In the beginning of 2017 I packed my backpack and hopped on a plane to Mexico, where I would start my new adventure. I had traveled and lived abroad more than once before, but this time would be different. This time there was no job, no classes, not even a specific place to go or be. This time around, it was about me, about going with the flow and just jumping into the unknown. I figured I could make it on the road for about a year with what I had saved up over the last two years, maybe a little longer.
I spent the last years after graduating with a business degree working at the adidas headquarters in Germany, slowly moving from IT project management into a more business driven marketing role. Planning, implementing and managing digital products for a global and fast paced brand like adidas was a challenge and a blessing. Right out of school I got to sit at the table with top brands and influencers, learning more and more about digital ecosystems, product roadmaps and crucial interpersonal skills.
I consider myself a naturally curious person; however, working with industry leaders and agencies across the digital space, visiting conferences and planning for a potential future sparked my interest and hope into technology even more. I spent a lot of my time driving awareness and implementation of early pilot projects in the Virtual and augmented reality space, trying to find feasible business cases for these incredible experiences we could create.
In 2015, at the time when VR and AR devices were even more uncomfortable than today and barely any content existed, I came across another infant technology promising to change everything. The blockchain, Bitcoin and this guy Vitalik talking about smart contracts. While VR dominated SXSW that year, I soaked up as much information as possible and visited many panels discussing the blockchain, hearing about all these ideas of a tokenized economy.
As someone who lost a lot of trust and faith in the global institutions that run our planet today, I believe that we cannot simply lean back and wait for challenges we face to be fixed by someone else. Needless to say, the idea of decentralized organizations and markets mostly free of personal human agendas sounded incredible.
Even better, was the opportunity to be able to contribute and invest into this future and more fair infrastructure myself today; I didn’t have to wait for someone else anymore, communities all around the world were starting to solve many issues themselves and I could become part of it. I got invested in the space and made sure I was aware of important news and updates in the space, while I spent 2017 and early 2018 traveling through Central and South America.
To find some balance between the informational overload and constant movement, I wanted to spend more time outside in nature, getting to know more people and new cultures; the places and people we so often talk about when we talk about saving us and everyone else.
Throughout this entire last year, I learned a lot. I learned that there are a lot of inequalities in this world; I saw that human beings are incredible in dealing with the circumstances they find themselves in. We are resilient, creative and overall very very similar. We all thrive for harmony for ourselves and our loved ones, while trying to avoid pain and suffering.
I also learned a lot about myself, how I fit into all of this and what it is I want to do with the time of my life. It had to be somewhere in between the old „professional“ world I came from and spending all my time in the jungle or the beach with a bunch of hippies (who I love btw). I was excited to come back home after 15 months and to start re-allocating my time to things I am fully behind and want to support.
In my new role as a part-time innovation consultant, I will have the opportunity to continue to influence and be influenced by big and small players across different industries who are at the forefront of technological development and adoption. I decided to return to work only part-time, in order to have more time available for passion projects and new ideas.
With the main net launch of EOS coming up in June, I had been following most developments and updates on this front, as I believe they are bringing something to the space which is crucial for a broader adoption of blockchain technology. In comparison, I see Bitcoin and Ethereum like the Google glass and the Oculus Rift of the Virtual Reality space. They’re allowing all us enthusiasts and early adaptors to get a first glimpse at the technologies’ and their potential for the world, but are just not yet good enough for mass adoption.
I believe the EOS blockchains might be the first to cross this threshold; they are offering scalability for businesses and consumers, as well as protocols which could finally create more true DACs on a stable platform. As a user of both Bitshares and SteemIt, I feel confident that Dan has learned a lot of lessons along the way and will only continue to improve the products he builds.
I was so excited when I found out that EOS nation, as one of the top BP candidates was looking to expand and grow their community through their ambassador program. The amazing team had already created so much valuable content and just seemed like a fun group of people, with the true belief that what they are doing can contribute to the betterment of our planet. I applied to become an ambassador for the Canada based community here in Germany and had the pleasure to talk to Yves and Denis a few days later.
As an official EOS Nation ambassador, I am excited to go out and engage with the community, planning meet-ups, promoting the platform in my private and professional environment and to help in any other way I can. I believe my IT and business background will help me a lot in translating all the advancements into valuable use cases for others in the community.
There is a lot of material out there which could be translated into other languages to enter new markets and just a general need for understanding and more awareness around blockchain technology and its potential for all of us. I am looking forward to be in touch with more people in the community, to collaborate and partner with all you other forces for good out there.
Find out more about EOS and the vision of EOS nation
https://eos.io/
https://eosnation.io/
https://t.me/EOSNation
