The Contrarian
I have been doing a lot more speaking lately. It has been energizing to me to speak to both small and large crowds about financial topics related to Bitcoin, Central Banking, and what I have coined the ABCs of Financial Freedom. I was at a speaking engagement recently, and after one of my sessions on Bitcoin, I was asked by a young lady the following question.
“Why are you such a contrarian?”
I was not surprised by the question because I do hear that sentiment from time to time, but I was surprised at the inability to define how I was being contrarian at the moment. I was speaking on Bitcoin and the session was introductory to what Bitcoin is, how it works, and why I believe it is important. I did make some comparisons and contrasts between Bitcoin and the current financial structure, but I kept my opinions out of the talk. This session is meant as an introduction to the concept of Bitcoin.
I asked a lot of questions about how I was being contrarian. The young lady really had no further criticism. I am very open to constructive criticism and dialogue on things. I believe some of the best ideas come from thoughtful discussions and debates.
Definitions are Important
I find that definitions are important. They help us reasonably describe ideas in a concrete manner. I think sometimes we have abandoned definitions for increased importance on feelings. I don’t want to downplay the importance of using feelings to come to some conclusions as feelings can be very important and help people discern, but understanding ideas and the definitions behind them is important. What is a contrarian for example? The definition of a contrarian is two parts. It is as follows:
a person who opposes or rejects popular opinion, especially in stock exchange dealing
opposing or rejects popular opinion; going against current practice
The words used in both definitions are “rejects popular opinion” and I think this is an important understanding. Contrarians reject or oppose ideas that are considered mainstream due to popular opinion. The next question to ask oneself is whether being a contrarian is a bad thing.
Are Contrarians Bad?
The young lady who approached me was noticeably frustrated with me. The word she used to describe me was contrarian and it was definitely met with some hostility. I wondered why she felt that I was a contrarian at the moment because much of my talk had little to nothing to do with my views. All my introductory sessions on Bitcoin are meant to be simply educational and simply help people understand the concept and mechanics of Bitcoin.
The truth is though, I am a contrarian in many ways. So, I can be honest with you as the reader that even though I did not think that I was contrarian at the moment, it is true that I am most likely best described as a contrarian. I do not hold to a lot of popular ideas in the financial sector. That does mean that I reject everything, but I hold opposing views on multiple ideas.
My Story
I joke often that I am the guy you don’t invite to the dinner table. Many people don’t like to talk about money, politics, or religion at the dinner table. Those are the three topics that most interest me, along with history. I love talking about faith, finances, politics, and history with people. Three of the four are not popular topics at diverse settings at the dinner table, and history is not often a sought-after topic.
I always had a passion for finances. I remember at six years old auctioning off my Christmas gifts to all my neighboring friends in order to make money. The exchange of value in the form of currency has always been of interest to me. That passion led to a lifelong interest in investing.
I would eventually change careers in my mid 30’s and pursue a promising career in the financial sector. I loved it at first, but the more that I studied, the more questions I had. I remember having someone tell me to stop doing so much reading and simply learn to sell. I didn’t like that advice. I have never been opposed to selling, but I felt that competence was important and I wanted people to be able to trust that I understood finance well. I love when people can argue every side of an issue even if they do not agree with the other positions. I wanted to be one of those people. I studied long and hard in my spare time. I started realizing that my education was leading me to draw conclusions that rejected popular opinion in the financial sector. I decided instead of being a crusader within my organization that I simply would leave. I also knew that I wasn’t passionate anymore about what I was selling. That lack of passion was showing. The truth is that in my younger years, I would often fight or crusade for a cause, and without realizing it creates unintentional division. I did not want to do that this time around.
I left what could have been an amazing career to branch out on my own. I did not know what that would mean. I started my own company in 2018 and I began doing some organizational consulting at first. It was during this time that my passion for finances grew even stronger and stronger. I began to volunteer to do financial counseling with people in crisis and began to realize that I loved helping people.
I began to wonder if I should go back into the financial sector. I wrestled with this for two years. I then decided in March 2020 to transition my business from organizational consulting to creating a financial education company. I didn’t want to sell products or do financial planning. I simply wanted to educate people.
I launched Explore Financial Freedom on March 23, 2020. The idea was to educate, coach, and counsel both individuals and organizations. It was during this time that my investments came in handy. We lived off my investing and a small income with the goal of growing our new business. Our mission was about “mobilizing a movement of financial freedom by elevating strategies to see people live free!”
Financial Education is Contrarian
I knew that owning and launching a financial education company was in and of itself going to be contrarian. I wanted to empower people. My goal was to help them understand financial thought and come to their own conclusions. This was not popular. Many people did not understand the concept of financial education. They assumed that I was simply selling something to them. I do make a living on education. That is hard for some people to understand. I never give financial advice and I always refer people to financial advisors for financial advice. I simply teach, coach, and counsel both people and organizations.
The Peaceful Contrarian
The last three years have proven that being a contrarian isn’t all bad. I want people to be informed. I hope people draw well-thought-out conclusions even if they differ from mine. I want people to invest in what they love and understand vs. investing in what they feel is best for them based on uneducated feelings or opinions.
People tend to see contrarians as negative. I understand that because when an opinion is popular and you hold an opposing view it can be frustrating to the larger mass that finds your views contrarian. This is why I seek peaceful and thoughtful dialouge. We live in a time where we need more peaceful dialouge in my humble opinion.
I often think about people like Jesus when I think of contrarians. If you read the Christian bible you see Jesus teaching and living a contrarian lifestyle that was very different from the popular viewpoints and opinions of the day. His approach was both compelling and remarkable. He never apologized for the beliefs that opposed popular thought, but he acted in such a way that he welcomed peaceful and thoughtful discussions from people who opposed the contrarian views that Jesus held. He was a peaceful contrarian.
I think you can look throughout history and find others like Jesus who resembled and reflected that same approach. I love that. I want to resemble that as well. I want to be a peaceful contrarian.
I want to live a life where I do not apologize for my view or opinions, but welcome peaceful debate and even thoughtful discord. I am proud to be a peaceful contrarian who is eager to teach, coach, and counsel those interested in growing in their understanding of finances.