Humans all have cognitive biases, and thinking we don’t… would be one.

For me, I seem to often approach the world as an engineer would, problem solving/troubleshooting, and logic. Yes, this is a type of bias, but at least it's one I recognize. That being said, I was burdened by many illogical cognitive biases, as many of us are, and we don’t even realize it.

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Now that I've warned you about my technical approach, I'll continue.

In mechanical systems, a biasing spring applies a constant force to hold a component in specific positions.

In electronics, a bias voltage is applied to transistors or diodes to set them before they are put into use.

In sensors, bias refers to a reading the system gives even when no input should be present... but...

Then you create an offset of this bias to prevent an error.

Humans are biased systems.

We come preloaded, but not by springs or voltages, instead by memory, experiences, genes, expectations, fears, culture, religion, etc etc... but rarely do we ever insert the proper offsets to correct for those, and that's where we hit our errors.

Keep in mind, beliefs and biases are not the same thing. Beliefs are acknowledged, we know we have them, and they can be challenged, revised, or let go...

If we are mis-biased or not aware of any bias, we can’t interpret life clearly when our internal baseline is off, and this holds us back from many things.

True wisdom, and in my case, also healing, required both accepting and dismantling the unseen biases that perpetuated everything that was causing me pain, anxiety, stress, or even just that feeling that I’m wasting my life doing things I hate.

We often absorb other people's biases through expectations, traditions and complex systems, all which create new biases inside us to serve themselves, many times before we are old enough to make up our own minds, and almost always against our own instincts.

Introspection is key. I used to be told that questioning things was bad or judgmental, or that I just had a problem with authority... I was told to find the gold in every situation, to look for the silver lining, and to accept my role in life.

But questioning these things... zooming out and looking at what might be putting a bias or spin on even our own thinking isn't just smart... it’s survival, and it’s the only path to knowing oneself.

So let's look at a few... And before you judge me for speaking my mind, you need to consider that everything I’m writing is based on personal experience. I’m not here to rescue people, I’m not here to convince you of anything or change your mind, but maybe you can relate. YMMV.

Here's a few quick ones:

Justice Bias
“If I stay kind and loyal, eventually I’ll be rewarded, seen, or chosen…”

Nope. You’ll get used.

Normalcy Bias
“Sure, it’s bad, but it’ll pass. It always has all the other times...”

Sorry… you can’t predict the future, and patterns aren’t always repeated.

Survivorship Bias
“They found success by doing this... so I will too.”

The reality… they probably just got lucky, and also, they aren’t you.

Halo Effect
“This person is so special, I’m in love!”

You’ll see the real version of them once that fades. But in the meantime, you’ll lose your mind and sometimes do the dumbest things.

Self-Enhancement Bias
“I’m smarter/more resilient/more special... this won't happen to me.”

You are special… everyone is. (another way of saying nobody is). The truth? Very few actually are… and that’s what makes them so.

Self-Serving Bias
“It’s not me, it’s the world's fault.”

Sure… ok… *rolls eyes*

and then… there’s a big one.

Confirmation Bias

“I only see what fits the story I’ve already told myself.”

Inside of confirmation bias, we start noticing only the things that prove us right. One small gesture is enough to confirm they love or care about us, or one sale is enough to keep us from shutting down that business.

Many people think this is just about weaponizing new evidence to serve our existing narrative... or only seeing the good things… but in fact, I believe there's a more dangerous side.

A negative confirmation bias, the side that traps us in the very things we never wanted and tells us "it is what it is." which is just a less pathetic sounding way of saying you are simply lowering your standards and compromising.

Negative bias inadvertently makes our fears more likely to come true, and confirms them… because we stop looking for something better, and then we just convince ourselves that we are just being real, or practical.

The boy who becomes biased to believe that he's never enough… ends up drawn to people who make him feel exactly that, almost as a chance to prove otherwise... but instead, they take take take, empty him, belittle him, criticize and insult him, and now he has his confirmation. He’s never enough, and "It is what it is."

The girl who becomes biased to believe that she’s too much to handle, her dreams are too big or improper, and nobody would ever understand her... ends up with people who keep her grounded and treat her like an afterthought... "It is what it is," and when she shrinks her dreams and nothing ever changes, she has her confirmation, she’s too much.

Negative confirmation bias doesn’t just blind us, it builds prisons of “It is what it is” out of our own negative expectations, and then we decorate the walls with only the memories we’ve chosen to see... because after all... "I was right, the world does suck. There is no such thing as XYZ" (fill in the blank with whatever you thought wasn't possible.)

Confirmation bias doesn’t need evidence... it makes evidence. It sculpts the entire world into something familiar, even if that familiarity is pain and loss.

The moment you are biased against hope and happiness… “the whole world sucks, why even try!” … you’re screwed, because you’ll even start to attract others who feel the same.

But worst of all... negative confirmation bias ruins the relationship you have with yourself and your fears... because every time you prove your fear right, you believe it more than your true feelings or instincts.

Inside all of that “confirmation,” deep down we still yearn for escape... and that's the real evidence. That’s the proof that part of us knows better is possible.

Investment Bias, AKA Sunk Cost Fallacy

"I’m afraid that everything I’ve suffered and invested will mean nothing if I let go."

So we stay another year...then 10... 20… 30… forever? We don’t know how to bury something that’s still breathing, even if barely. So we sacrifice tomorrow to protect the illusion of yesterday.

Have you ever heard someone say “I’m in too deep, I can’t quit!”

If you're in too deep with something that's wrong, you need to stop digging and get out… full stop.

Don’t double down on what you know is wrong for you.

You know you hate your job, you know your idea or business isn’t working, you know you're not happy in your relationship, and because you've done it wrong for years, you're now deciding that you're just going to do it forever?

Maybe even throw on some band-aids, put on some rose colored glasses, “be the example” or the “bigger person” hoping things change and help it last longer, and invest even more?

Newsflash… people don’t change, and if you had to tell them how their actions affect you… then they didn’t care anyways. You shouldn’t have to tell people how you want to be treated, that’s bullshit. If they actually cared, they’d figure it out., they would be curious, they would want to learn your needs.

When people show you who they are, or how much they care, on their own, without you teaching them how to treat you… that’s who they are. Believe that, not the words or even the responses to your actions. Helping someone manufacture the desire to care is a ridiculous way to feel cared for… at that point, is it even real?

Good people, caring people, people who make you a priority… they won’t need any of that prompting, they will know.

Same goes for business, the market isn’t going to just magically love your product because you pretend it’s better than it is and convince them of it, unless you’re comfortable with lying to yourself and everyone else in some kind of “fake it till you make it“ scheme. But even if that works… You’re just left with a lie. Your success will be just as fake, and temporary. You’ll never be able to stop lying.

When we’re not jumping to our best life because we think we’re in too deep and can’t get out of the current one, we will do everything we can to try to make it work. It’s actually seen as noble, many people will encourage you to do just that. “never give up.”

I'm no stranger to this one either. I rode so many trains heading to nowhere, for way too long... and I’m not telling you to jump off yours, you are free to ride those for as long as you wish, and many normal people live lives they consider fulfilling while doing just that.

But to me, almost living is soul crushing.

You do you, but I’ll be damned if I I’m not at least honest with myself about it, else I might be tempted to get back on one of those trains to nowhere.

I’m no longer willing to go on that ride, I’m no longer willing to lie to myself about how happy I am inside of a situation that was making me not only stressed and anxious, but turning me into someone that I told my younger self that I’d never be...

The Illusion of Control

A favorite cognitive bias of control freaks, especially those with a dash of confirmation bias. The belief that you can control outcomes that are actually governed by chance or unknown complexity.

The little unknown cruelty of this bias is that it makes people stay in bad situations, believing their effort will rewrite the rules, when really... it's never going to change. It's actually a beautiful belief sometimes, and can be done for all the right reasons, but it gets us hurt.

And if we like to be in control... there's something else that creeps in. Self sabotage.

The reason many of us self sabotage is because it allows us to predict the future even inside of situations that felt out of our control.

The moment you make it a real business, the moment you throw that project out into the world, is the moment that it’s no longer solely in your hands... you lose control.

Failure, quitting, etc… it’s in your control, it’s the only outcome you could guarantee, because you can choose it.

There’s another layer to this, and that’s for those of us who like to control how we are seen.

Maybe we don’t like looking weak, or like a victim, or maybe we’re just afraid that if we are ever truly seen, completely... it wouldn’t be accepted.

The illusion of control is often about fear. The fear of asking for help, the fear of being known, or the fear of stepping into the center of who we really are, instead of just living on the edge… because what if it ends badly?

I personally think it would be much worse to have so much potential that slips into a meaningless indifference, than it would be to go for it, and risk failure.

But… it’s easier to go straight to the part where what we were afraid of happening just happens, and just get it over with… because at least then we don’t have to risk feeling out of control.

Biases Can Feel Like Superpowers

It’s so easy for truly brilliant people to believe they “just know it,” to believe that everyone else is wrong, to even start believing that the evidence is wrong. This is a powerful thing that makes amazing things possible, and in the right situation creates magical and successful businesses that change the world. Many of the greats like Steve Jobs for example were incredibly biased, no matter the evidence. And often he was proven right in the end.

But there’s a danger inside of this, as sometimes we just don’t get it right. Believing something against all evidence is sometimes noble, righteous, brave, etc.… But did you ever stop and think that sometimes, rarely, it might be stupid?

When it gets to a certain point, it’s not about ignoring other people‘s opinion anymore... and I’m all for rejecting the opinion of the masses, but here we’re talking about rejecting reality and substituting your own, until it smacks us (or someone else) in the face.

But once we recognize our own biases, and make our own internal offsets for them, they become less dangerous… we can even turn them into belief systems that actually empower us to do the impossible… and personally, I love making the impossible possible.

Biased by Intuitions or Emotion?

I’ve studied the difference between these recently, and I’ve tried to boil it down to a method of detecting which is which, and find out what I might be experiencing in a situation to better know how to respond without bias.

Knowledge is power, and knowing yourself is the beginning… so not understanding what is influencing your decisions would completely prevent you from becoming a powerful person who is in control of their life, and that’s when stress and anxiety get worse… not knowing.

So what about when something makes you feel uneasy, afraid, or anxious… is that intuition? Nope. The source of that is your emotions, and your emotions are lying to you like it’s their job. Feelings and emotions are NOT the same.

Intuition or gut feelings are more like instincts, and what that looks like is a sense of calm that comes over you because you just know something.

Gut feelings are a powerful tool to point us in the right direction, but if we feel them laced with stress and anxiety, chances are, that’s not actually our intuition… that’s our emotions, and any decisions made inside of there will be heavily biased.

The best example would be fear… Especially irrational fear, or fear of something that is extremely unlikely. I don’t know about you but every time I’ve made a “fear based“ decision, I’ve regretted it later… And every time I’ve made a decision to push through to something I knew was right, even though I was afraid, those were some of my best.

The best gut feelings to follow are the ones that you have a peace with... even if the moment brings fear. When you find a path that brings you peace as you walk it, even if that path is scary at times, keep walking… as far as you can, until that stress and anxiety is left behind so far it can’t even bother you anymore.

Soon you’ll realize that those fears were actually preventing you from getting to a place where you’re barely afraid of anything anymore.

When people say to follow your heart, I really believe this is what that looks like, it doesn’t look like scattering yourself to every wild emotion… it means pushing past fear, and trusting your gut… and sometimes it goes against conventional logic or cultural expectations.

Accepting Our Biases

I get it... and I've been there, sometimes you’re just unwilling to admit that one thing is wrong or was just something we were biased to... but what if we simply can’t admit it because it means so many other things would also be wrong… it would become very eye opening.

Our cognitive bubbles would be popped, and most people can’t handle that... but for me, I'm going to embrace it. I’m ready to re-calibrate my sensors with new offsets… to stop riding the wrong trains and digging deeper holes.

Because it feels like the person I’m becoming has been waiting on me to figure this out for decades, so I can truly say good morning to a life that makes me excited to wake up.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

I personally hate waiting…

When I am waiting for something it feels like I accept the fact that it won’t happen until a certain period of time has passed. It makes me feel powerless. It makes me feel as if things depend on anything but me…

But waiting is something totally normal. We all do it… all the time.

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From a very young age we are taught to wait… Even for trivial things such as having to wait for the end of the dinner to get to the dessert (well I sometimes have a dessert instead of dinner, but that’s beyond the point).

Children can’t wait to grow up… Naive little creatures don’t realize it’s a trap :) I was one of them…

But what happens when we grow up? We end up waiting on a bigger scale… because we start feeling what children don’t - fear enters our life.

Fear of judgment, fear of failure… of being unliked and misunderstood, of not being invited and accepted…

So we keep postponing things for later… but we never tell anyone the true reason why… which I think is we hope by then we won’t be afraid.

Eventually what happens is we postpone building our dreams, following our passion, getting rid of certain things that make our life miserable… we wait for the right time to start doing things that we’d like to.

How many times have you heard the phrases like “As soon as the kids grow up…”, “When I have more time…” , “When I find a well-paid job…” , “As soon as we pay the mortgage…”.

The sad truth is that very often we and that “right time” never meet up. Just like the horizon… we keep walking towards it but the distance between us seems to stay the same.

The reality proves that you will never have the ideal conditions. There will never be the perfect moment. Life will continue getting on the way and things will keep happening. There will always be something new coming between you and your plans. Always!

How can you be so sure about the future? How can you take the risk of putting off the things that are important to you? What if that right moment never arrives? What if something happens in-between?

Why do we think that time is not precious? Why do we often start living only after a major paradigm shift? Do we have to survive an accident or get cancer or lose someone we loved in order to understand that wasting even more time is stupid?

You may say that you’ve got too many obligations and time-consuming responsibilities. And I won’t argue back. Not because I know you – most probably I don’t. I won’t argue back because we all do have those.

Do you think that all the successful people were completely free, with no family, no money issues, no problems at all?

Well, I have to disappoint you there.

Most of the successful people were exactly in your shoes before. They too had things to deal with, they too did not have the ideal time to take action… but the difference is – they did not wait. They did not sit and wait for the perfect moment. They did not wait until they had time. They made time for the things which were important to them.

Often people - even those I don’t know well - end up sharing their stories and hopes and dreams… Often they talk about something they hope to do “one day”.

One day? Which day?

Do you think you will wake up from a knock on the door and when you open it you’ll see that “one day” on your doorway saying“ I’ve come you can start now” ?

Something tells me that might never happen…

What if instead of waiting for that one day you start now? Sooner you start the probability that you’ll actually make it happen will get higher.

But if you keep sticking to that dangerous future tense you will risk staying where you are now for a very long time….

Do you really want to let your entire life become a waiting room?

No?

Then stop waiting and start acting.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

They say the best way to monetize people is to tell them what they want to hear.

Maybe that’s true… but in my book, those who are telling others what they want to hear in order to monetize them are assholes, liars, and manipulators…

and sometimes they’ve told the lies so long they even start to believe it all themselves, but that doesn’t change reality… they are not real creators or entrepreneurs…

Yet…

Everywhere you look, self identified “winners” are celebrated for churning out BS braggy content…

or maybe posting things like… “Oh wow, I can’t believe how amazing I am! Look what I did, isn’t it wild?!” (it’s that *cringe* humble brag.)

Why do people do this? Because they’re not actually solving any problems, not building… just feeding an audience’s (or algorithm’s) lust for more, more, more… and trying to grow their social capital and influence... they get monetizable attention…

Then… eventually they try to sell you something (or get paid a lot to sell something to you.)

I Strongly Dislike “Salesman” Types

“I could sell ice to an Eskimo!” they often say…

Really? So you are a con-man… you literally just said you would scam someone… sell them something that they don’t need and are already surrounded by. What other meaning would that phrase have other than a way to brag about how you can take advantage of or manipulate people?

They will sell almost anything… they dress it up and make it sweet… make it drip with honey to hide the transaction underneath. They want something… it’s a means to an end.

They put it out there, then figure out how to convince you to want it…

and… what happens next may surprise you!

(I hate that clickbait line. You hate that clickbait line. And yet, somehow, here we are.)

Welcome to the honeyd*cking era… the “transaction” is covered in sweetness until the rope (the funnels, uncomfortably large investments, or cognitive biases like FOMO, etc.) are used to tie you up, get what they want from you, then broom you fast… and they will get rich doing it over and over to as many people as possible, while somehow making each of you feel “special” or “chosen.”

But you aren’t special (not to them)… 10,000+ other people got the same message.

They don’t know you... they don’t care about you… but they’ll make you feel good, and promise you the world, just long enough to get what they need.

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Stop Promoting People You Don’t REALLY Know

Have you ever “given flowers” (or compliments) to someone you barely knew, and can’t even REALLY verify if it’s true or not? Hmmm… why?

Can we please de-normalize this habit?

It’s not kindness… it’s a technically a lie(you don’t actually know them…)

What if other people believe you, and then trust that person and get screwed?

Scammy people don't just reveal themselves… they present as kind, moral, or trustworthy… doing or saying whatever earns trust. They study what people value and mirror it to gain access and control. They build fake websites and bios touting about all their evidence of how trustworthy they are… and people believe it!

That is what makes them so dangerous.

So stop promoting people that you don’t actually know… just stop!

You don’t owe them anything, even if they compliment or promote you first!

Selling the Idea of Selling an Idea is Never a Good Idea

This is where things get really weird…

The thing they are selling… sometimes it’s:
Not an actual product they care about.
Not a real service.

Rather, it’s just the idea that you, too, can profit from selling an idea to other people desperate to get rich by selling big ideas. Huh?

The idea itself is monetized, but it never even matters if it ever launches… in fact, the longer they can delay, the better! They will just keep setting new timelines and milestones, and avoiding any real accountability….

Maybe some copy-pasta or an unremarkable but believable buzz word filled app to solve some global crisis?

Maybe it comes with insider access to opportunities for health, wealth, or eternal life?

Nope… it’s just the chance to pull in others to make your wallet fatter, but of course, mostly only the ones at the top benefit.

Zoom out and look at yourself… you are the product, and the salesman… you can only get rich by selling THE LIE until hopefully it becomes true (it never will).

And you had to pay your way into that? Yeah… feels real genuine.

It’s selling the idea of selling an idea. It’s BS. It’s a scheme, and unfortunately it’s perfectly legal in most cases, just by using the right wording.

But it’s soul sucking, it’s parasitic to real industries, and the algorithms love all the circle-jerking and tribalism, so it grows fast. It’s gutting true creatives and entrepreneurs and pushing away REAL talent that won’t join in those stupid games.

But… They Said Need ME

Do they, really? …or do they just need the next victim or shill… to get more people like you?

Rebels don’t care about appealing to the widest audience, we aren’t here to coddle your emotion or needs, or make you feel special… but if it happens… cool! We don’t even want credit for it.

What we do really care about are real conversations, real ideas, and having genuine connections with the people who want that too… not just the illusion of it, and nothing transactional.

If that means we stay small, or make enemies… so be it.

If that means we don’t scale… or have nothing to monetize… so be it.

We’d rather build something that has a soul, than give shallow fake compliments and chase numbers like everyone else.

So if you’re still here… and you agree, then maybe you’re one of us.

A rebel.
A builder.
Someone who actually gives a damn about core values and integrity.
Not a follower. Not a mark. And NOT trying to get something from anyone else…

They actually DO exist, and they’re the ones whom I believe are worth building for (and with).

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

We live in a fake world.
Was it always like this?

Before I thought that no. I thought that at some point the fakeness got introduced and incentivized and started spreading… fast.

Now I think that maybe I was wrong and it’s always been there. I just didn’t see it before.

Whichever the case, the bottom line is that we do live in a fake world these days.

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People fake almost everything online. Pretending to be who they are not. Avoiding sharing what they really think so they don’t risk getting cancelled. Filtering things and highlighting only the shiny and attractive parts of their lives.

They use “fake authenticity” to farm engagement. To receive attention and empathy and create “connections.”

They chase numbers, artificially inflate them and “fake it till they make it.”

Feels like many are doing it… so we got used to it… and not many seem to care anymore.

On the other hand there are things that many passionately care about…

Meaningless handbags priced five figures, tastelessly flashy sports cars and horribly uncomfortable heels. Just because it was somehow decided that those added worth to their owners… and many believed it to be true.

People these days are very “strategic” with who they are friends with. That whole “your network is your net worth” thing gets to an extreme… So unless you are “useful” or important not many would care about you…

And that’s where we are now.

In a world …

Where real is rare.

Where genuine is hard to find.

Where even authenticity is faked.

Almost…

There are still those who didn’t fall for it. They didn’t buy the bullshit that society brainwashed many into.

Those still have kept their true values… the ones which these days may be perceived as being very naive and impractical.

They create and build with passion and purpose. Don’t compromise on how big their dreams are just because those scare others.

Those still believe in genuine human relationships and they know how to be true friends… Not the strategic networking bullshit… not the “favour for favour barter” stuff… But the true “I’ve got your back” type friendship...

Those people are very special. They are not common anymore and they are very hard to find. So when you do - don’t let them go… because the chances that you might stumble upon someone that good again are gonna be tiny.

That’s what we’re trying to do here…

We are hoping to meet those people at the Rebel Speakeasy.

Because to be honest…

I have neither time nor desire for those others anymore!

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

Curiosity made the cat go on adventures, take risks, explore, build and create cool things, and live nine fulfilling lives.

It’s only when the world told the cat to sit still, play nice, and stop wanting anything more that the real danger crept in.

The cat was tamed to serve a different purpose.

We’re told to pick paths, careers, partners, life ideologies, locations... long before we’ve actually experienced enough to make an honest informed choice… and who do those limited choices benefit most? Usually not us.

The harm isn’t in wondering what’s out there… it’s in pretending we don’t (or can’t) care anymore.

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Consider being handed just three boxes and told to pick your favorite, maybe one of them strikes your fancy… makes your heart race… but nobody ever tells you there’s a warehouse out back that has all the best stuff in it… what a dirty trick! It’s a trap!

Well, most do exactly that… they choose from a small sample group that they had access to, and then they live entire decades convinced they’ve made a well informed choice, when in reality, they’ve only accepted one.

You Knew What You Wanted…

They say “the heart knows” … but for me, it’s kind of like… that gut feeling inside that always pushed me since a young age to tell friends and family what I would and wouldn’t do with my life… I think the soul knows.

But one by one… those soulful desires get pushed down to meet soul sucking expectations and traditions.

Get the “normal” job… fill the normal roles… make everyone happy except myself, but then convince myself that I’m fulfilled… even though I constantly feel the need to escape.

Then we’re taught to be loyal to our “first” decisions... to double down on what we said we wanted when we barely knew anything at all or just accepted things as is. But was that really our “first” plan, or was it simply the first one where we knew others agreed, wanted to hold us to it, or didn’t try to make us feel guilty for wanting?

Our new docile tamed purpose starts to build walls that get harder to see the longer we live inside them.

If you’re not careful, those walls will shrink and become your whole world...

And there is a part that comes later that really hurts...

You see someone out there has the life you always knew you would’ve loved.
Someone else built “your” business idea years after you had it, and made millions.
Someone else is living proof that another path was real…
but you still aren’t on it... not because it wasn’t available, or unreachable…
but because you stopped trying.

But its never too late to start again.

Stay Curious and Stay Inspired

Maybe the entire problem isn’t that you’ve been stuck or failing or aren’t smart or courageous enough... but that you’ve never actually given yourself permission to be truly curious and risky again.

Last week’s article by Ani talked about the 5 people around you, and how important it is to curate ones who inspire… it’s obvious to me now that if you are the only curious risk taker of the bunch, it’s going to be hard to feel inspired. The others closest to you have their own personal fears & limitations, which eventually start to become yours.

The good news? It’s not too late. You owe it only to yourself to at least see what else is out there, even if you don’t start a new project, or make any big life, career, or location changes. But you might…

They seem like opposite thoughts, but we can actually be both thankful for what we have or have had, and also look forward to something totally different, it’s ok, really.

But lose curiosity, and we’ll spend the rest of our life defending a version of ourself that doesn’t even dream anymore…

What would our younger selves think of that? Mine would be very upset with me.

So make sure you have people in your life who encourage dreaming for more, and don’t be held back by the limitations of others. That could have been the missing piece all along.

I now realize it’s part of the reason Rebel Speakeasy exists… to curate an environment where true curious rebels can hopefully find others. It’s not for everyone, and that’s ok…

I’ve come to realize we’re even more rare than I thought at first.

Not Everyone Has it, and That’s Fine

Genuine curiosity… the risky kind… the kind that makes you leap... hop on a plane, launch that project that might just become another graveyard, but find all the answers to “what if”… It’s a huge part of that thing tugging at your soul that makes you feel like you were meant for more.

And if we have it, for us, it’s the signal that we’re still alive… still thinking… still open…
and still have plenty of potential and possibilities in front of us, no matter our age.

True curiosity isn’t a quirk… it’s not a phase, and it’s not something you grow out of once you’ve picked your path.

In fact, as I grow older, I start to realize that my curious younger self who asked questions that nobody else dared, took everything apart, and never wanted to settle for “normal” might have been the one who loved me the most… and I think it’s time to love him back.

Because the true value of a life isn’t in its length, but in the good moments collected from birth to death… in genuine human connections and experiences… and the best ones are hidden.

All the good stuff is like treasure, buried under masses of ordinary, out there waiting for us…

and we have to be the ones brave and curious enough to dig them up.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

Most of us lead dull and ordinary lives, and spend most of our days doing what needs to be done and have no time left to do things that inspire us instead. Life gets on the way and keeps us away from what we dreamed of.

We grow up and get stuck in the routine, responsibilities overload us and with time we get used to it…

Some people stay in that state forever.

Some others manage to break through and get inspired again. Those who do eventually start inspiring others by their own example…

Looking at people who lead inspired life brings hope and faith. Faith that it is possible and hope that we will be able to do the same…

People who inspire us are those, who don’t wait for the inspiration to come to their life – they provoke it.

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Those are the people who have a dream and are not afraid to do everything to get closer to it.

Those are the people who find the courage to face and overcome their fears and who are willing to go through the painful process of growth.

They don’t let procrastination get on their way. They are willing to leave their comfort zone, because they know that success is outside that zone.

And then as a contrast we have the other group of people… unfortunately that group is much bigger.

Those are the people, who are ready to let you down, who can always find reasons why your dreams won’t come true and who settle with the mediocre.

Now, let’s recall what Robin Sharma often tells. He says that we are the average of 5 people we spend the most time with.

So look around. Who are those 5 people? Do they inspire you? Do they bring you down to reality? Do they encourage your passion or advise to grow up instead?

I personally love being different and don’t like copying what others do. But when I am looking at people who lead inspired lives I think it’s worth making an exception and copying their mindset, lifestyle and excitement.

Creating and building something worthy may be a lonely process, so you will need to get excited first to take action. And you need to be motivated enough to keep going.

You have to be inspired enough to initiate changes. You need to be motivated enough to follow your passion.

Find ways to provoke inspiration. Anything that might work is worth trying.

If you don’t have those 5 people in your real life, who will help you with that, look for them somewhere else. Read the books that inspire you, listen to podcasts that encourage you, find groups where like-minded people gather, go to meetups…

Meditation, music, falling in love, art, booze… Anything that might work…

And while you’re at it maybe come to our Space on Wednesday and let’s talk about it.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

Am I crazy to keep hoping and dreaming while sitting in a pile of ashes?

Maybe… but nobody else really wants to tell you how much or how many times you'll lose... They'd rather talk about success like it's linear... like if you just keep pushing, you’ll eventually land somewhere good.

They don’t talk about the part where you fall in love with something, give it everything you have, and then watch it crash down or sometimes even just slowly fade, without ever becoming what you hoped it might be.

”This will probably fail, badly” would not be a book title that would pull in all those masses of people looking to get rich quick, yeah?

Serial entrepreneur, optimist, or hopeless romantic… I’ve been called many things…

I've started on well over a hundred ideas. Wild, obsessive, promising ideas...and maybe only two or three ever got enough traction to find some success. Not because the others weren’t good... but because time, life, energy, priorities, and reality all have a say in the matter. Sometimes it wasn’t the right season. Sometimes other people stopped me, or sometimes I changed, the spark just faded or I simply forgot about it.

And yet... I’ve never once regretted trying a single one of them, I’ve only regretted realizing something had failed, but keeping at it anyway, because that’s when you stop growing and start just “surviving.”

Every one of those “failed” ideas or paths taught me something I couldn’t have learned any other way, and sure, this might be a romantic outlook, but every dead project sharpened my vision. Every false start made it easier to spot what truly matters the next time. Nothing is ever fully wasted... unless you never pivot, or you stop creating altogether.

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Starting Over Can be Exciting

The truth is, starting over is underrated. People act like it’s this humiliating thing... some kind of defeat. But what if starting over is just proof that you’ve grown? That you saw it for what it was, took the best of it, and decided to evolve instead of stagnate.

Starting again might mean letting go of what never fit you in the first place. It might mean finally creating something that doesn’t wear someone else’s expectations. And maybe for the first time... you get to build it as you, not as the version of you who was still trying to serve someone else’s plans.

Everything that crashes teaches you how to fly better next time.

That business that didn't work? Maybe it taught you what you never want to do again. That relationship that you feel coming to an end? Maybe it gave you the words you now write with... or the empathy you lead with... or maybe now you get the freedom you didn’t know you were missing. It’s all part of it.

This Isn’t Failure... It’s Becoming

We spend so much time worrying about making the "right" move... but the truth is, most rebels I know are constantly breaking and remaking their path. What looks like failure is usually just iteration... what looks like giving up is often just course correction... and what looks like starting over or changing your mind is actually becoming more real.

So, if you're here now, with something that collapsed... something that faded... or something that just never caught on like you thought it would... good. You're not done, and you're not alone.

You’re just starting again... and again... until what you're building fits your actual life, not the one you were told to want.

And maybe this next version is the one you’ll stick with. Or maybe it’s just a stepping stone to the one that will finally click. Either way, that’s still movement... still momentum... and it still matters.

Not Everyone and Everything Can Stay

Seriously... everything around us is changing all the time.

The world shifts, markets evolve, people show their true colors, “love’s blinders” fall off, and of course the world and culture flips on itself overnight. So why are we expected to stay the same? I'm not talking about following the wind, I'm talking about those times you didn't know what you didn't know... and now you do!

Consistency is praised... even when it means stagnation, but don’t buy into that… you’re allowed to change, allowed to pivot. You’re allowed to outgrow things... even the things you once fought hard to build.

You're not trapped by choices… and your life wasn’t created by the choices you made, it’s created by the choices you STOPPED making.

Your life is not the sum of your choices, it’s the sum of the times you gave up on making new ones.

The Writing is On the Wall

Don’t let things stretch on for years and years…

Whether it’s a business idea, a partner, a friend, or even your customers, employees, or the market you are in… sometimes the potential you see for them is just simply not there, and never was. They never had that potential at all, ever… it was merely you projecting what you want them to be, or what you would do in their shoes… but they aren’t you!

We need to look at things objectively… sometimes things just aren’t ever going to work out, no matter how long we wait, they will only get worse. The sad fact is that a lot of people peak in their 20s, or even in high school, but others, the rare ones… they grow and evolve for their entire life, getting better every day.

Business is the same way… some grow forever and pivot, evolve… and others, like GoPro, or most memecoins, peak early, and then never again.

Also… and this is hard, but sometimes only rock bottom can show us we’ve been held back and controlled by situations, jobs, partners, or our own fear of looking like a failure. But rock bottom is a great place to build brand-new… this time, wiser, stronger, and bolder… without obligations, guilt, and naivety.

Until then, Rebels... keep becoming your best version, I know I will.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

I have been podcasting on and off for about 11 years already. During that time, I’ve spoken to hundreds of people — each of them for about an hour. Smart people. Cool people. Creative people. People with unusual and impressive stories.

But none of them was able to answer one of the questions I kept asking myself — and later, asked them too.

And the question was:

How do you know if it’s time to give up or if you should keep pushing harder instead?

Maybe it’s because there is no answer to that.
Maybe there’s no way to know.
Maybe you’ll look back and have the answer in retrospect… and that will lead to regret — or, on the contrary, the satisfaction that you made the right choice.

But it seems like there’s no checklist, book, framework, or TED Talk that will help you figure it out while you’re still on the journey.

And if that’s the case and if you’re an overthinker like me then chances are high that at 2AM, you’ll be asking yourself:

“Am I being resilient? Or just stubborn?”

How do you know which it is?

On one side…
We’ve been taught that quitting is a weakness.
That the great ones kept pushing, even when no one believed.
That if you want it badly enough, you’ll eventually find a way.

And maybe that’s true.

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On the other side…
Sometimes it’s just not working.
And no matter how hard you push, it won’t budge.
Sometimes the more you force it, the more it drains you…

So you start thinking, “Maybe it’s not meant to be…”
And maybe that’s true too.

I used to be proud of the fact that I wasn’t a quitter.
But that’s not always a good thing.

Sometimes that makes you cling to things you’d be better off letting go.
Sometimes ditching is actually a win.
And being able to do that is a strength, not a weakness.

I’ve been in both places.

I’ve chosen big goals and dreams and didn’t give up for years.
I didn’t stop when people thought it was impossible, or told me it was time to quit, or said I was obsessed.
I didn’t give up and those things became my reality now.

But there were also many cases where I stayed too long - in relationships, in jobs…

Wasted time and energy trying to breathe life into something that was unrecoverable.
Held on when I should’ve walked away.

So if there’s no clear way to know… how do I choose?

I rely on my gut feeling mostly. But based on experience, I’ve found a few things that help me hear that feeling better:

• If you’re staying because of guilt — it’s probably time to go. Guilt is never the right motivator. It’s more connected to traps and cages than dreams and freedom.
  

• If you’re still pushing, but the joy is gone — and has been gone for a while — maybe it’s no longer worth fighting for.
  

• Sometimes what keeps you from walking away is the sunk cost. But you’ve already paid. So maybe you should just let it go.
  

But maybe your gut keeps whispering that although it’s hard it still matters.
Or maybe, deep down, you know that if you quit now, you’ll always wonder what if… and that thought would haunt you for years.

Even if you have no proof you just know that if you quit, you’ll regret it.

In that case that’s worth staying for.

Sometimes we walk away too early.
Other times, we stay because we’re afraid to admit it’s time to move on.

Neither is easy.
Both take courage.

So maybe it’s not one decision. Maybe it’s an ongoing process.

Maybe it’s about learning how to listen to that sixth sense at all times.

Because the answer is probably not in the spreadsheet, or in the facts, or in other people’s opinions or their belief in you (or lack of it).

It’s in your body.
It’s in your soul.
In the tension you carry when you keep doing what you think is the right thing…

Or in the way the weight lifts off your shoulders when you imagine letting go.

There’s no shame in staying.
And there’s no shame in leaving.

Both can be right.
Just not at the same time.

And only YOU will know which one it is.

Eventually…

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

Fear moves people… it always has. Fear of pain… fear of loss… even fear of injustice.

But the most dangerous kind is the one that’s dressed up to look noble… when fear is used to “protect” people, but ends up caging them instead.

Picture this... a woman sells prints of her unique art at pop-ups. It’s raw, it’s new… people love it. She takes payments through online personal payment systems… she pays taxes, got a vendor license, and keeps everything above board. Then one day, her account gets flagged… Frozen funds. No appeal. No warning.

Why? Because she didn’t fill out a specific form that she didn’t know existed. Because she didn’t classify her art as a registered business in one little place, and someone reported her…

It’s devastating… her soul is crashed… she goes silent… stops selling, and decides to just get a “normal job” instead…

Another small business and kind creative soul snuffed out… by bureaucracy.

Consider the college programmer… he builds something powerful. A protocol that could decentralize access to vital information. Nothing shady… just maybe too free. His dad says he needs to talk to a lawyer… the lawyer says, “You might need licenses. You might be a money transmitter permit. You might fall under 12 different jurisdictions. You might get sued.”

So he stops. Doesn’t launch… shelves it… and kills the idea.

Not because it wasn’t good… but because the fear of being “non-compliant” beat the courage to build.

The Lie We’re Sold About Regulation

Some people say regulation builds trust. That more rules make something more accessible, more acceptable, more adoptable… maybe in a few cases, but that’s rarely how it plays out.

In practice, regulation doesn’t level the playing field… it builds a wall around it. It becomes a way to manage people, not empower them. A way to make honest actors prove they belong, while the corrupt bad actors already know how to work the system.

I’ve spent entire days proving I’m me… proving that I’m not doing anything illegal, not gaming the system, not laundering money. And I’m not special in that way… we’ve all done it.

You want to start a business? You’re going to need forms, proofs, and registrations. You can’t even send a wire or use crypto at scale… Better be ready for layers and layers of KYC and AML checks, re-verifications, delays, suspicious flags, instant bans with nobody to talk to about re-instatement… and it’s only getting worse.

You’re not protected. You’re presumed suspicious… until you clear enough hurdles to be granted temporary legitimacy.

And all of this? It’s just to EXIST within the current system... imagine trying to innovate beyond it.

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What We Lost Along the Way

Business used to be about building value and trading it freely. Now, there’s a baseline tax on participation... regulatory overhead, friction, liability, licensing, compliance, insurance, and now the cherry on top: Know Your Customer.

KYC is one of the most invasive requirements of all. It demands that companies turn every user into a liability. Every potential community is now a risk. It’s not just about preventing crime... it’s about shifting the burden entirely onto creators, developers, and founders to become the unpaid police force of a system THEY never broke.

And who survives that kind of pressure?

Not the upstarts. Not the outcasts. Not the weirdos with a better way.

The ones who survive are the ones who already had legal teams, compliance officers, and extra capital. The big ones. The safe ones. The boring ones. They don’t innovate because they don’t have to. They just wait until the rules are too costly for anyone else to compete. It's called regulatory capture, and it's used everywhere.

Regulatory capture occurs when a regulatory agency, meant to serve the public interest, instead advances the interests of a few powerful players in the industries it regulates.

Control Is Never Just an Accident

In the 80s, there were still hundreds and hundreds of independent radio and TV stations across the US… local, niche, imperfect, and full of personality. It scared a lot of people… how do we know what they are going to broadcast? They own a channel… they bought the frequency space… built the transmission facilities and studios… and many times they proclaimed that they would “never sell out!” …

Enter the FCC’s digital signal mandate. I remember, I was there… working at one of those TV stations. The upgrade to digital transmission cost millions. Those who couldn’t afford it... lost their license.

Not because their content was bad. Not because they broke a law. But because they couldn’t pay to play.

The result? Ownership consolidated… the vast majority of them ended up selling out to a larger station group to afford it, almost all sold out to the same one.

Voices disappeared and “local news” became national propaganda on repeat.

What looked like modernization was really quiet censorship through economic force. And that same model keeps repeating, again and again... in finance, in media, in tech. The rules shift just enough to ensure only the big players stay in the game, and anyone building something new has to fight uphill the whole way.

Sure, I get it… people are afraid of scams, of criminals and dangerous people, of losing their money, of being taken advantage of...and rightly so. But instead of empowering individuals, the system responds by disempowering everyone. Instead of offering tools to protect yourself, it offers surveillance and a thumb in your back.

What if we didn’t accept that tradeoff? What if security didn’t have to mean submission?

The Cypherpunks Saw It Coming

In the ‘90s, before any of this "crypto stuff" was mainstream, a group of privacy advocates saw where things were headed. They believed that encryption should be available to everyone, not just governments. They fought for it... against the law, against the system... and eventually, they won.

They understood that privacy is more than protection. It’s freedom.

And that freedom is what allows creativity, independence, and yes... innovation.

They didn’t wait for permission. They didn’t play by the book. They built what they believed in... because they knew the future was worth defending.

Freedom Isn’t Free

If you’ve ever felt like the rules were designed to break your spirit... you’re not wrong.

If you’ve ever felt like you were being treated like a threat, just for trying to build something good... you’re not imagining it.

But you’re also not alone.

There’s a growing movement of people who still believe in freedom.

Who still believe that decentralization matters.

Who don’t want a future of blacklists, forced disclosures, and compliance that REQUIRES stagnation.

People who are tired of being told that trust has to come from a government or regulator... instead of from honesty, transparency, history, or value.

Our resistance to unnecessary control is not only valid... it’s vital.

So keep going… not just because the system is broken, but because the future still belongs to those who care enough to build it...

and most importantly…

are kind and creative enough to make sure it's worth living in.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

Everyone’s talking about authenticity.

How important it is. How much people need it. How it builds trust. How we all have to be authentic…

And yet… most of what we see out there isn’t real.
What we see is just strategic vulnerability.
Performative honesty.
Curated mess that somehow still fits the brand.

That’s not authenticity. That’s just another deceptive layer of the act.

I’ve called it fake authenticity many years ago. Don’t think much has changed since then.

Many have gotten really good at looking real.
At posting “staged” behind-the-scenes photos.
At sharing “failures” that never even happened.
At sharing “raw” thoughts into posts that just happen to perform well.

And now?
Now we’re teaching AI how to do that too.

Faster and at scale…

Maybe even better… ?

AI isn’t just writing like us. Sometimes it’s starting to feel like us too.
Or at least, it sounds close enough to trick some.

The language is warm. Conversational. Vulnerable in all the right places.
It mimics emotion well enough that you might think it came from a human.

Yuval Harari said it best:

And that’s exactly what it’s doing.

We’re not being sold products anymore.
We’re being sold closeness.
Manufactured connections. Synthetic emotions.

And it seems like some people don’t care.
As long as it feels real, that’s good enough for them.

But I think we should care.

Because when the fake starts to look more convincing than the real,
people start questioning everything.
Even the voices that are genuine.

What worries me most isn’t that AI is getting good at pretending.
It’s that we’re starting to forget what real even sounds like.

When every founder sounds like a motivational quote machine.
When every brand tweets as if it’s your best friend.
When every influencer starts crying in high resolution…

At some point, you stop believing anything.

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Look…I get it.

It’s hard to be real online.
Hard to speak your truth without wondering how it will land — or if it will “convert.”

But that’s the trade-off.

The more we optimize for perception, the further we get from being authentic.
And the further we get from authenticity, the more we lose the actual connection we were trying to build in the first place.

I’m not here to moralize.
You do what works for you.

But for me?

I’ll keep writing in my own voice.
Even if it’s not perfect.
Even if it doesn’t scale.
Even if only one person cares…

Maybe it doesn’t convert. Doesn’t trend. Doesn’t scale.

But it’s still how I’ll do it.

P.S.
I didn’t write this.
AI did — trained on my tone of voice, shaped by my thoughts, built from my words.

It’s getting close.

Close enough to almost pass.

But ALMOST real still isn’t REAL.
And that’s EXACTLY what this was about.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

Relaxing might be the most productive thing you do all week…

But no… they’ll tell you to wake up at 5 a.m... throw ice in your face… hit your targets... hustle harder!

You’ll hear that rest is “earned,” not something you get to just do... and that your value comes from how efficiently you extract constant output from yourself.

They want you to optimize every hour of your day like your soul is slave to a stopwatch...

Well… it’s not. Your soul hates the stopwatch… in fact, that pressure can kill it if you aren’t careful.

Rest is not something you have to repay later... you don’t owe the world a productive day before you can sleep without shame.

If that’s you… take a breath, and touch grass.

You’re not broken… you’re not lazy... you’re not wasting time.

You’ve just been carrying too much… sometimes things we were never meant to carry at all , as this world has a way of trying to make every problem, your problem…

but… you don't owe anyone.

“Should We Be Doing This?”

Some of my best ideas started with that very question… and came when I was doing absolutely nothing planned... just aimlessly messing around, half-bored, half-curious, accidentally creating something cool af...

Many times the best things happen not just by accident, but also while not trying to do anything at all... just being creative, chaotic, and of course a bit messy.

That late-night YouTube hole you fell into…
that random doodle you made on a napkin...
that long shower where your brain drifted...
or that deep conversation you almost didn’t have because you had to stay up til 3am to get to it…

What about that weird side project you built because it made you happy... people look at those things as wasting time, because none of it looked productive on paper.

One of the hardest things was to actually allow myself to do them anyway, and at first it made me feel so guilty…

But I learned to cherish those moments… because that’s where the good stuff lived... that’s where I actually got to actually feel alive… and that's where I not only found my best ideas, but also built my most valuable skills.

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Hard Work Doesn’t Mean Big Rewards

You can actually hustle your way right into a corner you can’t pivot out of, and hate EVERY minute of it… then get stuck there for decades, or even a lifetime…

A soul sucking daily grind, routines, or a color-coded calendar?… those things don’t interest me.

I want to know when you last lost track of time doing something that had no purpose or reason on paper, but made your brain light up, got you excited and "pulled you in."

Creativity is chaotic, unpredictable, leaves messes everywhere, and is and deeply inconvenient to "normal" people. You’ll have days when you are possessed by a flow state so intense you forget to eat, drink, sleep, or tend to anyone’s needs, including your own.

And then you’ll have weeks when nothing clicks and you feel completely useless... that’s not failure, many times it’s simply the cost of making things that matter.

That type of rest is not just a break from the work... it’s part of the work... because ideas need room to breathe.

In those moments, let yourself wander into weird corners of the internet or go full mad scientist mode on a random idea you’ll probably never finish… stop thinking everything needs to be serious, structured, and marketable.

Seriously... you’re not that important.

And for the record, consistency means nothing if you’re not growing... you can be consistent at stagnating… and honestly… this is what most people do!

What if change is the real discipline? What if the most consistent thing you do is refuse to stay in the same rut? Yeah...

It’s OK to Get a Bit Weird

Bukowski said it like this:

So, yeah… go a little crazy... make messes... explore, and learn to rest…

And inside that rest… in the quiet, in the stillness, or in the distractions… finally let yourself breathe, because that’s where the magic tends to actually show up.

Not in the pressure cooker or the checklist or in the perfectly color-coded schedule.

But in the moment you stop trying so hard to force it…

Your mind wanders… your heart opens… and suddenly… there it is.

The idea, the clarity, the connections… the right people with whom you actually resonate.

And that changes everything.

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Learn to Just Let Go

I’ve been there… the walking embodiment of an anxious overachiever… putting myself under invisible pressure, always measuring my worth by my output.

Even my rest had to be productive… my joy had to be earned…

It’s strange... but we tend to glorify the struggle.

We’ve all seen the underdog montage of the broken-down guy training his way to glory by beating the shit out of himself…

but no one ever taught us how to rest well, and without feeling guilty for it.

No one ever told us that sometimes the real discipline isn’t pushing harder, but it’s letting go.

Success Shouldn’t Require Hiding Your Misery

From the outside, maybe you’re killing it… impressing everyone with your huge list of titles and accomplishments… your life looks like a dream…

but inside, you’re dragging this heavy, quiet panic around every day...

A sense of dread, like you’re already behind before you even wake up.

You might even be building something great, maybe even for the right reasons…

but even then… please, don’t build it from inside misery.

Just come undone sometimes… let the pressure slip off your shoulders for a bit… let the sun hit your face without guilt.

Your worth was never in how much you get done in a day.

And maybe the risk was never in “wasting time”... but in striving to do all the things that suck your soul dry…

and never getting the chance to use that time to do things that matter to YOU.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

But most of the people around you will act like you do… and eventually you will start thinking like that too.

They will act as if you have signed an unspoken promise and now you owe them all. And they will keep demanding … daily.

They will expect you to show up, keep explaining yourself, be available, do favours, be nice…

They will act like you owe them answers…. time… availability… attention… smiles… access to you…

The thing though is: you don’t…

You did not sign anything, you did not give promises, you did not ask them to do that thing they now think you owe them for…

And yet - the pressure from people around you is always on.

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You feel it in their silence after you say no.
It shows up in the way people look at you when you stop doing what they expected.

It frustrates you when you get guilt tripped and finally do what they wanted you to.

But if you dare do something that doesn’t make sense to them - you’ll feel the pressure creep back in again.

They’ll make you feel like you’re letting them down. Like you had to prioritize them instead, and you didn’t.

But you don’t “have to” anything.

Just because someone acts as if you owe them - doesn’t mean you do.

We somehow got used to this idea that you have to do what’s expected of you at all times so you can be accepted, understood and appreciated. So you keep the peace and avoid disappointing people.

But the reality is …

You don’t owe strangers on the internet any explanations.

You don’t owe them to live up to their opinion about you. All it is - is their opinion, not your reality.

You don’t owe the algorithm your soul…

The only person you owe anything to is YOURSELF.

You owe you to be true to yourself.

You owe yourself peace… You owe yourself truth… You owe yourself the right to be yourself, to do what matters, to refuse things that suck your soul and not to give up those special pieces that make you you…

You owe yourself the freedom to not perform.

That’s not selfish. That’s yours to protect.

Let them all expect what they want.

You’re not here to serve everyone out there who may think you owe them.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

We dance with dysfunction inside products, services, processes and relationships every day… and nobody does anything about it.

The best ideas come from not only recognizing that the current options suck, but also, refusing to accept that this is just how it's done... just… “because.”

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had someone complain to me about how terrible a product or service is, and brilliantly propose the solutions that sound pretty great… it almost gets me excited for their new found “opportunity.”

Now, me being the encouraging type… soon I ask “so, when are you going to do it?”

…but often I get that dreaded response… “Easier said than done!”

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Easier Done, Full Stop.

Let me tell you what’s harder than taking action… living a life of frustration, anxiety, and regrets, because we never did anything about it.

We then just accept things things as how they are, and feel powerless.

At least if we try, even if we fail, we know that we gave it a shot… and probably learned a lot along the way as well.

It’s never too late to try again, with ANYTHING.

And if you feel stuck, consider that you might be waiting for permission… permission that nobody is ever going to give you.

You don't need permission.

And you don’t need another certificate, degree, or some overpriced mentorship program teaching you how to build what’s already been built a hundred times over.

You need to trust YOURSELF.

You can actually just do things…

…and when you learn on the fly, find your own paths, and ignore the “by the book” people, many times it will end up much more unique, memorable, and remarkable!

Channel Frustrations into Creativity and Action

You already have everything you need… your questions, your frustration, your instincts that something could be better than what they’re handing you.

Here’s a secret… (that should be way more obvious…)

The REAL entrepreneurs aren't the ones who chase trends.

Personally, I hate trend chasing, it’s competitive, speculative, and often filled with those “fake it til you make it” salesman types. Is there money to be made? Maybe… but that’s why it’s filled with people who only care about money and have no morals.

Real entrepreneurs are the ones who notice the cracks forming underneath the current trends… some of the best ones have looked at an industry everyone says is "too big to fail" and said... maybe it already has, it just hasn't admitted it yet.

And they don’t just see the bloat, the waste, the smugness that always creeps in when no one has challenged the throne for too long… they don't just want to tweak the system… they want to enter it where it’s broken and rebuild what should have existed all along.

That’s when you see things like Uber, Airbnb, PayPal, etc… pop up and upend and entire industry, and most times, it was LONG overdue!

That entire time period while everyone was hating the “old way” was a huge opportunity, and everyone in the world was just overlooking it.

It doesn’t even have to be something that big, little opportunities like this exist everywhere.

But… I Don’t Have the Resources…?

Look around at what we have at our fingertips: one person in their basement can literally leverage billions of dollars in infrastructure practically for free with just a laptop.

You CAN bootstrap your idea, and depending on your risk tolerance, you can even start selling it before you’re done making it by using crowd funding, etc.

Our reach extends faster and further than ever before—yet somehow, the brightest minds and the most beautiful souls are more disconnected and discouraged than ever.

Don’t let that be you… don’t fall into the “Easier said than done” trap…

You have more power than you realize, you just need to step into it.

Stand on the shoulders of billion+ dollar industries who are too big to notice the cracks, and see what they can’t see.

Bonus points if it happens to be in line with your passions…

Because then, you’re going to love every minute of building it, and probably know exactly what other people like you would love to have.

You might even meet others along the path who will join you.

This ability to leverage everything that’s already been done before you is the innovator's unfair advantage, yet it's the fairest thing imaginable…

Because anyone willing to question and create can do it.

So why not you?

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

Many think that startups die because of lack of funding.

Which may or may not be true.

If you ask me… I think they often die because no one cared.

And no one cared because the story they told didn’t resonate.
Because although the words were smart and polished - they didn’t move anyone.

I’ve seen it… many times.

You have a product. Maybe it’s even a good one.
But the words you use to describe it feel like they belong in a corporate memo. They don’t feel real. It’s just a soulless text full of terms the meaning of which those you speak to don’t even know…

And then you wonder why no one gets excited. Why no one clicks. Why no one shares. Why no one gives a damn.

Many underestimate words.

They don’t realize how powerful they can be. So as a result they treat them as something unimportant.

Something to populate the website with… Email copy to send out…

Something that can’t be avoided - but many would prefer to if they could.

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What many don’t realize though is… words are what creates the bridge between what you built and the emotions of the people it was built for.

Words shape how people perceive your brand.
They create the feeling associated with it.
They determine whether someone sticks around… or moves on.

In business everything that touches words belongs to marketing. And there are so many definitions of what marketing is…

To me personally though the best type of marketing is just storytelling in disguise.

Every tweet. Every email. Every line of copy on your homepage. Every advertising script.
They are all stories.

Either you’re pulling people in…
Or you’re giving them a reason to leave and never come back.

And most startups are losing attention not because their product is bad, but because their words are empty.

Your people are waiting to connect.

They want to see themselves in your brand story.
They want to know what you stand for.
They want to feel like they’re part of something - not just buying something.

That takes vision.
That takes courage.
And that absolutely takes finding the right words.

Think about the brands that millions love.

Apple doesn’t sell tech.
Nike doesn’t sell sneakers.
Harley doesn’t sell bikes.

People love those brands because they feel something when they use their products.

Because if you look deeper - those are not just products for them. It’s a narrative they’ve chosen to be part of.

That’s what great storytelling does - it gives people something to belong to. Something to believe in.

And you? You’re probably still over-explaining the tech features…

If you’re explaining in a nerdy way what your product does, you’ve already lost them.

People mostly want to know what your product helps them become.

Your words should stir something in them. Otherwise you will be forgotten at first sight…

It’s like building a ship with no destination.
It may be the biggest… the fastest… the best…but if no one knows where it’s headed, they’re not getting on board.

Words are powerful - but it’s not about how to manipulate people with them.

It’s about finding your brand voice and using it authentically.
It’s about talking to your audience like they’re human.
It’s about making them feel seen, not sold to.

So yeah — storytelling…

The kind that makes someone stop mid-scroll and think,
“This is exactly what I needed to hear today.”

If you’re building something that matters… talk about it like it does.

Because in the end, your words are either a bridge — or a wall.

And you get to choose which one they become.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

I can say this with certainty—I've seen it from the inside.

Opportunistic, greedy, morally-fluid, money-seeking founders can be worse than criminals.

At least with criminals, society recognizes they're a drain.

These founders, however, drain retail investors and early adopters all with just half-baked ideas dripping in toxic positivity, altruistic missions and cool “vibes” … bolstered of course by every engagement-farming growth hack imaginable—products often barely half as good as existing solutions, and with little genuine purpose beyond hype.

Yet, after their exit, or even just their most recent funding round… they drive off in a Lambo, showered with praise by sycophants begging to learn the supposed secrets of their “entrepreneurial genius.”

They're celebrated as heroes.

The dictionary definition of opportunist directly relates an opportunist to thieves…

but, the problem is, unlike criminals, you can't have them arrested to stop the cycle. And so they repeat it, again and again, each success erasing previous wrongs simply by some people making money along the way? Profit doesn't erase all those evils.

True founders aren't just chasing an exit or money—if they do, it shows that they cared neither about their company nor their mission, only their "big break”… and somehow this has been normalized, and celebrated!

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What’s So Bad About Just Wanting to Make Money?

If your sole purpose is making money, you have no real purpose.

If your worth is measured solely by your bank account, you have no real value.

If you’re starting a business purely for money, I have zero interest in knowing you—you’re merely a leech searching for a host. I am too old and seen too much to have any patience left for that bullshit.

The fact is, the truly valuable people are talented creators, writers, designers, and builders driven by genuine purpose, and who want to truly make a difference…

Yet, we’ve mistakenly measured someone's worth by their earnings.

That's the root of the problem.

What is Real Value?

It makes me so pissed when one single person will contribute something to that earns millions, yet never see another dime from it…

A single engineer will design 90% of a product that earns millions, but never see another dime… a talented artist or designer will create something so beautiful it defines a brand forever—but because they were "just doing their job," the founder walks away owning it all, then usually sells out.

The ones with the real skill, the real soul, the real vision?
They build it.
And the opportunists?
They tend to just cash in on it.

I’ve said this before… and I will say it again…
Genuine human creativity is the most valuable resource on earth.

The right type of founders and leaders will recognize that, and reward it accordingly.

This is how your separate the opportunists from the great leaders. These are the great people we need leading the companies of tomorrow!

Passion to “make money” is not passion at all… it’s greed!

How Do We Spot an Opportunist Founder?

Not all bad actors wear a mask you can see. Some of them are polished, well dressed, and charismatic enough to make you second-guess your gut.

But if you look closely… if you know the patterns… you can spot them before they step on you to push themselves higher.

It always starts the same way, with a little ethical fluidity.
They’ll preach values when the camera’s rolling, but the second they’re behind closed doors, they’ll pivot to whatever benefits them most.

They say one thing to investors, another to customers, a third to the team.
Truth today… betrayals tomorrow.
Whichever way the wind blows, they’ll justify it.

Then comes value dilution.
At first, they have “strong beliefs”... until it costs them something… or keeps them from getting more… it’s just greed.

So those beliefs get watered down into a safe, sterile pitch anyone can agree with.
No edge, no heart, no backbone—just market-safe buzzwords designed to please as many wallets as possible.

Then over time, you’ll notice erosion of all their so called principles.
It’s never a big fall all at once… It’s tiny little compromises. A little white lie here. A sleazy deal there… each time they trade a piece of who they were for another inch forward... until one day there’s nothing left but raw greedy ambition… a pure opportunist.

That’s usually when they end up with a big payday, and another “exit” as they sell out to some big company who will probably just shut it down in a few years after they scoop up all the intellectual property.

What was once fighting for the little guy, is now handing over the keys to an old monopoly.

This is why you have to be ruthless about who you build with.
You can't let appearances fool you… opportunists are everywhere…
You can't just trust charisma, money, or a good story.
You have to watch what people actually do when nobody’s watching.

Because in the end...
It’s the builders, the makers, the artists, the creators—the ones who show up with soul, with scars, and with no plan B...
They’re the ones who actually deserve the spotlight.

And if you’re one of the real ones?
We’re rooting for you…. always.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

Today let’s talk about comparisons.

The unhealthy kind. The kind that makes you forget how far you've come, just because someone else is already “there.”

Wherever there is.

We all compare ourselves to others. Often without even noticing that we do.

And when we do we get these thoughts in the background playing in an endless loop “Am I behind? Am I not good enough? What am I doing wrong?”

It’s a trap though… a dangerous one… because very often comparison will kill your creativity, your energy, and even your voice - if you let it.

Because I hate to break it to you but… there’s always someone who’s “better”.

There will always be someone who’s richer… smarter... better connected… prettier… more successful… happier…

But the thing is:

They’re not YOU.

Because you’re different. And that’s not a flaw.

What makes you incomparable is exactly what makes you YOU and what makes you special.

And yes everyone will compare you.

They’ll say you’re the better version of so-and-so … or the opposite.

They’ll rank you and label you and try to put you in one of their little boxes with a certain category tag on it.

But that’s their job. Not yours.

You don’t need to do the same inside your own head.

So don’t.

And if you still can’t help it. At least don’t set yourself up for failure.

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Your Month 1 ≠ Their Year 10

Back in the days when I was still comparing myself to others, I made the same mistake most of us do.

I compared my month 1 to someone else’s year 10… And you don’t have to be too smart to guess who was better.

One of the times I did that was when I was launching my very first podcast 11 years ago.

I went and listened to most of the well-known podcasts and thought to myself “I probably could never be as good…”.

I spoke about it to an online friend and he gave me the advice that I still remember and wanna share with you too.

He said “Ani, they all sucked at first. Please go and check out their very first podcast episodes…”

So I did. And he was right.

You’re probably watching someone give a killer keynote on a big stage and thinking, “I could never be so confident on stage…”

But you are watching their keynote #25… you have not seen the first one…

The shaky voice on their first talk. The awkward body language. The hiccups… none of it.

So please

“Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”

— Jon Acuff

Comparison doesn’t motivate. It paralyzes.

It turns your focus outside when what you need to do instead is look inside.

The more time you spend looking around and comparing yourself to others, the less time you spend creating, building, experimenting, failing, trying again, changing, innovating, growing...

You were born to create something only YOU can.

Even if it’s messy. Even if it’s slow. Even if no one understands or supports at first…

This isn’t a competition.

We don’t race and there is no finish line.

Only our endless desire to become better. Create and build what matters. And the becoming of our true self.

So next time that inner voice whispers, “You’re behind”

recall this quote instead:

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”

— Lao Tzu

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Ani & Rick

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

Most people walk through life like an echo of others...

Many of us are handed identities like uniforms, told what matters, rewarded when we comply, and of course punished when we don’t.

The world wants us to mold ourselves into a version of what’s expected—marketable, predictable, and categorized. And in the process, we hide our true selves away somewhere.

Sadly... most never find it again...

It's Not an Easy Process

Who is our true self? Our “real” identity…? We don’t discover it by accident...

It takes risk, resistance, and sometimes conflict. A confrontation with the self that’s been buried under years of social camouflage.

You don’t find yourself until you push back against the version of you that was built to be liked, praised, or controlled.

The real you is most likely inconvenient... maybe asks uncomfortable questions, even of yourself. It doesn’t fit in a LinkedIn bio or CV slide deck. That real version is more wild, maybe even reckless... but maybe it’s also the only version of you that can actually create something that matters.

If you don’t discover yourself, you’ll become whatever others push onto you... and most people aren’t doing that for your benefit or even based on truth of what they see in you. They’re projecting based on what’s useful to them, to fit you into a box of cultural norms, consumer logic, and other programming.

Which means... if you don’t choose who you are, someone else will do it for you, and fit you neatly up on their shelf of useful consumers, minions, and normies who are never at risk of changing the world.

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Self-Discovery is Continual

Self reflection and continuous improvement are common habits of successful people, but this requires feedback loops—both good and bad.

If I had to choose only one between criticisms or compliments, I would choose criticism.

Criticisms allow you to identify your potential weakness and learn from it... they shouldn’t defeat you—they should simply be another variable in your continuous discovery and improvement loop. In the same way, good feedback needs to be monitored to make sure people are not just being overly kind or protecting your feelings.

The harder part? Knowing who to actually listen to.

Not all criticism is created equal... just because someone has an opinion doesn’t mean it’s worth your time. You wouldn’t take diet advice from a fat person(maybe could ask them where to get a good burger). You wouldn’t hire a life coach whose own life is a wreck (although this is very common for some reason), and you shouldn’t let someone who’s faking their way through mediocrity make you feel less than them.

There are also those nefarious types who criticize often, just for control... they even mask it as care or help, but it’s not. Sometimes they’re just trying to manage what they fear by cutting the scary bits out of you. They’ll offer "honest feedback" laced with hidden resentment, jealousy, or fear. You can feel it in your gut when their words aren't really about helping you... they're about diminishing the true you.

Then there is something else to consider…

We have very little control of the version of us that exists in someone else’s mind… if they want to think something about us, they will, regardless of what we show, most people will automatically try and categorize us.

Consider The Sources

We need to vet the source.

Are they trying to pin labels on you and judge you against some standard?
Are they where you want to be, should you even care?
Do they speak from experience or from ego?
Are they helping—or are they trying to control you under the guise of critique?

We need to filter out these bad types of criticism.

Also, if you’re searching for sources… don't be afraid to look in a bookstore... and I don't just mean self help books. Books don’t just teach, they reveal.

Even fiction, especially fiction, can show you sides of yourself you didn’t know were there. You don’t have to do what the characters do... You don’t even have to agree with their choices. But sometimes, a sentence, a flaw, a moment of madness or courage... it grabs you. It reflects something back that you’ve buried or never noticed about yourself. This very thing has happened to me while reading fiction, and it helped me grow and see myself better.

Those revelations are the kind of knowledge you can’t summarize in bullet points. It changes how you see yourself, and once you see it—you can’t unsee it.

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Continuous Improvement Requires Self-Awareness

The moment you exit continuous improvement, you are deciding to stop growing into the best version of your true unique self.

We need to be willing to see our own flaws, and decide to either own them or fix them.

Don’t be that person that clocks in and clocks out of your entire life to serve the expectations of others, never thinks about how and why you got there, and never knows how unique and successful you could have been if you were more you.

Next time you make a choice for your future, truly think about WHO and WHAT is shaping your decision making, make sure it includes your voice... not just expectations of others, or even guru logic or self-help steps.

Sometimes we don’t need more goals, consistency, or routines... we need more clarity.

Sometimes we don’t need more motivation or persistence... we need more honesty.

Because once you really know who you are—you stop asking for permission, stop needing validation, and stop mimicking what worked for someone else who isn’t you.

When You Are Rare, You Are Most Valuable

The most valuable thing you’ll ever build is the best unique version of you...

So start there.

How? I'll tell you how I do it... maybe you'll resonate.

If you are scared... stay in the room with your fear, until your eyes adjust and you see what it really is.

If you feel brave, or even just curious... move toward what you love... good things will be there for you.

If you want to speak, first listen to the voice that hasn’t been trained to say the only the "right" things, be real, but be kind.

And if you find pain and sadness... invite it in, maybe have a drink and a conversation with it... see what it wants, but then make sure that bastard leaves.

So stop trying to be like everyone else... "normal" should be an insult, not a goal... ignore the haters.

Be the strange and wonderful you…
that’s the one the world actually needs…
that’s the version we’re here for...

and I hope we get to meet them.

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Rick & Ani

P.S. — we’d love to hear your rebel stories as well, so if you can’t join in or audio spaces, or would rather stay hidden… head over to Rebel Confessions—a completely anonymous space to share it all.

We’ll pick the most badass ones to feature in the newsletter or chat about them in our weekly X Spaces. No judgement and no filters. Drop your story and let’s get real.

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

I got my first fully remote work over a year before COVID. Shortly after I already developed a love-hate relationship with that whole work from home thing…

Fast forward 6 years… and the love side of it has disappeared completely and I absolutely hate it now. With every molecule of my body and every part of my soul.

And yes, I know it’s not a popular opinion. And yes, many tell me I am crazy to feel that way. And yes, many people absolutely adore working from home. But honestly, I don’t care because that doesn’t change anything. I still hate it nevertheless.

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So this article will definitely be biased and based on my personal experiences and opinions. And you are more than welcome to argue with me in comments or at our X space on Wednesday.

But here it is…

Some of you already know that I have changed many careers and jobs… but every time I left for a new position I kept in touch with at least 1-2 people from the old place. We even meet up periodically… because over the time we worked together we became friends.

How many people I am in touch with from those I worked remotely with and never met…. very few.

9 out of 10 times we did not care about each other at all….

But then maybe it’s not that easy to care about someone you haven't even seen on a video call - ever? We’ve not even looked into each other's eyes once…

People connect when they go through experiences and challenges together.

All those coffee breaks, comforting each other during stressful times, eating lunch together… laughing together, being able to look into the same screen and point out the design changes needed, being able to call everyone in a room for an emergency meeting and sorting out the issue right then and there…

All those may seem like small things that could be replaced by Zoom and emails… with one major difference… they can’t … we can only settle for an online version of what’s possible … And what’s possible is not at all enough… it’s a huge compromise of what could have been…

In an intercultural remote setup, without really knowing your co-workers personality and typed chat or emails being your only communication method - you often are not even sure if they were trying to insult you or it was just a lighthearted joke. Things get lost in translation and assumptions and premature conclusions have a way bigger playground than ever before… leading to endless possibilities of misunderstandings.

COVID forced people to work from home and many business owners got tempted to leave it that way even after. And I totally get it… saving on office space rent… getting access to a global talent pool… etc… benefits are many.

And to be fair maybe they didn’t even really have a choice. So many people, unlike me, loved working from home, that it was going to be extremely hard to force them to come back to the office…

It’s become this whole how progressive and modern your business is criteria….

“Can you imagine? They are now forcing people to go to the office every day and not only 2 days a week!”,... what a horrible old-fashioned employer! …

There are many arguments that back up the remote work praise.

Many argue that the commute was a nightmare… and yes I get it and agree.

If you end up in a morning rush hour in the London tube there is a 90% chance that your nose will be too close to someone's armpit while someone else’s whole body pushes against yours… for about 30 minutes

BUT

Instead you could get out 20 minutes earlier and have a half empty carriage with a vacant soft seat and peacefully read a nice book or listen to a podcast or your favourite music, instead...

I know it’s possible - I’ve done it every weekday for more than a year.

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Have you worked remotely with people who have small kids?

On one hand it’s so nice to have the flexibility to spend more time with them and save on childcare… but have you seen how tired they are and how miserable they look at all times?...

And yes, it is very nice to see those cute small creatures during the video call from time to time… but hearing them scream during the whole call or keep climbing on their dad’s head and closing his eyes with their tiny hands, let's be honest can be a bit distracting…

I think we all agree that looks shouldn’t matter, right?

But still… maybe spending days in your PJs just because you can is not such a good idea…

I used to dress up and put on make up every morning leaving for work.

Now?

Now I have spiraled into transforming into Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski and most of the days my poor husband observes me cruising the apartment looking like a homeless person in my robe…

But all that is probably not so important. All that may be manageable.

With a bit of self discipline and compassion as well as making effort to build remote relationships (and look better than Jeff the Dude) can fix most of it.

Now let’s address the elephant in the room.

Mental health…

We all are social creatures and need real-life human interactions …

And when we don’t get enough of it we end up with mental issues - anxiety and depression being among the most common ones.

But not even only that…

According to a meta-analysis co-authored by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, lack of social connection heightens health risks as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or having alcohol use disorder.

And if that’s the case - I guess I as well just open that bottle of wine now.

Cheers!

-Ani

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The selfish, the manipulative, the proud arrogant idiots... why is it that they somehow end up in leadership roles, or even worse... as your boss?

It’s painful to watch, but the reason it happens is painfully simple.

It's their motivations... they're fueled by power, money, and pure self-interest.

Forget collective success, making a positive impact, or genuine achievement—they only care about climbing higher... no matter who they step on.

People lacking morals thrive in broken systems. Ruthless ambition gets rewarded, and empathy, soul, talent, or a good heart… that becomes just another thing to exploit.

Trust someone at their word? Good luck—you'll be labeled stupid or weak, as if somehow its obvious that people in business can't be trusted?

Marketing is always lies?

Sales is always a confidence game?

How the hell did that get normalized?! Anyways… I digress…

Bad leaders love your integrity and vulnerability... because they use it against you.

They also prey on desperation, strategically positioning themselves in roles that reward their ruthlessness, and keep soft gentle people around who won't cause problems. They're always calculating angles—not to lift anyone up, but to protect their status.

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Credential Creep: The Title Obsession

"Senior Director of Whatever"..."Chief Blah Blah Officer" —the longer and more important the title, the less need for ground-floor skills to be behind it. It's validation for those insecure enough to need it, but some of the most brilliant and successful people I know don't care about titles at all, in fact, personally, I feel that whenever I adopt a title, it is more limiting... it puts me in a box, and builds up expectations.

Ever seen one guy watch three employees do actual work? The interesting thing is that almost everyone assumes the watcher’s the boss... he's the one assumed to be more important.

That visual hierarchy is exactly what bad leaders crave. Status without sweat.

Titles aren't proof of competence—most times, they're about hiding incompetence. It’s mostly fluff and power games… The only title that means anything to me is “owner.”

Intelligence and Success vs. Education and Titles

Education is not intelligence... and... knowledge does not make a person more likely to succeed.

Here are some "hot take" definitions I love...

Success isn't a quick win or a momentary flex. It's when an idea takes root, grows, and benefits everyone involved. It's about creating something that doesn't merely hit its mark—it changes the game and leaves a legacy long after the moment passes.

True success is a lasting impact that stands up to time and transforms how things are done, including your own life, which in turn becomes more free.

Now… intelligence... this is something very different than what most people assume...it isn’t just about a high IQ or getting good grades, it's much more that that, and it does not guarantee success... but it does give you the tools for it.

So how do you recognize true intelligence?

I think it’s the ability to change, pivot, and grow... True intelligence is a secret weapon for getting what you want in life… it’s extremely rare, and often, it requires killing your ego.

You can't just “learn” true intelligence, when it appears, it's almost always organic, sometimes genetic, and not everyone is going to have it, or be capable of it… oh, many are capable of appearing to… but when put to the real test: life—they come up lacking.

Life… so, this usually means go to multiple schools, get credentials, get a job, get a title, drown in debt to try and look rich and impressive, climb the ladder, grab your measly two-week vacation, maybe pay off the mortgage, then die. That’s the script they hand us—like there’s no other way. That doesn’t sound very intelligent to me.

The true test is being able to exit the rat race, and still win, not just navigate it well.

Whether you’re building relationships, chasing your wild dreams, or tackling business or even life’s curveballs, intelligence is reading the room, making bold fast decisions, steering your life where YOU want it to go.

Bad leaders think they can fake this… but it’s not a fixed trait—it’s a honed skill, earned through real-world experience, combined with a big brain and hard lessons, and if used effectively… it lets you take control and shape your own destiny.

This is the key to flipping the script on those bad leaders we all hate, those egos and assholes who seem to always take over everything, simply do what they can’t do… create.

Many people end up completely neutering their intelligence, I know I've been guilty of this, because at times, it's going to piss off a lot of people... especially those who took the time to get all those titles, degrees, etc... and then get stuck in a job, or a life, that they hate. I’ve also found myself actually self-limiting because I don’t want the bad people above me to get all the credit or rewards.

Bad leaders love keeping smart people under their thumb, and many intelligent people end up getting cut off at the knees by a boss, manager, or colleague with a bigger title, or a even a partner or co-founder who might get a prick to their ego to have someone "less than" end up showing them up and making them look weak by simply being the better leader, or having better ideas, bigger goals, and showing true intelligence.

A good leader will never feel threatened by intelligence or skills.

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It’s About Control

Bad leaders intentionally complicate simple things because complexity equals control.

New tools, convoluted “productivity” software, endless meetings—they're not about efficiency. They're designed to gatekeep and isolate, keeping the manager feeling important while workers struggle with unnecessary new red tape.

One of my own employees once confessed, “My dream is just a corner office where I chill and watch a team do all the work.”

Seriously? WTF. To me, that’s a sad, boring life—I want my skills tested, my hands busy, deeply involved in meaningful action. Yet somehow this lazy vision is everywhere in middle management: Maximum reward, minimal effort.

Maybe it’s human nature, but damn, I definitely missed that gene… if I didn’t earn it, I don’t want it!

Tyranny vs. Leadership

Some bad leaders genuinely believe they’re good. They have an uncanny knack for justifying every toxic move they make, and at times they are downright delusional.

They’ll even play the victim while dishing out the abuse—no guilt, no remorse. There will be some "bigger purpose" that let's them justify almost anything. This should not be respected... good values, good morals, and good actions should be what we respect, not someones ability to be delusional, arrogant, and hurtful.

Tyrants demand respect through intimidation or title alone, completely disconnected from actual behavior... but real leaders, on the other hand, they earn respect through integrity, confidence, and empowering those around them, regardless of their title.

Everyone wins under a good leader.

Why Do Good People Struggle?

Good people often lose in broken systems because their genuine motivations—empathy, integrity, human connection—are twisted into weaknesses.

Creatives, in particular, often struggle because their strengths rarely align neatly with operations or consistent productivity. Their work comes in passionate bursts, intense waves of innovation, and deeply emotional investment. This "irregular" rhythm becomes a vulnerability in rigid corporate structures built on predictable routines.

Creatives care deeply, and their passion often gets exploited or misunderstood as inefficiency or unreliability. Caring isn't a flaw; it’s proof they have a soul. But corporate environments often punish that soulful connection rather than nurture it.

That’s exactly when I realized I had to become an entrepreneur—I couldn’t rise in a corporate system without losing my soul. I refused to become soulless, to play games of political survival at the cost of my own values. If climbing meant selling out my integrity and killing my creativity, I'd rather leave.

Help The Good Guys Win!

I know a few ways to get started…

Seek to reward authenticity, transparency, and real contributions… ditch the ego.

Elevate competence over political maneuvering, simplify everything—get rid of unnecessary complexity, and then decentralize power and control…

Be brave and not easily impressed. Bad leadership falls apart when it can’t control, intimidate, or impress.

Create spaces where empathy is strength, not weakness… and no, I don't mean those "safe spaces" where people make you agree with their delusions… that’s not helping anything, that’s just another way to exploit empathy.

Good leaders don’t chase titles or seek control over others. They build environments rooted in collaboration, mutual respect, and genuine achievement.

And... most importantly... climb toward something meaningful.

Ultimately, victory for good leaders means tearing down structures built on ego, insecurity, and self-serving goals—and replacing them with something real, authentic, and worthy of respect… where those with pure and genuine souls still feel like they have a place to exist, and not be misunderstood or exploited.

I know that’s the kind of place I want to build in, how about you?

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Alright, that was all for now Rebel.

By the way… only a few know where the Rebel Speakeasy is. And now you’re one of them—grab a drink and let’s talk. We meet every Wednesday in live audio spaces on X.

Hope to see you there!

- Rick & Ani

P.S. — we’d love to hear your rebel stories as well, so if you can’t join in or audio spaces, or would rather stay hidden… head over to Rebel Confessions—a completely anonymous space to share it all.

We’ll pick the most badass ones to feature in the newsletter or chat about them in our weekly X Spaces. No judgement and no filters. Drop your story and let’s get real.

RebelSpeakeasy.com by Ani • Rick

Find us on X @NFTrebels & @unl0c7

When was the last time when you had a genuine, unfiltered and real conversation?

Last Wednesday at the Rebel Speakeasy Twitter Space maybe?

No but seriously though…

Have you noticed how shallow everything is these days?

Gm Gm-s here and there, a few smart looking quotes ripped off from someone else, selfies with filters, winy posts, copy pasta-s… and tons of other shitty content that jumps at your face as soon as you stop scrolling for a few seconds…

People are being “strategic” about how they portray themselves online, who they interact with, what and how they say things… They care more about the algorithm than the connections and people…

As a result we end up being surrounded by those who have hidden agendas, pragmatic goals and monetization dreams… for most of them we are just another number to reach, another person to “attract” to grow…

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In that soulless flow, genuine human connections, real stories, and deep conversations get lost. They no longer make sense. Worse, people believe there’s no money in them, so they’re seen as worthless.

And even when people do speak to each other “un-strategically” in most cases they are using filters… the ones similar to those influencers use on Instagram - but this time for opinions, ideas and stories… They are careful, worried not to offend, not to be misunderstood… They are sugar coating the truth, window dressing their shortcomings and being politically correct.

As a result the conversations stay surface-level, never real enough to matter.

We end up living under an overarching narrative of fakeness… Fake flavoured versions of what’s real… because many don’t have the guts to face and accept the reality the way it is.

And here we are - in a world where people don’t have time or desire for deep conversations…

Maybe because materialism is king.

Maybe because people’s minds these days have been conditioned by cheap, bite-sized content.

Maybe because by now most have forgotten what real, raw conversations feel like.

But… not everyone…

There are still some special people who ditch the filters, share unpopular opinions, and are always real no matter what.

That’s why Rebel Speakeasy exists.

To keep the real conversations alive.

To bring back the raw, the honest, the unfiltered.

To remind us what it feels like to connect at a deeper level.

Why deeper?

Because what’s important is usually not what we are showing but rather what we are trying to conceal. Which is why unless we get beyond the facade and dive deeper we won’t find the precious parts of the person hiding inside.

And when we finally do bring the conversations to that level—magic happens. A special intimate connection between human beings, who open up and reveal who they really are…

Getting there is not easy - especially with people you’ve never met before… Not everyone has the desire, time or patience for it…but I personally love every part of the process.

See you next Wednesday?

-Ani

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