At Decent Fintech, we use the newest technology like AI, machine learning, and web3 to give our clients the best solutions. We focus on making sure our services are fast, secure, and flexible. My passion and experience in these areas inspire our mission to provide high-quality services that meet each client's unique needs.
Founder Story 🌱
In 2008, the world faced an unprecedented economic crisis, and I was working in Wyoming for a manufacturer of high-performance trading computers. Our company built fast, overclocked, multi-monitor PCs used by hedge funds, and we provided IT support to both individuals and large organizations.
During those turbulent times, our small team faced enormous challenges. We worked tirelessly, day and night, to keep up with the demands of our clients, who were experiencing the full force of the financial storm. I still remember the racket of bells and whistles from their TA systems, as we answered phone calls alerting us to failing hard drives and power supplies. It was a time of intense pressure, but it also taught me invaluable lessons about resilience, adaptability, and the power of technology.
Looking back at those early days in Wyoming, I am grateful for the experiences that shaped my path. The lessons learned during the 2008 crisis have stayed with me and inform the principles that guide Decent Fintech today. As we continue to grow and innovate, our commitment to creating accessible and inclusive fintech solutions for everyone remains at the heart of everything we do. — Matthew
Goals 🎯
I am still working on the goals from last month:
Build a strong team and network of advisors by generating 20 leads.
Establish a community of supporters by finding 5 patrons.
Generate income through consultancy services by securing $10,000 in successful opportunities.
Progress ✅
Here's what I've achieved in March:
Released a version of the decentfintech.net website that includes expert quote modalities and improved brand copy.
Picked up two website projects through referrals built using Hugo and Netlify.
Refined a Hugo template that provides a flexible and reusable solution for fetching and displaying financial data within your Hugo blog, specifically for Fintech purposes.
Bonus: Following my discussion last month about the benefits of David Foster Wallace's story on fish not recognizing water, I simplified my approach to the optimization engine, focusing on completing the fundamental computation layers. This led me to discover Polars, a Rust-based library for quickly working with powerful data frames. Our optimization performance improved significantly with this new library.
How to Find Happiness in Uncertain Times ✍️
We are living in a world that is constantly changing and unpredictable. The recent banking crisis has irritated what was already mass uncertainty and anxiety for many people.
As I released surveys last month, I realized that everyone I talk to is feeling it to some extent. And not just startups and small businesses. Morale is super low right now for just about everyone — from Amazon to Nursing — just in different ways. Some people have lost their jobs, their savings, or their homes. Most are made to work with half the number of colleagues they had as they did 6 months ago. Others are struggling to make ends meet or cope with the stress of the situation. I don't hear from anyone that is really having a wonderful time. So it doesn’t really surprise me when I have to admit I am behind on some of my goals. It doesn’t change my direction.
The Backwards Law
There is a powerful principle I am reminded of as a way to find happiness even in these times of uncertainty — first introduced by Alan Watts, a British philosopher and writer who popularized Eastern philosophy in the West.
“I have always been fascinated by the law of reversed effort. Sometimes I call it the “backwards law.” When you try to stay on the surface of the water, you sink; but when you try to sink, you float. When you hold your breath, you lose it—which immediately calls to mind an ancient and much neglected saying, “Whosoever would save his soul shall lose it.” ― Alan W. Watts, The Wisdom of Insecurity
In other words, what Alan calls The Backwards Law states a paradox:
The more we try to chase happiness, the more it eludes us.
But the more we accept what is and live with an attitude of gratitude, the more happiness we will experience.
This may sound counterintuitive, but it makes sense when we understand how our brains work.
Your RAS
Our brains (brain stem) have a part called the Reticular Activating System (RAS), which acts as a filter for what we focus on and pay attention to.
In general terms, there’s a fundamental part of the brain responsible for the experience we've all had when shopping for a certain color car and suddenly seeing navy blue cars everywhere. Or when thinking of a specific make or model and then seeing Fords everywhere too. This is because our RAS has been activated and is filtering out anything that isn't related to our search.
The same thing happens with our thoughts and emotions. When we focus on the negative aspects of our lives, such as problems (for instance, when our manager is not replaced), fears (what if we lose our livelihood?), or regrets (maybe I should have taken that severance), our RAS will filter out any positive things and amplify the negative ones. This can create a vicious cycle of unhappiness and dissatisfaction that can be hard to break.
To break this, when we adopt an attitude of acceptance and gratitude, our RAS will filter out negative thoughts and feelings and focus on positive things instead. This can help us experience more joy in our lives, even during difficult times — like the recent banking crisis — or recurring uncertainty due to global events. Gratitude journals are one way to practice this mindset shift and become more appreciative of the good things in our lives.
Of course, this doesn't mean ignoring or denying the challenges or difficulties we face. It means not letting them define or consume us. We accept them as part of life and try to deal with them as best we can. But, we also remember that many things are going well in our lives, and we have many reasons to be happy.
This is how The Backwards Law works. By accepting what is and living with an attitude of gratitude, we can find happiness in uncertain times. We can also attract more positive things into our lives by being open and receptive to them. We can create our own happiness from within instead of depending on external factors that are beyond our control.
If you want to learn more about The Backwards Law and how it can help improve your life, I recommend reading The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan Watts. It's a classic work of philosophy that explains how we can live in harmony with ourselves and the world around us by embracing uncertainty and imperfection.