You weren't "lucky"

[Die_empty]

You don't hold bitcoin. Bitcoin holds you.

The bolded words are the summary of this beautiful piece. Bitcoin performs the function of fiat and much more. Most of the lapses of fiat are corrected by Bitcoin. I don't see early adopters as lucky because they believed in a strange currency that was generally seen as worthless. I guess many people will call them lunatics for predicting that Bitcoin would grow to this extent.  They were common people who dared to believe the unbelievable and are now enjoying the fruits of their labour.

[Theupdude]

I think majority of people that found bitcoin actually found it after undergoing same payment stress like both of you, I was a victim most precisely, easiest way was PayPal then they ended supported for my country created multiple account and had may funds stuck in them then was introduced to bitcoin, it was one of the smoothest form of transactions in fact was the only way i actually used bitcoin then. No third party just use my high priority fee and get confirmed in the next block, this is one of the reason why I still don’t accept slender of bitcoin transaction fee because I know the hassle of the doing cross boarder transactions.

Then using bitcoin as a form of investment was what I found because of my country’s devaluing currency, buying other precious metals as assets were also an hassle not to talk of where to keep them but bitcoin actually solved that issue easily

PayPal has always been a kind of trusted middleman but its biggest weakness is that it doesn't give you full control over your money. When they limit your account or block services in a country users realize that they don't actually own their money but are dependent on the permission of an institution. This is where many people first encountered Bitcoin.  Currency devaluation economic instability or banking restrictions in many countries have forced people to look for alternatives. Buying gold or other precious metals is as troublesome and risky as storing them. Bitcoin has changed the game in that space.

In my opinion, it's not just an investment but a form of financial self reliance. And as long as people need permission to use their own money Bitcoin will be needed.

[Rockstarguy]

They told you bitcoin is a ponzi scheme, while their retirement plan is based on promises of people who will be dead long before the bill comes due.

They told them bitcoin was ponzi and they bever made attempt to buy bitcoin to try if it is a good ponzi, but they all participated in all of the ponzi's scheme,  which they lost their money badly and I wonder why they never made any attempt to buy bitcoin which they claim to be ponzi. Many of the early investors who had bitcoin, i dont think they bought Bitcoin because they know so much about it, but some people just thought it was maybe one of the ponzi and they bought it and later discovered they made the right decision to buy bitcoin.

[Z-tight]

It's great how far we have come, especially when using BTC the right way and not storing it in some centralized exchange or giving up custody to a lending platform or similar schemes. Simply accumulating, holding, spending when you can and just the freedom to do whatever you wanna do with your stash. It's amazing.

I don't consider myself lucky too. I have friends who started buying BTC in 2025, but we all found out about BTC around the same time. Sometimes i feel proud that i didn't listen to what the media were saying and what BTC critics were publishing. Best part is the future still holds quite a lot for us.

[o48o]

I hate when people call bitcoiners "lucky".

You weren't "lucky". You weren't "early". You felt that something's wrong with the world, and saw the glitch.
-cut-

Do you think it takes credit away from you when someone calls you lucky?

Most rich people i know consider themselves lucky, because they have seen how much they have been in a right place at the right time, knowing right people. even though they have worked their asses off for it.

Thing is, nothing happens in vacuum. You have been benefited by random things you couldn't do anything about. Changes for right education, your genetics and where you were born and how you were raised affected your changes. The fact that you were at the right place at the right time, with a right set of mind, money and were interested about right things. All your history led to you holding bitcoin. And if some of that would have been different, you probably wouldn't have heard about it until lately.

So are you sure that there wasn't luck involved? (which is just a word to describe fortunate, but unlikely set of events).

By all means, give yourself some credit for winning, as your choices make difference as well, but imho if someone doesn't see that they had some lucky cards, and how much they were helped, that just seems self-centric.

[BlackHatCoiner]

Do you think it takes credit away from you when someone calls you lucky?

Lucky for what? For having the curiosity to read about bitcoin, economics & cryptography non-stop? Lucky for stacking sats as consistently as going to the gym? No, this isn't luck. This is conviction. It didn't happen by an "accident". It happened because I put on the effort. You don't get a nice body by luck. You get it if you do the work.

I was lucky for stumbling across bitcoin, but I wasn't lucky for sticking to it. Many people stumbled across it, but very few paid attention.

[Royal Cap]

Bitcoin remains the only true asset with a fixed supply, which makes it scarce and it would always be more in demand while supply remains very limited and in turn the value keys appreciating. Those who appreciate this principle and hold on to their Bitcoin for longer stand a chance at a bigger reward. Its not luck but foresight, commitment and resilience

Exactly, when demand increases and supply remains constant the price naturally increases. Honestly speaking, those who have held Bitcoin for the long term are not lucky they were farsighted. They understood that unlike fiat money Bitcoin has no print button. New coins are added to each block at a limited rate and eventually that too will stop.

[WhoYouCantKill]

The take is powerful. It captures the feeling of lot of Bitcoiners, this is not luck, rather awareness and conviction in time if many people go for comfort rather than curiosity. Bitcoiners don't just bump into wealth, they rather question a system that is broken and they act before the rest despite realized it was failing.
It is not really about being early but more of seeing clearly. Bitcoin isn't mere investment, it is a protest, a lifeboat, and a statement of personal sovereignty in a world that has forgotten the meaning of real money.

[The Cryptovator]

Bitcoin investors aren't lucky actually; we are risk takers. When the world was negative about Bitcoin, we bought and held it. When a lot of people think Bitcoin is a scam and a Ponzi scheme, then we invest in Bitcoin. Still a lot of people spreading FUD about Bitcoin and thinking Bitcoin is a Ponzi scheme. But Bitcoin lovers don't care about such FUD and accumulate Bitcoin by taking the challenge. So we deserve the reward, not just luckily rewarded from the Bitcoin investment.

One of my nearest people knows about Bitcoin, and he also knows I am a Bitcoin investor; he tries to convince me Bitcoin is a scam. I didn't hear him and still don't. I move forward by trusting Bitcoin, and as a result Bitcoin gives me better rewards. It's just not the luck; it wasn't a gamble. It was my faith, and I took the risk of investing. Risk means the Bitcoin is volatile; never think of Bitcoin as a Ponzi scheme or scam.

[Stalker22]

You hit a nerve, man.  I cant stand the whole lucky narrative either.  At the time, when I started getting interested in Bitcoin, my friends just laughed at me, calling it an useless obsession.  Now, they say I was "lucky".  I guess its just an easy way for those people to deal with missing the boat.

[ColdLava40]

I hate when people call bitcoiners "lucky".

You weren't "lucky". You weren't "early". You felt that something's wrong with the world, and saw the glitch.

I can't help but imagine a world without Satoshi's genius idea to create a system that far surpasses the old one.

​Bitcoin is democracy, freedom, and a new perspective on finance. These benefits are enjoyed by those who share Satoshi's vision. They didn't get lucky, they understood Bitcoin's potential and were brave enough to invest.

[NurseHub]

I hate when people call bitcoiners "lucky".

I just said that immediately before I came across this post, you can read that from my last post before this, people think someone who has some bitcoin is somewhat lucky and they just got it overnight and even those who participated in faucet back then still worked for their bitcoin by solving captcha and one things is when people where busy fooling themselves people who are genius saw the failure in fiat and decided to go in and did very well by holding till date.

[Sanitough]

Yes, we aren’t lucky, but we witness how incapable fiat is, that’s why we resort into trusting bitcoin and digging its high potentials. While a lot of people have focused into fiat and claim that it’s the most highly secured and stable currency, but we opt to find a much better secured and transparent currency and a good investment itself, in the name of bitcoin.

We aren’t lucky, but we are smart and wise enough to utilize bitcoin with multiple usage, one thing that fiat fails, because it’s more focused being a depreciating currency while bitcoin’s value itself continue to appreciate.

[tabas]

I hate it silently when someone in person talks about Bitcoin to me and then all of a sudden, they're going to insert in that talk about how lucky I am. I just nod my head and they could be right that I am lucky and earlier than them because I've bought and have it when it was cheaper. They're highlighting that if they were just like me that bought it early and why I didn't told it to them during that times. It's easy to say this on their end but they don't understand how it was back then when most of them even told many bitcoiners as a scammer and all the uncertain nights that we've been through. No doubt that bitcoin was used for scamming but owning bitcoin itself and telling them to buy it isn't a scam. It's hitting them back on how they've reacted before when it's very cheap, now, they're waiting for the dip but no one's how high the low will be.

[Uhwuchukwu53]

They told you bitcoin is a ponzi scheme, while their retirement plan is based on promises of people who will be dead long before the bill comes due.

They told them bitcoin was ponzi and they bever made attempt to buy bitcoin to try if it is a good ponzi, but they all participated in all of the ponzi's scheme,  which they lost their money badly and I wonder why they never made any attempt to buy bitcoin which they claim to be ponzi. Many of the early investors who had bitcoin, i dont think they bought Bitcoin because they know so much about it, but some people just thought it was maybe one of the ponzi and they bought it and later discovered they made the right decision to buy bitcoin.

Ignorant people are the most victims of life, that is the reason they carried out fake news and condemned what is good before them, they will never tried that which is good but always run into that which will fail them all the time.
It's very painful when fake remours are been carried out to damage people effort who have given a trial over what them failed to give trial through name calling such as luck, scam or ponzi as a result of ignorant.

If luck exist in hard work , I think it may not occur by not trying a thing, it must be a result of several trial. How can one who have not try a thing justify it's luck, Bitcoin freedom is wave that position those who are ready to change through given it a trial.

[adaseb]

I first heard about bitcoin in 2012 or 2013 or so and it was at some finance news website and they were usually talking about how its a bad investment because its crazy volatile and it lost like 90% at one time. So at first I assumed it was a scam and stayed away.

It wasn't until I learnt in late 2013 about mining bitcoin and litecoin and was interested again. I also thought that it was a scam but i realized it wasnt until I get some litecoins in my wallet and I could actually sell those at a bitcoin ATM and got real money in return. Then I started to read more about it and found the concept interesting.

I knew it would be worth $2000 or $3000 at least and was off by many multiples.

[aoluain]

Luck is kind of irrelevant when Bitcoin was  destined to do what its doing purely
because of the design, technology and cryptography behind it. Unfortunately so
many people we have tried to enlighten still cannot see or understand the glaringly
obvious differences between FIAT and Bitcoin and so to them all this can be passed off
as luck.

I have actually been told that I was "Lucky" because I got in "early" and so they cling
on to FIAT while not understanding how it works.

Time hasnt altered the core of what Bitcoin is about.

[BitGoba]

I hate when people call bitcoiners "lucky".

You weren't "lucky". You weren't "early". You felt that something's wrong with the world, and saw the glitch.

You didn't have a "good timing" in bitcoin. You were watching Saifedean Ammous explain money, while the others were talking about the ball game last night. While they were asleep at 3 AM, you were casually reading Austrian economics before finally getting some shut-eye.

When others were scrolling for 4 hours on TikTok, you were sending sats at the speed of light through someone's basement node via lightning.

They told you bitcoin was a scam while you quietly watched them go to the bank to ask permission to move "their" "money".

They told you bitcoin is a ponzi scheme, while their retirement plan is based on promises of people who will be dead long before the bill comes due.

Fiat people will blame everything for every evil we're living apart from fiat. Sometimes the blame goes to the "greedy corporations". Other times, it's the politicians. Some other times, it's the "energy cartels". But never the reality that a handful of unelected lizard people decide how much to rob you from your savings.  

You live amidst this debt-fueled chaotic simulation, and then you find bitcoin:

• 21 million, fixed. No "transitory inflation". No "oops, we printed another $2 trillion for this war". No "21 million unless x". Just 21 million.
• Self-custody. No "yours unless bankruptcy". No "Hey, I'd like to know why I couldn't move my money this morning".
• Globally accessible. No sanctions. No "we've detected a suspicious activity to your account". Settlement in minutes. Not days.

You don't hold bitcoin. Bitcoin holds you.

People think you just got lucky because they don’t understand Bitcoin. They think Bitcoin is the same as “crypto”  just some kind of trading or gambling. What they don’t realize is that Bitcoin is the hardest form of money humanity has ever created. That’s why, over time, it’s naturally absorbing the monetary premium from weaker forms of money  and this process will continue forever. Bitcoin will keep growing because it’s designed to. But to truly understand it, you need to dedicate at least 1000 hours to studying and learning about it,study money  the history of money, what money really is, and the different forms it has taken throughout history.Most people simply aren’t that educated yet.

[KiaKia]

You read that bitcoin maximum supply is 21 million BTC. If you buy now, the price will increase because it will be scarce. If people buy it, you will be lucky and you bought it. I will say that is not luck.

But how about those that go for altcoins that are similar to bitcoin but their money fall more because the coins are falling. In life there is luck but some people will not have luck if they do not have knowledge and understanding about something.

.

Same thought as yours, Bitcoin was actually not the first crypto coin to ever existed from what I have gathered and some people bought it, they must have thought that it is the first of its kind so it should do well, unfortunately it failed.

Later Bitcoin was born, and those who have the balls to believe in it are now millionaires, how is luck not part of it all? Risks is how the rich gets richer right? They knew that it could all go wrong, how is luck not part of any of these?

Investment have some luck in it, working hard is no luck, you get paid for your service, but when it comes to investment it is not as if you will automatically become successful just because you are a investor, many of them investors are also broke right now.

[Alpha Marine]

And 16 years later, there are people who still haven't seen the need to use Bitcoin. In 20 years, these same people will tell people who bought Bitcoin today that "they were lucky". Luck works well with preparation. If you aren't prepared, you can't be lucky. Even a person who was lucky enough to hit the jackpot from gambling wouldn't have been lucky if he hadn't staked his money. Luck doesn't just come; you have to work and be ready for it.

Work for it as best you can, prepare for it as best you can, and when you know that you've done all you can, then and only then can you hope for luck. Only a foolish person doesn't do the work but just wants to be lucky.
Instead of seeing early adopters of Bitcoin as lucky, see them as a motivation. They saw what others couldn't and believed in it to an extent of not selling when they could have made 100x of their profit.