AIRDROP HUNTING: DEALING WITH HOPIUM.

I had an epiphany sometime last month. This came after months of trying to farm airdrops. I have been able to make $10 so far after performing some KYC requirements for a layer 1 protocol (who knows where my data has landed on the dark web 🫠). I have had two near-big-break moments, which is quite frustrating but I understand the game I am playing and I am not so perturbed about it.

However, there is a part to airdrop hunting that I have begun to hate. It is called a 'retroactive airdrop'. This entails interacting with a chain on mainnet and running multiple transactions over time to qualify for a potential airdrop. So not only am I wasting precious time but I am also committing funds to this fool's game. "why not just gamble?" I thought to myself. So I did.

Fortunately, I 10x my money after betting on a few sporting matches. I do very well understand the demon that is gambling, and rather than assume I have control over my emotions I have set some guidelines to help stay on course. They include:

• Passively speculating.
• Engage less.
• Avoid hopium.

And these things apply to crypto as well.

Many people get into the crypto space with the hopes of becoming millionaires. They've seen or heard someone do it so they assume they can replicate these people's success. However, the odds are never truly in their favour, but what is life without hope? Why try if we don't have a chance? Life is a risk, right?

When it comes to airdrop hunting, I have always carried out these tasks knowing I am playing a fool's game and that the odds are not always going to be in my favour. Now that the space is saturated, my expectations are very limited and I am very picky about airdrops I choose to farm.

For instance, I avoid retroactive airdrops. I see no sense in wasting money paying gas fees to increase my transaction volume on blockchains that have little to no utility just to speculate on their airdrop. I would rather engage in Testnet airdrops knowing I am only committing my time.

Also, as much as I want to make money in the crypto space, I won't let that cloud my judgment. For instance, there are people in this industry who are solely airdrop hunters. Now this might be good if you are a researcher/threader with a large following on Twitter. You can easily monetise your content farming engagement which is what most crypto influencers are currently doing. If this is not the case then you are wasting your time taking airdrop hunting as a full-time hustle.

It is better to approach airdrop farming passively. This entails using your spare time to engage with these protocols. If you do have more to spare, you are better off using that time to learn a skill that can be beneficial to your community (and yourself). You cannot make your entire crypto journey about winning free money, it never really works out that way. You are not as lucky/fortunate as you think.

To get the best out of your crypto journey, you need to do away with the many assumptions you have about yourself and the crypto space. When you begin to see this industry for what it truly is, then you start to make more rational decisions.

_{Check out this short thread on products with potential airdrops.}