The New Wave Explained: How You Can Thrive During The Biggest Changes of Our Generation
It's been years since I've published my thoughts and essays on a regular basis. Here's why that's all changing.
Well, here we are.
It’s been nearly 5 years since I’ve regularly written for an audience outside of my thoughts on social media. The blank page has always felt like home to me — the blinking cursor a familiar catalyst for self-discovery.
Now, more than ever, I feel compelled to speak up about changes that are happening in the world. Not as a guru or wise man with the answers.
But as a friend. A son. A brother. Hopefully, one day soon, a father.
Today, I’m going to explain to you exactly why I’ve decided to come back to writing regularly and what’s in store for you.
So jump in. The water is warm and the tide is rising.
This is The New Wave.
The world has changed BIG TIME since I started writing online in 2010.
In the US, we’ve seen 3 Presidents cycle in...
We’ve seen the meteoric rise of social media as a way to connect with each other 24/7 (along with the stress that can bring)...
We’ve seen the rise of online entrepreneurs as a new type of aspirational figure...
We’ve seen the boom/bust cycle of the global economy and the appearance of cryptocurrency on the radar of the average Joe…
We’ve seen riots, bombings, chaos and lots of scary things happening all over the world with a sensationalized media that we no longer fully understand or trust...
We’ve seen global lockdowns and a pandemic which has lasted nearly 2 years (and counting) — one that has forced us to rethink how we live and work…
So much has changed in the last decade — and I can’t help but think we’re just at the first drop on this cosmic rollercoaster.
That’s why when I sit down at the computer to write these days, it’s hard for me to pretend like it’s just business as usual. Because it’s not.
Every conversation I have with family and close friends has is in the context of how we plan to operate in this new world. And it’s made me think about the changes that we’ll have to make in order to thrive with everything that’s being thrown at us.
This is where the concept of The New Wave comes into play.
What Is The New Wave?
The ocean is a great teacher. The more time you spend in it, the more you realize how powerless you really are. You can fight against the current, but you’ll ultimately get sucked out to sea.
Your job is to adapt to what the ocean is giving you, not wish that the waves were smaller.
As our economy and society goes through an upheaval, many of your friends and family will be fighting for things to stay the same. They’ll be wishing for things to go back to “normal.” They’re going to hope that the waves of tomorrow look like those of yesterday.
I’m here to tell you that’s a losing battle. Your job is to look at the tidal wave of change that’s coming straight for our generation and learn how to surf.
Now is the time to get prepared and begin developing sovereignty in all the most important areas of our lives.
Specifically:
Technological sovereignty
Financial sovereignty
Personal sovereignty
Mental & spiritual sovereignty
1. Technological Sovereignty: Web3.0 and Blockchain Technology
If you’re a Millennial, you were a baby for Web1.0 and a teen for the explosion of Web2.0. We’ve been mostly on the sidelines during the biggest opportunities to build / make money from these massive shifts.
Now, a new and more powerful internet is forming in front of our eyes in the form of Web 3.0.
Web 3.0 promises a shift back to the decentralized ideal of the early internet days with speed, anonymity and data security at the forefront of an entirely new experience.
This will come in several forms — one of the biggest being the advent of blockchain technology across many industries.
I did an in-depth podcast on Web3.0 and its implications.
What is Blockchain?
Remember Web 1.0 peer-to-peer networks like Napster and Kazaa? These were “scandalous” at the time because they enabled individual users to share music, data and other digital assets across a network of connected computers, without the need for a central hub.
The powerful media agencies of the day were scared of this technology because it fundamentally undercut their ability to monetize content and intellectual property. And they were right to be afraid.
P2P networks played a big part in taking down the record industry because users didn’t want to pay for albums when they could download individual songs. This was a fatal blow that many major companies never fully recovered from and are still reckoning with today.
Blockchain is essentially P2P of the future. This technology, originally created for Bitcoin, is a network of individual computers that allows users to quickly, anonymously transmit data, digital assets and even currency in a secure way that can be verified for everybody on the network to see.
Here’s a short and sweet video that gets to the heart of how this tech works.
Blockchain will eventually allow the average person to take control of their data back without relying on big institutions to hold it for them.
That will shake up banking, personal communication, media, entertainment and more.
If you could securely store, send and receive money, why would you need Wells Fargo?
If you could privately send messages without Google snooping over your shoulder, wouldn’t you want to?
If you could buy something online without the fear of identity theft or getting hacked, wouldn’t that be better?
The full scope of the applications are unknown at the point — but it’s safe to say that everything will change.
To be sure, Web 3.0 is not going to solve every problem that’s been created with the internet up to this point.
Our lords and masters who monopolize the digital world are not going to give up their position lightly. They are going to create new tools that work with Web 3.0 in an attempt to retain as much information and control as possible — because that’s their business model.
The evolution of this technology will give the average person a new set of tools to create a more private, secure and personalized internet experience that Web 2.0 did not offer.
All of this is leading to our adoption of the metaverse, which is the interconnection between physical and digital reality upon which humans will build a new layer of existence.
I encourage you to take ownership of this unique time in history by being more than a consumer. Become an active creator of this technology by learning about everything that interests you in this fascinating modern renaissance.
2. Financial Sovereignty: Cryptocurrency
If you invested $1,000 in Amazon at their IPO in ‘97, it would be worth over $1.1MM today. Web3 is creating an entirely new stock market with all the technology we’ve built since then. These new stocks are assets called cryptocurrencies.
The most well known of these cryptocurrencies (there are many) is called Bitcoin. You’ve undoubtedly heard of it by now. It is the single best performing asset in the history of humanity.
Founded in 2009, BTC has gone from around $100 per coin in 2013 to nearly $70,000 in October 2021. And though the volatility is ever-present, there’s no sign of the momentum slowing.
Everybody has a friend, who has a friend, who got in early on Dogecoin or some other crypto and made disgusting gains. And I hate them for it.
It’s not just about individual coins, though. It’s about understanding that a whole new layer of wealth is accessible to those us who are willing to dig in.
Many overlook the magnitude of a huge tech shift because it doesn’t match with their worldview. The same thing has been happening since the internet started — but here I am, typing on my network connected, mobile supercomputer. Lean into this time in history. For fun and profit.
To put this in context, look at the adoption of cryptocurrency today vs the adoption of the internet in the 1990’s:
Crypto technology is already the fastest rate of adoption of any technology in human history (113% per annum vs 63% for the internet).
According to this tweet storm by Rao Paul:
One of the key features of Network Effect models is volatility within a logarithmic trend. The vol is a feature not a bug as it is more than compensated by the returns over time.
As long as the participants in the network keep growing over time, the value of the network rises exponentially.. Generally speaking, the more volatility the price has, the higher the return over time IF the network grows.
Considering the chart above assumes a slowdown in adoption as more people come in, the only question you really need to ask yourself is whether adoption is going to slow massively or not. Even if we slow to 63% per annum, we still get to a billion users by 2026.
Every dollar, euro and yen you’re holding in your accounts right now is losing value by the day, backed by institutions which are becoming weaker.
The government reports how many jobs they “create” for the economy on a monthly basis, but the gag is that massive inflation is making cost of living so expensive that many Americans need two jobs to keep up.
Crypto is not just beating inflation, it’s spanking it. Even with the volatility.
We are still at the beginning of this boom, but if you don’t begin putting systems in place to take part in this financial revolution, you will get left behind. And there will be nobody to blame but yourself.
I went deep on the basics of crypto on Episode 7 of my podcast The New Wave Entrepreneur.
3. Personal Sovereignty: Self Defense, Home Defense and Emergency First Aid
Times are stranger than ever.
For the last 2 years, there have been riots all over the country and all over the world. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, there has been something to riot about — and things have gotten downright scary in some places.
Where I live in Portland, they breed the most aggressive type of liberals you’ll ever meet. They love freedom so much, they’re willing to kill for it you for it.
Hey wait, that sounds like a conservative value!
Well, now I’m all confused. The lines are blurred. We are truly post-politics.
In my opinion, now is a critical time to learn self-defense, home defense and emergency first aid. These are vital skills which are agnostic of political belief. They are essentials which we typically outsource to other “more responsible” parties.
CNN reports that violent crime is on the rise in America due to police walkouts and other fallout from the 2020 riots across the country. Whether or not that narrative matches with your personal experience, the truth is that you’re ultimately responsible for protecting yourself and your family.
Self Defense
I’d recommend first learning the basics of hand-to-hand combat, beginning with jiu jitsu. This will teach you what it’s like to fight under pressure.
Speaking for myself here: one of the biggest causes of insecurity in men is that most of us never receive any real training in self-defense. This creates a hole in our identity which we try to fill with external indicators of power, but never actually solves the problem: lack of true self-knowledge.
Many of us who were raised by single mothers were taught to be complete pacifists who avoid confrontation. This leads to a deep subconscious fear that any altercation could become physical and we wouldn’t be able to handle ourselves.
Even worse, many of us learned the idea of fighting through watching violent movies, which creates a distortion of what dangerous confrontations feel like in reality. Martial arts solves these problems by healing the wounded little boy who is afraid of the unknown.
It teaches us to think clearly in uncomfortable or dangerous situations. And it shows us who we really are underneath it all. These skills transcend fighting and bleed into all areas of life. That’s why it’s called The Tao which literally means “the way.”
Once you understand these concepts on a core level, they show up everywhere. The self-confidence is transferable. I’ve found my greatest moments of peace and revelation on the mats in the midst of struggle.
Over the years, I’ve healed the hole that came from not knowing who I was or what I was capable of in a dangerous situation. I wish the same for others reading this. I think it would make the world a much kinder place.
Learn more in my episode 6 of The New Wave Entrepreneur.
I’m not shy about expressing my love for jiu and it takes a lot of self-control not to make every podcast about it.
Home Defense
Next, I’d highly recommend taking some handgun glasses. Learn the laws in your city and state — and get very familiar with operating a weapon for the protection of your home and family. Getting a concealed carry permit is never a bad idea.
I didn’t grow up with guns in the house. But I did grow up in Florida and I’ve always felt it was completely reasonable to use deadly force when protecting yourself in your own home, given life-threatening situations. I don’t play.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures:
Self-defense laws in at least 23 states (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee West Virginia and Wisconsin) provide civil immunity under certain self- defense circumstances.
Emergency First Aid
If you’re going to learn how to defend yourself and your family, you’d better learn how to patch them up, too. There are classes you can take to learn basic first aid in serious situations where a calm mind and quick response can make all the difference.
Sometimes life and death comes down to a single decision made within minutes of an injury. Don’t be caught trying to look up basic shit online when something goes down.
Here’s a great video you to give you an idea of what I’m talking about:
They say it’s better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.
I take this to heart.
4. Mental and Spiritual Sovereignty: Meditation, Therapy and Psychedelics
Now is the time to elevate your mind and spirit.
Now is the time to develop practices that will bring you closer to personal perfection and focus on your mental health. For me, that includes meditation, breath work, traditional therapy and using psychedelics as a medium of expanding my consciousness.
I very strongly believe that everybody who is medically able should experience a psychedelic journey that shatters their personality (aka "personal reality"). Specifically, tools like 5MeO DMT, psilocybin mushrooms and LSD have had profound effects on my life.
These sacred medicines can heal trauma, cure depression, provide incredible insight and frankly, be a lot of fun. They have changed my personality forever. I've had many interactions with these medicines and I've even taken both of my parents into ceremony. This stuff works.
I recounted some of my experiences in my extremely well-received podcast episode What It’s Like To Die.
This is what it’s like to die.
Imagine your spirit, woven into the collective spirit of every other being that has ever lived or ever will live, instantly endowing you with the knowledge of every word that’s ever been thought, said or written — now and in the future.
Once you move beyond the self, all fear dissolves.
And just when you think you can’t take any more, you’ll break into a trillion mirrored pieces and shoot through to the other side of infinity, down the spiral, radiating white tube.
You emerge on the other side into what I can only describe as a divinely loving, celestial void. Except there is no you. There is the presence of God, with no form. It knows you, because you are it.
It’s a homecoming. It’s looking in the mirror. The entire act is self-referential.
You will realize that you are God.
These medicines are powerfully healing. If you can medically handle them, you should absolutely try.
If this is an area of study that interests you, I highly recommend you check out EP005 of my podcast with Paul Austin:
Come to think of it, they should pass a law that requires all Presidents to consume a gigantic dose of LSD after they take the oath of office. Pretty hard to drop bombs on other countries when you realize we’re all one, isn’t it you lil bitch?
I’d love to hear from you!
If you got through this dreadfully long “welcome back” post, I love you.
I hope that this makes it very clear why I’ve decided to enter back into the public arena with my thoughts. We on the precipice of a great change and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to share this time with you.
This is how I’m preparing for The New Wave.
What do you think about the big changes we are going through right now as a collective? How are you preparing yourself and your family?
Please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.
Much love,
D
I think you should add food sovereignty to the list and learn to grow your own food.