.

I know that I may not ever kick those feelings of self-destructive manic depression, but there are things that I can control, such as the decisions that I make. Striving to be better in every possible way is a decision that I make for myself every single day.

2. The Decision to Accept Failure - If you are a hard-working, result-oriented person, then you need to make friends with failure. It's definitely not something to be afraid of. In fact, I learned a long time ago to be more comfortable with failure than with success. Ask anyone who succeeds. I promise that they fail way more often. The idea of the Midas touch, in which everything you touch turns to gold is simply a myth. Nobody has that level of success, and if they did, it would never last long.

My favorite book about this idea is called Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success. Written by John. C. Maxwell, this book tells story after story of the most successful people across many different industries, but focuses strongly on the story of their failures. Reading it will help you realize how important it is to love to fail. Remember that every failure gets you closer and closer to a success. I have failed. A lot.

3. The Decision to Spend Money on Yourself - This is a tough one, and it will transition into me telling you about several things I have recently purchased with this decision in mind. It's always been amazing to me that people will constantly spend money on things that offer some quick reward, then vanish forever. The same people will struggle to justify spending money on things that when used properly will improve their lives forever.

Honestly, my involvement in crypto and NFTs has taught me new, healthy habits of letting go of money when it is a good idea to do so. Since hitting this scene, I have consistently spent less money on things that vanish, and more money on things that continually serve me. This has allowed me to finally become the master of my money, instead of the other way around.

Without any further rambling, I will now list two things that I am incredibly happy to have purchased for my own well-being lately.

PURPLE

You may not understand how a cushion could change my life, but that is only because you haven't purchased anything from Purple yet. Once I knew that I was destined to sit on my butt for 12-14 hours every day, I also knew that I needed something soft and squishy to sit on. I have a nice chair, but I'm a thin guy, so my butt bones have minimal natural cushion of their own. Skinny people problems, am I right?

Honestly though, this is an important problem for everyone to solve in order to be comfortable and productive while they are working at a PC. The way that I solved the problem was by purchasing the Purple Royal cushion.

Innards of the Purple Royal Cushion

Purple Royal Cushion Snugly in its Home

I was instantly in love with this cushion, which cost me about $80. I know, it's pricey for a butt cushion, but it will be the best cushion you could ever imagine - you'll understand once you sit on it.

Better yet, if you're a US resident, PURPLE is one of the retailers that you will find on LOLLI. This means that for every single purchase from Purple, you will earn 7% BTC rewards. That's 7% of the total amount of the purchase. They also sell mattresses, sheets, pillows and more. Mattresses are anywhere from $600- $4000 in price, which means that for purchasing the best mattress you'll ever own, you can earn $42-$280 Bitcoin back when shopping through LOLLI.

If you live in the US and you're not yet using Lolli to buy stuff... do it! They also offer handsome referral rewards.

JOIN LOLLI HERE - Then Shop PURPLE.

Jigglin' George

You read that correctly. You also are not mistaken on the price. This thing is expensive, but worth every dollar. They call it an Exerciser, but that's a bit misleading. I wouldn't count on it to do my exercising for me, but it is helping a lot with pain, and it's only been in the house for about a week now.

Both Carrie (my wife) and I have issues with circulation and pain throughout our bodies. I have old injuries in my joints and muscles that are constantly giving me trouble, and no matter how comfortable the cushion I work on may be, it still hurts after several hours in the same position.

Basically, this device moves your legs from side to side and enhances mobility through your whole body. It's for real. If I sit for a marathon session of meetings or articles, when I get up I'm sometimes so sore that I can barely move. It's not like I have the time or energy to go run a mile, which is what my body really wants and needs. Plus, running would wreak even greater havoc on my joints and aggravated muscles. Instead I can go straight to George, and it moves me gently as I lay on the floor. When I'm done with a ten minute session, I'm burping and popping out all the trapped crud from my hunched over working posture. I feel completely rejuvenated and free of pain. It's like magic. I can't exactly explain how it works, but it works. 

In their little store in Branson, MO (where lots of old people live), potential customers need simply to try a short session on one of these machines before they realize it is a must-buy. Many people claim that it cures not only their aches and pains, but circulation problems, allergies, fatigue and more. Even after a week of using it daily, I'm already noticing some of these long-term effects.

Anyway, I highly recommend the Jigglin' George for anyone who sits long hours and works hard at a computer. By the way, we ordered this thing through Amazon fulfillment, then called the Branson shop, and the nice gentleman there mailed it immediately to us. We had it before 24 hours had passed.

Here's George in action!

 That's all for today! Find some things that work for you, even if they're completely different than the two awesome products I have just described. Remember, any price is a fair price to pay for health, happiness and quality of life.

-Chris

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