As I sit here, watching the ongoing cryptocurrency bloodbath and debacle — Bitcoin diving below $5,000 and Steem now on the south end of 50 cents — I got to thinking about *"optimism,"* and how some people seem to have eternal doses of it.

Specifically, I thought about the people who start "projects" in the eternally optimistic belief that even though *something similar* has failed dozens of times, somehow *their* interpretation is going to be *"different."*

![0794Leaves1.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/denmarkguy/eBDCf1pu-0794-Leaves1.jpg)
*Japanese Maple leaves in the morning sun...*

## *Very Few Things Are ACTUALLY "Different"*

Here in our little tiny cryptosphere optimism has run rampant for some time.

From where I am sitting, it seems to mostly be *irrational* or *euphoric* optimism.

Yes, the cryptosphere is *tiny.* It's a drop in the bucket of the world economy; consider that the current market capitalization of Apple, Inc. (a *single company*) is about US $880 billion, compared to the aggregate market cap of *all* cryptocurrencies is US $167 billion and falling. 

So I'm going to extend irrational optimism beyond our wee borders, for the purpose of this article.

![0794Leaves2.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/denmarkguy/owXQf3JD-0794-Leaves2.jpg)
*Red fall leaves...*

## *What Drives People? Optimism?*

What *is* it that makes us want to try something? 

Is it optimism? Is it idealism? Is it a drive to *"succeed,"* whatever that may mean?

The truth is that genuinely original ideas are few and far between. In fact, I would venture that most of the ideas out there are just slightly modified versions of what has already been done. Most inventions are *"incremental,"* rather than original.

There are very few "landmark" events we can look at as truly "original" and game changing: In recent memory: Motorized vehicles, computers, the Internet, cell phones... and now (perhaps) blockchain/crypto come to mind.

Most people who *strike it rich* and *enjoy big successes* got there by *improving* something already proven, not through being the *original inventor.*

And how did they GET there?

![0794Leaves3.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/denmarkguy/Elf3xtVX-0794-Leaves3.jpg)

## *Innovation vs. Improvement*

There was a quaint story when I was in business school in college that the popular household cleaner *"Formula 409"* was thus named because the previous 408 formulas didn't do the job. 

What's my point? Optimism. Hope. 

There's a strong part of me that believes that the current crypto market collapse is a really *GOOD* thing because there are probably many hundreds of "formulas" out there that have *absolutely no reason for existing,* beyond someone's overinflated sense of optimism and belief in the (often false) notion that *"Ours will be DIFFERENT!"*

No, it probably won't.

And, as Warren Buffett once observed: *"When the tide pulls out, you discover who's been swimming naked!"*

The tide is pulling out, folks. And I think it has a *long* way to go.

Better make sure you have something *real and tangible* to offer the world, not just a dose of irrational optimism!

Thanks for reading!

***As always, commentary and feedback is invited and welcomed! Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!***

![xxBloggers.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/denmarkguy/3M64GKTS-xx-Bloggers.jpg)

*(As always, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 181119 13:53 PDT*