Exploiting the real power of Bitcoin.

[CTO114]

You would agree that Bitcoin is one of the most underutilized technologies of this time, not because  people don't own it, but because most people don't usually move beyond speculation.

For many, Bitcoin is simply an asset to buy and hope it appreciates. That mindset captures only a fraction of its potential. When we exploit Bitcoin's potential it becomes; a savings technology, a censor resistant payment network, a tool for financial sovereignty, and the foundation of an emerging global monetary system.

The uncomfortable truth is that owning Bitcoin is without understanding it can be as dangerous as ignoring it altogether. People who rely on exchanges instead of self custody risk loosing access to their funds through hacks, insolvency, or even account restrictions. Furthermore, those chasing quick profits often become victims of volatility, scams, and emit decision making. Many mistake rising prices for understanding, only to discover they never truly controlled their wealth.

The people who are likely to benefit most won't necessarily be those with the largest holdings, but those who invest in knowledge; learning self custody, understanding Bitcoin's monetary principles, and positioning themselves within it's growing economy. Bitcoin rewards conviction built on understanding, not speculation driven by hype.

In conclusion, Bitcoin's greatest opportunity isn't simply owning it, it's learning how to use it. Its greatest risk isn't volatility, it's remaining ignorant while believing you're already participating.

[AuchanX]

Expecting too much from Bitcoin can sometimes be a cause of losing patience. I agree with you that self-custody, wallets, security are essential to learn. But it is not mandatory that you have to be experienced in everything before starting Bitcoin. Because it can take years to learn everything about Bitcoin, wasting so much time is actually foolish. Because it can be said for sure that at some point you will start to regret it. So you can start now. After starting, you will have enough time to learn and even then you will have the opportunity to learn through your own experience.

[Fiatless]

In conclusion, Bitcoin's greatest opportunity isn't simply owning it, it's learning how to use it. Its greatest risk isn't volatility, it's remaining ignorant while believing you're already participating.

Bitcoin can be used differently by people. We are encouraged to promote the use of Bitcoin without any intermediary because that is what it was created for. Avoiding centralized platforms will help promote privacy and make us enjoy freedom. Bitcoin is now beyond a currency because it is now an asset that can be held as a hedge against inflation and profit. Some people don't care much about privacy because they see Bitcoin as an asset to profit from.

[Ruttoshi]

The problem is that some investors cannot practice self custody as they see it like a big burden to them which is the reason that they're keeping their bitcoin with third parties. What will you say about those investors buying bitcoin from ETFs without having it in their private wallet. They don't know that they're not buying real bitcoin but a piece of paper that tracks bitcoin price/ETF shares.

Of course, bitcoin is still consider to be a speculative asset but that doesn't change the potentials of bitcoin because it's a long term store of value asset and her decentralized nature makes it more unique.

[Charles-Tim]

The problem is that some investors cannot practice self custody as they see it like a big burden to them which is the reason that they're keeping their bitcoin with third parties.

Their problem is that they do not know much about bitcoin wallet. There are ways that can help people against attackers both online and offline, and what that is required to avoid them is not that hard.

Of course, bitcoin is still consider to be a speculative asset but that doesn't change the potentials of bitcoin because it's a long term store of value asset and her decentralized nature makes it more unique.

As long as an asset is having volatility, it is a speculative asset. Even gold is a speculative asset. Yes, bitcoin is a store of value.

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

In conclusion, Bitcoin's greatest opportunity isn't simply owning it, it's learning how to use it. Its greatest risk isn't volatility, it's remaining ignorant while believing you're already participating.

I can support your second opinion but the first is the one I have some issues with, for me I will say the greatest opportunity is owning Bitcoin than learning about it because anyone can learn about Bitcoin without owning it but a combination of both in which you get to own and also learn about Bitcoin is a perfect combination. The real power of Bitcoin is in its ownership because excluding Bitcoin I don't think there are many other assets or currencies out their that you get to own. Bitcoin gives you the power of being in charge and actually having control over your finances. Bitcoin keeps you anonymous and eliminates the need of 3rd parties.

[ZAINmalik75]

The harsh reality is that more than 90% of the users of Bitcoin are in it only for the profits, so they only see it as an speculative investment asset which can make them money if they buy it and hold it because its price fluctuates and goes higher over time, and there is literally nothing that can be done about that. Maybe in the future when Bitcoin gets accepted almost everywhere in the world as a payment method, more people might start using it for that purpose, but even then, most will still decide it is better if they use other assets for that and keep holding their bitcoins since it has got the potential to grow over time.

And, what's more surprising is that it's not that most people don't know its use cases and what it has got to offer, but they still use it as an investment asset. Most of us in these forums know what Bitcoin was created for an what it is capable of, but even we use it as an investment asset most of the times even if we are also using it for day to day operations, but we have to accept that we do buy and hold bitcoins so that they appreciate in value over time so that we can have more funds.

[legiteum]

You would agree that Bitcoin is one of the most underutilized technologies of this time, not because  people don't own it, but because most people don't usually move beyond speculation.

Bitcoin started life as a digital currency and now it is almost entirely used as a speculation instrument. Hence the trend is clearly in the opposite direction you seem to desire.

Bitcoin is not a viable means of mainstream payments because it too slow and too expensive to transact, and the price is too volatile.

Hence the question is, what do you think needs to change in order for the current trend to reverse itself?

[Hypnotizer]

Expecting too much from Bitcoin can sometimes be a cause of losing patience

This is actually true though because too much expectation isn’t always good, it’s better to understand more and get clarity rather than expect, which is probably part of the motives behind the OP.

I agree with you that self-custody, wallets, security are essential to learn. But it is not mandatory that you have to be experienced in everything before starting Bitcoin. Because it can take years to learn everything about Bitcoin, wasting so much time is actually foolish. Because it can be said for sure that at some point you will start to regret it. So you can start now. After starting, you will have enough time to learn and even then you will have the opportunity to learn through your own experience.

We need to learn more about Bitcoin, not before we start…even right now as an active investor you can still continue learning just as you’ve said. You can’t fully learn about something before you start doing that things…it’s not possible, no matter how much you think you know, experience is always the best teacher.

  The more years you spend in this space, the more learned you become about bitcoin and that’s why you should always be ready to learn.

[tabas]

In conclusion, Bitcoin's greatest opportunity isn't simply owning it, it's learning how to use it. Its greatest risk isn't volatility, it's remaining ignorant while believing you're already participating.

When you own it, you'll get to know how to use it. And even you're not using, that's how you're using and utilizing it. Quite confused? which means that despite that you're only holding, you're already using it as an asset. Many holders now doesn't want to spend the bitcoin that they hold, so even when you tell them to use it like using it for buying some things, they won't just like to spend it that way. Because everyone awaits for the next bull run and each mbtc that we own will become more expensive by that time.

[Patikno]

In conclusion, Bitcoin's greatest opportunity isn't simply owning it, it's learning how to use it. Its greatest risk isn't volatility, it's remaining ignorant while believing you're already participating.

Many people underestimate Bitcoin and ignore the basics of how to use it (including securing their holdings). As a result, they often run into problems along the way. Learning the technical and non-technical fundamentals of Bitcoin is crucial to avoid unwanted experiences and even regrets. After all this, Bitcoin users should then participate in whatever they desire, whether for investment purposes or simply as a means of transaction.

Personally, I see many Bitcoin users misusing it, and most of them are investors looking to profit from it. While I don't have a problem with that, the problem is that they often overlook the importance of storing their Bitcoin independently (not using an exchange or a centralized party). They should use Bitcoin independently (self-custody) and not neglect the importance of maintaining privacy. Overall, learn the fundamentals of Bitcoin, and you will be on a safe path.

Additionally, I recommend that everyone monitor news reports about crimes against crypto owners (including Bitcoin) to learn to anticipate any unusual occurrences that could be a trap, and to always be skeptical of the information you receive. Essentially, you should never ignore any information about Bitcoin, whether fundamental, general, or anything. You should spend more time studying than spending more time being sad (because of negligence or mistakes).

[ColdLava40]

In conclusion, Bitcoin's greatest opportunity isn't simply owning it, it's learning how to use it. Its greatest risk isn't volatility, it's remaining ignorant while believing you're already participating.

No one becomes successful at anything without understanding how it works. That's why a doctor goes to school to study medicine. Same way if you wish to be successful in your Bitcoin investment, you need to get some knowledge as to how it works.

Knowledge comes first, investing is second. But then the main focus of everything investor remains to make profits. What differ between those who put efforts into getting the knowledge and those who don't is the fact that on a long term your knowledge helps you remain calm in the market, long enough to bag the profits.

[As-Soon-As]

Yes, only those who have full confidence in Bitcoin investment can survive in Bitcoin investment. In this current situation, you should be more proactive in Bitcoin investment, not laziness but by following the strategy, you should create opportunities to invest in Bitcoin. If Bitcoin investment is to be held in the long term, then you must move forward with Bitcoin investment through prudent income. That is why Bitcoin investment is becoming the most attractive at the present time, because the more you learn about its technology, the more you can focus yourself on Bitcoin investment.

[TheUltraElite]

The real power of bitcoin is still its properties of decentralization and censorship resistance. People use bitcoin for its simplicity in spending money cross borders without any restriction.

The investment and store of value of bitcoin is something secondary to these properties but has often become the first thing that people associate bitcoin with. Because of the previously mentioned properties the people have faith in the long term value in fiat for bitcoin.

I think using bitcoin or investing in it are both personal choices.

[SilverCryptoBullet]

The real power of bitcoin is still its properties of decentralization and censorship resistance. People use bitcoin for its simplicity in spending money cross borders without any restriction.

The investment and store of value of bitcoin is something secondary to these properties but has often become the first thing that people associate bitcoin with. Because of the previously mentioned properties the people have faith in the long term value in fiat for bitcoin.

I think using bitcoin or investing in it are both personal choices.

Bitcoin is very good, and with me it's the best with technical pillars it has. While some people feel Bitcoin is not good enough, and they want something better but they must know about Blockchain Trilemma. It's like choosing two pillars among three ones: security, decentralization and scalability.

With Bitcoin, two pillars are good: security and decentralization but people want scalability without knowledge about Blockchain Trilemma. I don't mind much about scalability but I am more interested in Security and Decentralization of Bitcoin blockchain.

Like I can wait 10 minutes or more for confirmations of my transactions but it's not big problems with me and I don't want to sacrifice security to use altcoin blockchain with quick transactions but my fund can be frozen anytime.

[Zoomic]

To many of these investors especially the big investors, buying Bitcoin and constantly check the price to know when the value has appreciated to their target is all the want to do. They have no intention to know better than that and to an extent, I don't blame them because Bitcoin was introduced to them as an asset that it's value appreciates over time.

Some of them get to have a complete change of their mindset about Bitcoin the moment they learnt how to hold and manage their keys, verify transactions. They had a better understanding of why Bitcoin was designed the way it is the moment they learnt it was beyond just an asset that can be traded for profit.

It's okay to buy Bitcoin as an asset that you want to profit from in the nearest future but you shouldn't limit Bitcoin to price benefit, that's one part of the innovation, not the whole reason you should be involved.

[OcTradism]

To many of these investors especially the big investors, buying Bitcoin and constantly check the price to know when the value has appreciated to their target is all the want to do. They have no intention to know better than that and to an extent, I don't blame them because Bitcoin was introduced to them as an asset that it's value appreciates over time.

When people pay too much attention and time for checking price too often, it's show that they are either newbies in this market or not investors but more likely speculators or gamblers. Because people who are investors, already did enough research about Bitcoin and the market, how to invest, and more importantly they actually had experience in the market with money and investment, they will have less need of checking price.

Long term and experienced investors buy bitcoin, store it safely, and hold it patiently, so checking price is not what they do too often.

[aoluain]

Everyone has their own reasons to own Bitcoin, it can be pure speculation without a care about
how it works or even how to take self custody, the end game is profit - which is ok but its not for
everyone. It can also be as a safe haven against long term inflation too as an example.

Regardless of what you do with your Bitcoin, everything feeds into the network and everyone benefits

We can advise others on a recommended or preferred way to go about certain aspects of Bitcoin
ownership but its often the case that some people choose to ignore that. Thats their perogative.

[Faisal2202]

In conclusion, Bitcoin's greatest opportunity isn't simply owning it, it's learning how to use it. Its greatest risk isn't volatility, it's remaining ignorant while believing you're already participating.

I can't agree more. People really treat bitcoin like a stock. If the price starts to go up, they feel smarter, and if it starts to go down, they panic and instead of blaming themselves, they call Bitcoin a scam. That's what happens when you have no understanding of what bitcoin is. Getting exposure is not the same.

There are several other points that we can discuss, but only the self-custody point can emphasize the importance of owning bitcoin in self-custodial wallets. If you hold it on an exchange, you own only a number on a spreadsheet that the centralized exchange or platform is controlling. That is not what bitcoin is for, and they will only realize this when they start to face problems with those platforms.

[BlackBoss_]

I can't agree more. People really treat bitcoin like a stock. If the price starts to go up, they feel smarter, and if it starts to go down, they panic and instead of blaming themselves, they call Bitcoin a scam. That's what happens when you have no understanding of what bitcoin is. Getting exposure is not the same.

There are several other points that we can discuss, but only the self-custody point can emphasize the importance of owning bitcoin in self-custodial wallets. If you hold it on an exchange, you own only a number on a spreadsheet that the centralized exchange or platform is controlling. That is not what bitcoin is for, and they will only realize this when they start to face problems with those platforms.

With RWA trend, even before this trend, there was Wrapped Bitcoin tokens, which make people feel like they can have bitcoin, use bitcoin through altcoin blockchains and such tokens with cheaper transaction fees, as well as opportunities of getting passive income from lending interests.

It's very risky, and I hope that those people who move from Bitcoin to wrapped tokens will not lose their money because of their greediness, carelessness and lack of knowledge. Bitcoin wrapped tokens are not bitcoins and there are many risks potentially exist and appear with those tokens. Altcoin blockchains have problems in security, those tokens lose their pegs to Bitcoin price for example.