This is an important question I think everyone needs to consider.  It is also one that is going to change the lives of millions.

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<center>[Source](https://medium.com/the-mission/do-you-have-skin-in-the-game-247f8ac5b9f9)</center>

Cryptocurrency is a game changer in my opinion.  We are seeing the foundation being laid for a total change of the Internet.  Termed Web 3.0, this is going to radically alter the wealth distribution throughout the world.  People will be rewarded for doing things they normally do.  

We all are aware of the monetary value of the Internet.  Just look at the value of the likes of Google and Facebook to reveal that.  The problem is, however, few of us were able to share in that.  To make matters worse, many of us, through our time investment, provided those organizations with the material which generated their value.  

This is all starting to change.  Many platforms are being erected that offer payouts for different activities.  It is the starting point for something that I believe is going to explode over the next few years.

For that reason, it is safe to say anyone involved now is considered an "early adopter".  These typically are the ones who end up suffering through the drama of the early days when the technology is not quite as refined as it needs to be.  Challenges arise that are unexpected yet provide opportunities.  A lack of functionality is very common with many applications being scaled down versions of what they will eventually become.

Nevertheless, for those involved, there can often be a huge payoff especially if involved financially.  Angel investors or venture capitalists can make it big by putting their money at risk long before something is certain.  Of course, there is the chance of loss but the payoff, when a project is successful, far exceeds the downside.

We are at a similar point with this industry.  I am certain in saying there will be success and the industry, as a whole, will keep growing and expanding.  The same is not true for every project.  Many will fail, often providing lessons for others who come afterward.

This all adds up to the potential to changing lives in a major way.  The original question should be clearer now.

I mentioned yesterday in a post how a major stock market run is great.  However, if I only have $1,500 in there to start with, a tripling is nice yet is not going to alter my life too much.  It is much better than a loss or no gain, but the bottom line is I am not involved to a large enough degree to really benefit.

The success of Amazon, from a financial perspective, provided me zero returns.  I found the same to be true of Google, Facebook, and Netflix.  The reason this is the case is I did not have anything in those companies.  I was not around in the early days to pick up the stock of, say, Amazon, at $60 a share.  The same is not true for thousands who were in a position to get in and took the opportunity to do so.  With the price today, I would say those who were hodlers did very well.

A major key is to make sure we are getting involved with Amazon and not dogs.com.  It is also important not to buy Yahoo at $500 a share.  Thus, we are looking at a very precarious situation since we do not know what will succeed.

One of the major advantages of cryptocurrency is that we can invest in it two different ways.  The first is the most obvious: convert fiat into the cryptocurrency that we want.  This is what most of the early adopters did who really saw the major gains (miners being the exception although they had costs associated with their tokens too).  

The second is to use our time.  This is a major advantage over opportunities in the past.  On Steem, for example, one can gain rewards for undertaking activities such as posting, commenting, and upvoting.  All of this yields a payout.  Depending upon the token, this could be very profitable down the road.

Again using Steem as an example, there are hundreds of tokens that can be both purchased and earned.  Most have similar potential and risk.  It is basically a dart thrown at a board.  That said, there are some which will succeed and have terrific value.

The same holds true for many other projects across the industry.  I have some Bitcoin.  At this point, even after the run up in price, it is not life changing.  If it gets to $100,000 a coin, the return will make me happy but, again, my holding is not enough to make it radically different from a life perspective.  However, if the forecasts of $1M do emerge true, I do have enough at that price to see a major difference in my life.

Obviously, since I am not a miner, the Bitcoin I hold was bought.  The same is true for a number of other tokens I have.  My crypto portfolio was initially amassed by purchasing different coins.  Most will not do much individually yet, collectively, could add up to some decent money if we see a multi-year bull run which I believe will come at some point.

As for the reward tokens, I am amassing them also.  Steem is a wonderful ecosystem for this.  Even though the payout system was altered with the last hardfork, there is still opportunity with some of the other tokens.  Their payout structure remained the same providing people with the potential for amassing a large amount through their efforts.

The earlier a project, the better the payouts.  This makes sense since the activity is lower.  As projects gain more users, the reward pool is spread out among more people.  Thus, the time to really stack up is in the early days.  This is where we are now.

I once heard a saying that real estate investors use: **if you are going to go broke, don't do it over a duplex**.

Even though my investing in real estate is limited, the idea behind the saying remained with me.  If you are going to go, go big.  Obviously, use prudent choices along with sound principles.  However, if you are committed to pursuing an avenue, do it in a large enough way that will result in big success should you be right.

Most reading this are already involved in cryptocurrency.  This is a fantastic time to enter it.  The question is where will any of us be in 3 or 5 years.  If this takes off as many expect, to what degree will each of us benefit?

Fortunately, we all have the potential to keep adding through our efforts over the next few years.  Where we stand today is not the barometer for the next few years.  Each day, there is the opportunity to do something that adds to our holdings a bit more.  One can put up a post or a comment on a platform like Steem that gets rewarded.  There are also numerous faucets available which pay a bit of crypto for specific activities.  We are seeing game emerge on different blockchains that payout when one is successful.  Even clicking on an ad using the Brave browser pays a bit of BAT.

The point is are you in a position to seriously benefit should cryptocurrency experience the run that is expected?  If we truly are seeing the foundation for Web 3.0 being laid, will you be one who has his or her life changed based upon the decisions made at this time?  

There is a reward for being an early adopter.  Anyone who is reading this now is at a point where that opportunity exists.  Most of us were not in a position to take advantage of some of the society altering breakthroughs.  I was alive during the personal computer, Internet, and mobile phones paradigm shifts.  Unfortunately for me, I did not financially benefit at all.

Thus, like most, I spent decades working for someone, trying to pay my bills while setting some aside for retirement, and feeling the stress of having to produce based upon outcomes others established for me.  

This is a time of opportunity.  New paradigms tend to open up potentials that did not exist before.  I feel we are at this point right now.  This is the time to start amassing amounts of cryptocurrency which will radically alter lives in the future.  What seems like a drip today can often turn into a massive explosion when more people are exposed to what is taking place.  Of course, when that happens, the opportunity, at least as early adopters, passed.  The cat is already out of the bag.

Luckily, we are far from that point.  The next couple years will see continued development which will provide applications for people to use.  My hope is, naturally, that they are tied to tokens that I am holding.  To improve my chances, I am looking to spread my holdings out since I do not know which ones will take off.

Cryptocurrency might create more millionaires than any single mechanism in the history of the world.  Since people can accumulate tokens without having to buy in, this means the opportunity exists for those who are not already affluent individuals.  This fits me to a tee.  

It is an opportunity that I am going for.  My goal is to position myself to seriously benefit if we are right about this.  

To do this, I have to have enough skin in the game.

*None of this is financial advice.  Do you own due diligence.*

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