The so-called "leverage" can be capital, technology, brand, network effects, or even team management.
Author: Route 2 FI
Translation: Deep Tide TechFlow
(Original image from Route 2 FI, translated by Deep Tide TechFlow)
If you invest X hours, you will earn Y amount and produce Z quantity of products or services.
This sounds simple, but it reflects the linear thinking of most people about the world.
But is this really the correct way of thinking?
If you learn to leverage the power of time and leverage, you can experience the miracle of compound interest. The effect of compound interest is that the results of your efforts will accumulate layer by layer.
For example, the result of 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 is 90, which is very intuitive.
But if I ask you to calculate an investment growing at a 10% annual interest rate over 40 years, most people might think it just requires adding 10% 40 times, totaling 400%.
However, the actual answer is far more than 400%.
The answer is: 4,525%.
This means that an investment of $100,000 will grow to $4,525,000 after 40 years.
I know this may seem a bit boring for the world of cryptocurrency, but please continue to listen to me.
(Original image from Route 2 FI, translated by Deep Tide TechFlow)
The example above demonstrates the power of compound interest.
I won't delve into the mathematical details; I just want to use it to illustrate the importance of "exponential thinking."
How to Use Leverage to Move Your Life Forward
Many people have a too "realistic" view of life, always looking at their growth path with linear thinking. However, the power of leverage can help you shift from linear growth to exponential growth.
The so-called "leverage" can be capital, technology, brand, network effects, or even team management.
If you are good at utilizing these resources, you can break through the limitations of linear growth.
In life, you should dare to take risks and choose a career path that can apply leverage and compound interest. For example, a traditional job with a 9-to-5 schedule and no equity incentives often has limited upward mobility.
In contrast, you can try starting your own business or joining a startup team, looking for a role that can develop flexibly. This not only promotes your career growth but also allows you to gain equity incentives and apply the skills you learn to future entrepreneurial endeavors.
In today's era, I believe there is nothing that leverages better than building a personal brand. I do this myself, and when I look back on my experiences, I feel incredibly proud of everything I have created.
People read my content because these ideas are written by me personally.
If you want to learn about investments, cryptocurrencies, and the latest earning opportunities, you would prefer to learn from those who are truly involved rather than asking university professors.
In everything you do, learn to leverage and view how your knowledge, skills, and mindset can achieve compound growth with a long-term perspective.
Expand your horizons. Those who believe they can change the world will eventually do so.
On Risk and Asymmetric Investments
Once you meet your basic living needs, you should dare to take on greater risks. I strongly endorse the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) philosophy, which has the formula: monthly expenses x 12 months x 25.
This number means you can live off the 4% rule, which allows you to withdraw 4% from your investment portfolio each year without depleting the principal (assuming an annual growth rate of 10%).
However, if you are still young and have few financial burdens, I believe it is worth taking risks even if you haven't saved much money.
Ask yourself: What is the worst-case scenario? In most cases, the worst that can happen is going back to square one. And if you dare to take risks, you might multiply your existing resources by 10 times. This applies not only to money but also to skills and opportunities.
Aim for those "asymmetric investment opportunities"! Asymmetric investments are high-reward, low-risk options: if successful, your returns could be 10 times or even 100 times, but even if you fail, the losses are minimal.
In contrast, options that carry high risks but limited returns should be avoided as much as possible.
In life planning, prioritize long-term gains (which may take years or even decades to realize) over short-term gains (such as the temporary comfort of monthly salaries). Of course, survival is fundamental, but merely settling for the status quo may limit your potential.
Many people become complacent due to job stability and salary increases, gradually losing the motivation to pursue greater returns.
They worry about the risks of trying new opportunities, fearing that failure might lead to significant losses. But in reality, the vast majority of people (especially in resource-rich environments) can return to their original jobs or similar positions with little difference in salary and benefits, even if they fail.
So, the real question is: What kind of life do you want?
You may have heard this famous saying:
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."
The meaning of this statement is that preparation and planning are crucial when you face significant choices or decide on your future career direction.
If you are still confused and don't know what work to focus on in the future or what to prioritize in the next year, consider spending a few days in a quiet environment to think carefully and develop a detailed action plan, rather than blindly following trends.
As said in "Alice in Wonderland": "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there."
So, spend more time thinking about what you truly want in life. Believe in yourself; most people have the ability to create something beautiful as long as they are willing to take action.
In today's era of social media, short videos (like Reels and TikTok) convey many ideas about how to improve life, but very few actually put them into practice.
Many people watch these videos and do nothing afterward. While you may feel like you are learning, it is not fundamentally different from watching a TV series—it is just a short-term dopamine stimulus.
Ask yourself if you are truly putting in the effort for your long-term growth? Or are most of your activities just for short-term pleasure (like food, entertainment, exercise, short videos, music, socializing, gaming, or even alcohol and other stimulants)?
These activities are not inherently wrong, but don't let them occupy your entire life. After all, you are human, not a monkey. Humans can delay gratification (think of the famous marshmallow experiment), while monkeys cannot.
Here are some examples of activities that can bring long-term satisfaction:
Learning a new language
Starting a company or small business
Challenging a marathon
Earning a degree
Living abroad for a period
Writing a book
Learning new skills that can change your career
Starting to invest
Getting fit and losing weight
Building a personal brand
These are choices that can elevate your life to a higher level, rather than just seeking short-term happiness.
For those who are new to cryptocurrency and have limited funds, here are some suggestions
First, ask yourself: What are you good at? In this industry, perhaps the most important ability is perseverance. Even if you are not smart, if you are willing to spend 12-14 hours a day focusing on learning and practicing, I can say you already have an advantage over most people. For those with limited funds, time is your most valuable asset.
In addition, you need to have the willingness to learn and the determination to continuously improve yourself. So the question arises, where should you start?
There are many opportunities in the cryptocurrency field, such as: writing, trading on centralized exchanges (CEX), researching projects, participating in memecoin trading, NFT investing, looking for airdrop opportunities, making YouTube videos, writing newsletters, managing Telegram communities, or even doing podcasts.
If you enjoy writing (like I do), you can choose Twitter, newsletters, or Telegram as your platform. If you are better at verbal expression, then YouTube and podcasts may suit you better. If you are sensitive to numbers and enjoy observing market trends, then focus on improving your trading skills and try to interact with traders you admire on Twitter. You may be surprised to find that many excellent traders have only 500-2000 followers; they are not necessarily the well-known figures like Hsaka, ENAS, or Nachi.
Once you find your strengths, ask yourself: "Are my skills good enough to earn me an income?"
If not yet → then consider looking for internship opportunities. These internships can be at cryptocurrency companies, startups, venture capital firms, or family offices; they can also involve assisting industry opinion leaders (KOLs) with tasks or even helping traders you admire with their work. If you perform well, they may share some industry insights (commonly known as "alpha information") with you. Although internships usually pay little, their value lies in helping you accumulate experience and wisdom, laying the foundation for the future.
If your skills are already strong enough → then you can choose one of two paths: monetize your skills or apply for a job at a cryptocurrency company.
Monetizing your skills is a long and challenging road that requires significant investment and perseverance. But if you believe in your abilities and potential, this path may be worthwhile, as its long-term returns could far exceed those of a regular job.
On the other hand, applying for a job at a cryptocurrency company is a relatively safe choice. You can earn a fixed salary (usually higher than traditional 9-to-5 jobs), while still having the time to focus on your projects in your spare time. Although the time may be less than full-time entrepreneurship, a stable income allows you to develop your side projects with more peace of mind.
Here’s a small suggestion: many people might feel that "the bull market is here, I must focus on trading and have no time to apply for jobs." But in reality, it’s easier to find a job during a bull market. If you have limited funds, why put all your energy into high-risk trading? Instead of taking risks, why not take the opportunity of a bull market to find a stable job while accumulating experience and capital for the future?
If the price of $SOL triples from now, your $1,000 would become $3,000. And this amount could be what you earn from a week or a month of work (assuming it’s an entry-level position). Most people will not be the ones who turn $1,000 into $1,000,000 through memecoins. If you truly had that ability, you probably wouldn’t need to consider a job and wouldn’t be reading this article.
Applying for Jobs: If you plan to apply for a job in the crypto industry, choose a company you respect and hope to be compensated in equity or tokens. If you have confidence in the company and your financial situation allows, try to negotiate for a higher salary to be paid in tokens. If the company ultimately succeeds, this could bring you significant returns.
About Twitter: In the crypto industry, one of the best ways to connect with top individuals is to increase your visibility on Twitter. You can write about topics you are interested in, things you want to research in depth, or even some light-hearted and humorous tweets; at the same time, interact with those you admire. Make it a habit to tweet every day, even if it’s just a simple “gm” (good morning).
Proactively send private messages to others, offering advice without expecting anything in return. This is a great way to build friendships, and perhaps in the future, you will have opportunities for collaboration. Stay friendly, helpful, and consistent in your daily presence.
You could say that Twitter is the "resume" of the crypto industry. You don’t need LinkedIn; if you want to apply for a job, your best resume is the content you create on Twitter.
More importantly, many recruiters actively seek out those with a strong influence on Twitter and offer various opportunities, such as partnerships, paid content, referral links, funded trading accounts, etc. As your influence grows, you may even have the chance to participate in angel investments or KOL funding rounds.
About Collaboration and Paid Content: As long as you can publicly disclose your collaborations, participating in paid content is perfectly fine. However, there are some concerning phenomena in the current market, such as individuals merely sharing a memecoin's contract address (CA) and then claiming it’s a "scoop" or a "must-buy" opportunity. I suggest that such information is best shared only within private circles and not publicly released.
About Trading: Trading may be the most challenging path to enter the crypto industry, but if you are good enough and have your own advantages, it can also be the most rewarding way. The important thing is that you need to find your own trading method rather than blindly following traditional trading rules.
For example, a top trader on Crypto Twitter once stated that he has never used TradingView. This indicates that relying too much on indicators or drawing non-existent "trend lines" may not be effective.
The crypto market has many inefficiencies, and smart traders can take advantage of these inefficiencies. For instance, in March 2022, when Andre Cronje announced on Twitter that he would focus on areas outside of DeFi, the prices of tokens like $FTM and $YFI only began to react 10-15 minutes later. This is unimaginable in the stock market, where news typically reflects in stock prices within seconds.
As the crypto industry matures, the market will become more efficient, and trading will become more difficult. Therefore, it is particularly important to cultivate the following qualities: probabilistic thinking, common sense, self-awareness, resilience, patience, and the ability to delay gratification. Additionally, a compulsive personality or slight autistic traits may not be disadvantages in trading.
Finally, remember that the market is cyclical. Typically, only 20% of the time is spent in a trend, while 80% of the time is in a range. Understanding this is crucial because trend trading and range trading require completely different strategies.
If you feel that you are "one step ahead" in trading, then I have bad news for you: you might just be part of the "F group."
(Original image from Route 2 FI, translated by Deep Tide TechFlow)
In trading, don’t expect someone to hold your hand and help you. We often talk about how to make money, but the essence of trading is that you are taking money from others.
For example, when you go long on $BTC and make a profit, it means another trader who shorted $BTC lost money. Trading is a "player versus player" (PvP) game, and every victory means another person's defeat.
On Twitter, Discord, or Telegram, you may receive many trading suggestions. But stop and ask yourself: why are they sharing this information? Are they genuinely well-meaning, or do they hope you will enter the market out of fear of missing out (FOMO), thus becoming their "bag holder"?
Especially when the market cap of a token is small, you need to be more cautious about these suggestions, as price fluctuations are more easily manipulated.
Learning and Growth: If you want to become a better trader, you can learn from the top individuals in the industry. For example, Cobie’s article on "Probabilistic Thinking" is a great starting point: Probabilistic Thinking.
Why is it worthwhile to become a top person in a field?
Finding your ultimate goal not only makes you feel fulfilled but also brings great rewards. Looking back at my days working 50-60 hours a week in a corporate job, I was very tired of daily life. At first, I thought it was because of the long hours, but later I realized that what truly pained me was that I couldn’t invest my time in things that had a real impact on my life.
Now, every hour I invest in Route2FI ultimately brings returns in some form. These results can be positive or negative, but in any case, the gains and losses belong to me.
This autonomy motivates me because, apart from myself, no one can make this project a success story. If I give up, my efforts will be in vain.
Becoming someone in the top 10% of a field is not difficult; it just requires enough time and effort. But if you want to enter the top 1-2%, you need to work smarter.
This is an area I have been striving to improve. Sometimes I think that if I could outsource more work or reduce the time spent writing tweets and newsletters, I might expand faster.
But I still enjoy the process. At this stage, my goal is no longer to extract the most money from the market. I do this because it brings me satisfaction. Writing is something I love, and I will continue to do it without planning to outsource it to others.
Life is long, so don’t settle easily. Whether it’s your career, partner, or friends, strive for the goals you truly want. If you want luck to come your way, you need to create the conditions for it. Interestingly, when you work hard, good fortune often arrives quietly.
Take a few seconds to ask yourself:
“What kind of life do I want?”
It’s likely that your answer is something you currently don’t have or something you feel is missing today. Then, ask yourself another question:
“How much effort have I put into these goals? How much time have I invested?”
If you want to create a successful Crypto Twitter account but have been hesitant to start because you feel the competition is fierce, then you need to reassess your mindset. Most people delay action or never start because they haven’t set "small goals."
They always think about the distant finish line and conclude: this is impossible, even giving up without trying.
Learning Specific Knowledge
Naval once said that to succeed, you need to master "specific knowledge." This knowledge is a unique skill or insight that only you can possess. One simple way to build this specific knowledge is to establish your own personal brand.
As I mentioned earlier, people read my articles because they are written by me. If we posted the same text on an obscure Twitter account, it might not gain much attention. This is not because the content is bad, but because the account lacks a sufficient follower base. However, if you can consistently publish content weekly for several years, the right audience will eventually find you.
One of my greatest advantages is persistence. I know I am not the best writer. I also understand that if I spent more time polishing my articles, such as optimizing the language, creating more polished graphics, or seeking feedback before publishing, the content might be better. But rather than pursuing perfection, I prefer to decisively publish when I have completed 80%.
For me, this "quick action" approach is the only reason I can continue to produce. Looking back, I have written hundreds of articles, which makes me very proud. If I were too focused on perfection, I might only have completed a tenth of what I have now.
To master specific knowledge, you need to be brave enough to express your unique ideas. Even if these views seem a bit "weird," don’t be afraid to share them. There will always be someone who appreciates your unique style. Learn to define yourself by your strengths rather than overly focusing on weaknesses. Just think, if you could focus on your strengths, how excellent you would become!
In fact, you can absolutely become the top 1% in a field. Instead of spending a lot of time improving skills you are not good at, like raising your sales skills from "45%" to "50%" (just a hypothetical), focus your energy on what you are naturally good at. To become a top talent, focusing on your talents is key.
Additionally, strive to achieve financial freedom so that you can make decisions based on your interests and values, rather than being forced to compromise due to financial pressure.
I believe the best work is driven by intrinsic motivation. When you genuinely love something, the work itself is a joy. Of course, you can find some intrinsic motivation in regular jobs, but most people will likely choose to leave quickly if they no longer have a salary to support them.
A simple test to determine if you are engaged in something truly meaningful is to ask yourself: “What would I choose to do if money were no object?”
Alan Watts explored this question in a video that deeply inspired me ten years ago.
You can click the link to watch:
Alan Watts: What If Money Was No Object?
If you lack passion for your work, it’s hard to excel in it.
More importantly, doing a job you don’t like often makes it difficult to feel satisfied with life. No matter what profession you are in, strive to do your best. Especially in the early stages of your career, or in your 20s to 30s, be brave, take risks, and open up more possibilities for your life.
Try to connect with those who excel in their fields. For me, I have met many such people through Twitter and have been fortunate to meet and communicate with them in real life. Their perspectives and experiences have greatly benefited me.
Think about it, your friends may rarely share the same deep interest in a topic as you do. But on the internet, like Twitter, there are thousands of people who, like you, are passionate about certain fields and willing to delve into those seemingly endless "rabbit holes" (referring to fascinating areas worth exploring).
Find these like-minded individuals and connect with them. Let them become your friends and companions.
Believe me, this effort is worthwhile, and it will bring tremendous value to your growth and perspective.
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