I want to elaborate on the idea that Bitcoin holders "got lucky." I hear it every bull market, and I don't think the people saying it truly understand what it means to HODL.

From the outside, it might look like we stumbled into the right thing at the right time and just coasted to where we are. But the truth is very different.

When I got into bitcoin, most people either didn’t know what it was, or thought it was a joke. I worked in the industry for 5 years, until 2018, earning and spending in btc because I believed in its potential--not because it was easy. During that time, I lived through price crashes of 50%, 70%, even 90%.

No one said I was lucky during those times. The ones who cared asked if I was going to be ok. 🧡

I’ve seen my net worth skyrocket one year & plummet the next, sometimes in weeks. I’ve endured extended bear markets where the price barely moved, and optimism was hard to come by. I’ve sat through YEARS of sideways markets, where it felt like progress was at a standstill, and doubt crept in constantly.

To stay all-in through that takes more than luck. It takes conviction, because when the price is crashing, and everyone is saying bitcoin is dead, you have to believe in what you're doing enough to keep going.

It takes resilience, because the psychological toll of watching everything you’ve built shrink overnight isn’t easy to bear. It takes patience, because nothing about bitcoin’s growth is smooth or predictable—it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Most importantly, it takes a deep understanding of why you're there in the first place. Being motivated by personal freedom, not fiat gains.

Luck might help someone make a quick buck, but it doesn’t keep you invested during the dark days when it feels like the world is against you. Those years of volatility weren’t easy, but they’re also what gave me the perspective, discipline, and belief to stay the course. So, no—it wasn’t just luck.

It was a choice, made again and again, through the highs and the lows. It's a choice bitcoiners continue to make each day.

And when you look at the other options, you realize there is no better choice. Bitcoin is the best hope for our future.

But sure, we got lucky. 🙄