Alright, here's the plan I've opened my little markdown editor app. I've got it in FULL-SCREEN mode so you know things are serious. 

It's been hard for me to write the past two days, and it's been hard to feel creatively "inspired" where I'm staying at the moment. But the blockchain beast needs feeding so here we are.

![GitHub Logo]([IMG]http://i67.tinypic.com/302c1sy.png[/IMG])

Hi. 

It's been a strange week of transitions, I [ payed off my credit card](https://steemit.com/money/@dayleeo/wait-did-i-really-and-truly-just-pay-off-my-credit-card-yeah-just-now-it-happened-a-digital-worker-s-journey), new glasses came in, and I started my first week working with my newly onboarded VA. 

Kind of ridiculous to think about. If you had told me a year ago I'd have my car and credit card paid off and luxuries like glasses with the proper script from working for myself and on my terms? I would have given myself whiplash throwing my head back and laughing. 

Freedom. Little by little. Step by step. 

![GitHub Logo](https://cl.ly/3S0i0M3D1r3z/steemit%20covers%20(2).png)

I'm not letting you know about this to brag, or to talk about the things I've accomplished as ego fuel (to most they aren't a big deal to most anyway). I've never been one to assume anyone gives a damn about what's going on in my little world. I've always just tried to show up and bring a little value, a little insight, make things a little better. 

Always striving to leave things better than I found them.

But if you'll indulge me this little space in the blockchain I'm carving out for myself, I want to take a moment to reflect on where I've been and where I want to be (like that's not ABUNDANTLY obvious by now lol). 

I grew up with an "immigrant's" mentality to money, both my parents were the first generation of their families to be born in the US. Dad's parents from Ireland and Germany, Mom's, "off da boat" from Italy. 

Both my parents, opposite as their approach may be, have RIDICULOUS work ethics. You show up, every day, whether you're depressed or sick or your arm is falling off. You show up, you get your paper and you tuck it away for when something awful happens. 

And although nothing like that was ever said out loud, it was the underlying theme behind the way I saw them deal with money, work and value, and soon became mine. 

The fear economy. 

![GitHub Logo](https://cl.ly/1J01022c0W0L/IMG_6086.JPG)

Switching my mindset has been a struggle, and I've by no means "arrived", but the thought of paying someone else a few my earnings to help take workload off my plate so I could focus on other things (like participating in crypto) never ever would have occurred to me as being a possibility a year ago. 

@teamhumble must tell me about 40 times a week to slow down, go easy on yourself, not push so hard. He's right, I'm my biggest citic and task master, and most days, even If I get everything done that I intend to, I still wish I could have done more. 

Funny how we break the chains of the 9 to 5, step out into the desert, and then pick up the next pair of shackles we find. 

For me, this whole thing is about freedom.

![GitHub Logo](/https://cl.ly/2N2w1t2q3B3j/seize-the-day-nasa-space-man--1024x683.jpg)

Not money, or having the most Instagrammable life possible. It's about having the ability to do the work that is meaningful to me, working where and when best serves me. It's about striving for the balance of mental, physical and emotional health as part of a sustainable ecosystem that work is a PART of, not the center.

Funny I just finished re-watching the first in the Matrix trilogy this morning.

I believe one of the reasons why we're so drawn to those kinds of waking-from-alternate-reality films like the Matrix, the Truman Show, is because subconsciously we all know that there's got to be more to life than the 9 to 5, the gym memberships, the house, and car payments, the breakfast lunch dinner food apathy, the tv binge then sleep, rinse, repeat until you die version of our lives. 

Please keep your reality.

As the great Adam Savage would say in every opening to Mythbusters "I reject your reality and substitute my own."

![GitHub Logo](https://cl.ly/0g2l112K1A1h/VSCO%20Cam-1.jpg)

Thanks for listening Steemit
<3

> Don't want to take your own photos? Use ours! 100% royalty free and CC0 stock photos at [nomad.pictures](http://nomad.pictures)! A site (and now steemit account @nomadpictures) I run with @teamhumble to get pictures out of the camera roll and onto the web