0:02 Bitcoin was supposed to take power away
0:04 from banks and corporations. So why are
0:06 companies like Black Rockck and Strategy
0:08 now holding more Bitcoin than entire
0:11 countries? There are three simple things
0:13 that could change Bitcoin's future. And
0:15 you can do all of them today. But here's
0:18 what most Bitcoiners actually do. They
0:20 buy Bitcoin on Coinbase, leave it there,
0:23 check the price 47 times a day, post
0:25 have fun staying poor on Twitter.
0:27 Meanwhile, the three simple things that
0:30 could really help Bitcoin
0:32 Most people just haven't gotten around
0:34 to them yet. Now, the three things I'm
0:36 about to show you are all important, but
0:38 there's actually one thing that matters
0:40 more than all of them combined for
0:42 Bitcoin's future. I'll be honest, it's
0:44 not as simple as the first three, but
0:46 I'll explain why it might be the most
0:49 important thing any of us can do. First,
0:51 let's start with the basics. You've
0:51 probably heard,
0:53 >> if you don't control the keys, it's not
0:56 your Bitcoin. Your keys, your Bitcoin.
0:59 Not your keys, not your Bitcoin.
1:01 >> Everyone knows this, but many people
1:03 haven't taken this step yet. Often
1:06 because it seems complicated until you
1:08 do it. But here's why this really
1:11 matters. First, exchanges fail. FTX,
1:14 Mount Gox, Celsius. When they go down,
1:16 your Bitcoin disappears forever. Second,
1:19 you don't actually own it. On exchanges,
1:21 you just have an IOU. They control the
1:24 keys. They control your Bitcoin. They
1:26 can freeze your account anytime. And
1:28 third, every bitcoin on exchanges
1:30 strengthens the centralized system you
1:32 wanted to escape. According to Glass
1:34 Node, approximately three million
1:37 bitcoins sit on centralized custody
1:39 exchanges and ETFs combined. That's
1:43 about $315 billion not truly owned by
1:45 the people who think that they do. But
1:48 it's too complicated. Actually, it's
1:49 more straightforward than you might
1:52 think. Buy any hardware wallet, Treor,
1:54 Cold Card, BitKi, whatever. When it
1:57 arrives, go on YouTube and type your
1:59 wallet name tutorial. It's honestly as
2:01 easy as setting up a Facebook account.
2:03 Remember how intimidating it was to
2:04 learn to drive? Now you do it without
2:06 thinking. And it gives you so much more
2:08 control over your own life. It's just
2:10 daunting because it's the unknown. Look,
2:12 you don't have to move your entire
2:14 stack. Start with an amount that you're
2:16 comfortable with. Just prove to yourself
2:18 you can do it. This is by far the most
2:21 important step for every Bitcoiner to
2:22 make. If you've watched any of these
2:24 previous videos, there's a chance you
2:26 have bought Bitcoin to escape the
2:28 traditional financial system. Yet, many
2:30 are still letting someone else control
2:32 their keys. When you leave Bitcoin on
2:34 exchanges, you're literally
2:35 strengthening the system you're trying
2:38 to escape. So, first up, hold Bitcoin on
2:40 cold storage. Now, here's something that
2:43 might surprise you. Even people who do
2:45 self- custody often miss this next
2:48 opportunity. Actually spend some.
2:50 Because when we never spend Bitcoin,
2:52 we're accidentally telling the world it
2:54 isn't actually money. It's just a
2:56 speculative asset. You don't need to
2:59 spend your entire stack. You can spend
3:01 and replace. Spend $20 worth, then
3:03 replace it with the fiat that you would
3:05 have used. Real world uses increase
3:08 demand, encouraging more people to
3:10 accept it and use it. But nobody near me
3:13 accepts Bitcoin payments. So what can I
3:15 actually do? First, download a lightning
3:18 app like Strike, Wallet of Satoshi, or
3:20 Bitkit. So, whenever the opportunity
3:22 comes, you'll be ready. You can also
3:24 find businesses that accept Bitcoin
3:26 using bitcoinmap.org.
3:28 And did you know you can use bit refill?
3:30 You can find this on the Strike app to
3:32 buy gift cards or top up your account
3:34 for places that you normally spend
3:36 money. The infrastructure is growing
3:38 fast and more people are starting to use
3:40 it every day, including whole
3:42 communities who literally live on a
3:44 Bitcoin circular economy. The Lightning
3:46 Network processed 100 million
3:49 transactions in quarter 1, 2025, which
3:51 was a 28% jump from the previous
3:53 quarter. Here's the thing, though. We
3:54 have this amazing infrastructure being
3:57 built, but many of us haven't had the
3:59 chance to try it out yet. Even buying a
4:01 coffee with Bitcoin does more for
4:03 adoption than tweeting Bitcoin fixes
4:06 this a thousand times. Every transaction
4:08 proves Bitcoin works. Every purchase
4:10 creates demand. Plus, when you spend
4:12 Bitcoin and it actually works smoothly,
4:14 you become the best advertisement
4:17 Bitcoin could ask for. Okay, you've
4:19 secured your Bitcoin and you found a way
4:21 to spend some. But before I show you the
4:23 one thing that has the biggest impact on
4:25 Bitcoin's future, there's one more
4:28 simple action that costs 0. I'll be
4:30 honest, this one may feel awkward at
4:32 first, but it's surprisingly effective
4:34 over time. Walk into your local coffee
4:35 shop, restaurant, or store.
4:39 >> Do you accept Bitcoin? I still know.
4:40 >> You know, you can save on the seeds though.
4:41 though. >> Yeah,
4:41 >> Yeah,
4:42 >> you can actually just download it on
4:43 your phone.
4:46 >> That's it. Just plant the seed. You
4:48 don't need to convince them they're on
4:50 the spot. Just making them aware the
4:53 option exists is a massive improvement.
4:56 Bitcoin Map shows there's around 18,000
4:58 businesses worldwide accepting Bitcoin
5:00 as payment and that number keeps
5:02 growing. If anyone asks you for more
5:04 information, you can point them to
5:06 companies like Bridge to Bitcoin. They
5:08 have more information and support for
5:10 any questions they may have. I've
5:12 personally had friends with businesses
5:14 who have either started accepting
5:16 Bitcoin payments using apps like Wallet
5:18 of Satoshi or are seriously looking into
5:21 it for e-commerce. Every conversation
5:24 matters. Every future purchase creates a
5:27 success story they can share. And that's
5:30 how a network grows, one person at a
5:32 time. All right, here it is. The thing
5:34 that would have the biggest impact on
5:36 Bitcoin's future. The thing that
5:38 actually keeps Bitcoin decentralized and
5:40 secure isn't buying it or spending it.
5:42 It's becoming part of the network
5:44 itself. Do you know what I'm about to
5:47 say? Running a Bitcoin node. Here's why
5:50 this matters more than anything else.
5:52 Running your own node means you become
5:54 part of the network that keeps Bitcoin
5:56 decentralized and you can verify
5:58 transactions yourself without trusting
6:00 anyone else. There's no banks, no
6:03 payment processes, no one else involved
6:05 in your transactions. It's literally
6:08 like handing cash to a friend but
6:10 online. Eventually, you can route your
6:12 own transactions through your node
6:14 instead of relying on other people's
6:17 infrastructure like Coinbase or Binance.
6:18 I know that might sound technical and
6:21 intimidating, but it's easier than you
6:23 might think. You've really got two main
6:26 options. The easy way, just buy
6:28 something like the Start 9 or Umbrell
6:30 with everything pre-installed. It will
6:32 cost a few hundred, but it's basically
6:35 plugandplay. I'll link a setup tutorial
6:38 below. Or you can go the DIY route. Use
6:40 your existing computer and watch the
6:43 5minute tutorial I'll link below. But,
6:46 and this is important, you'll need an
6:48 SSD hard drive to store it. I tried it
6:51 on a regular HDD and it took over a week
6:53 to download then crashed and I had to
6:54 start all over again. Running your own
6:57 node is exactly what Jeff Boo means when
6:57 he says
6:59 >> we are both the map and the territory.
7:02 >> In simple terms, instead of relying on
7:03 banks or governments to control our
7:06 money system, the territory we become
7:09 the actual infrastructure, the map that
7:11 makes Bitcoin work by running our own
7:14 nodes. Here's why this really matters.
7:16 If it stays decentralized and secure, it
7:18 is repricing that entire system.
7:21 >> He emphasizes the if, not because he's
7:23 worried about it getting centralized,
7:25 but because he wants us to figure out
7:28 how to keep it secure ourselves. In
7:30 other words, individual actions like
7:32 running nodes and self-custody keep
7:35 Bitcoin secure and thousands of people
7:38 are already doing it and the number is
7:41 growing rapidly. Hence, it keeps getting
7:43 more decentralized and more secure.
7:45 Okay, slightly techy disclaimer here,
7:47 but I think it's really needed. I also
7:48 need to mention something that I didn't
7:50 cover in my previous video. There is
7:52 another real risk to Bitcoin at the
7:55 moment, and it is node centralization.
7:57 Remember, centralization is basically
7:59 the common thread for all the real risks
8:01 that exist to Bitcoin. It's been quietly
8:03 happening and it's actually become way
8:05 bigger since I actually made the video.
8:06 But before you worry, here's the really
8:08 important thing to be aware of, which
8:11 really proves how minuscule these risks
8:13 really are. The Bitcoin community is
8:15 incredibly aware of all of these risks
8:18 and they adapt fast. See, Bitcoin core,
8:20 which is the main software used for
8:22 running Bitcoin nodes. Notice how over
8:25 99% of all nodes running were using
8:27 Bitcoin core just last year. Core has
8:30 been allowing more and more spam onto
8:32 the network, which basically just uses
8:34 up way more storage space when you're
8:36 running a node. That means that you're
8:38 going to need bigger hard drives, aka
8:40 more expensive equipment to store
8:42 everything. This just makes it harder
8:45 for regular people like you and me to
8:47 run nodes and more costly. And when
8:49 fewer people can afford to run nodes,
8:51 the network becomes more centralized.
8:54 Exactly what we don't want. But look
8:56 what's happening. Bitcoin not which is
8:59 another node software which is better at
9:02 filtering out spam and allowing only
9:04 real money transactions through has gone
9:09 from around 3% to over 17% of nodes in
9:11 just the last few months. People are
9:13 switching because not keeps Bitcoin
9:14 focused on what it's supposed to be,
9:18 money, not a storage system for junk.
9:20 This is exactly why I say the risks are
9:22 minuscule. The Bitcoin community sees
9:25 problems coming and takes action to fix
9:28 them. That's how we keep Bitcoin secure
9:30 and decentralized. I'll link a couple of
9:32 videos below if you want to learn a bit
9:33 more about this. Right, this sounds
9:34 great, but here's what I still worry
9:37 about. Will normal hardworking people
9:39 benefit from Bitcoin in the short term
9:41 or just the big institutions? You know
9:43 what would be disappointing? Bitcoin
9:45 hits millions of dollars per coin, but
9:47 it's just digital gold sitting in
9:49 corporate vaults while regular people
9:51 still can't use it for daily
9:53 transactions. Sure, your number might
9:55 have gone up, but the truly global free
9:57 market that could help everyone see
10:00 video 6 is still decades away. So, the
10:03 choice is yours. You can help build the
10:05 first global free market in human
10:06 history that no government or
10:09 corporation can control or keep playing
10:11 their game while they decide what
10:14 happens to your money. We're literally
10:15 living through history right now and
10:18 most people have no clue. Think about
10:20 it. Every revolutionary technology faced
10:23 the same criticism. Mobile phones would
10:25 never replace regular phones. They're
10:28 too expensive. The internet would never
10:31 replace newspapers. Even Thomas Edison
10:33 said electricity was a waste of time,
10:38 nobody will use it ever. But they all
10:41 won because when something solves real
10:43 problems, it takes over. There's
10:45 actually a rule like a law of nature
10:47 that explains how these worldchanging
10:50 inventions spread. And many Bitcoiners
10:51 haven't even heard of it yet. Once you
10:53 see this pattern, you'll understand why
10:55 every country trying to ban Bitcoin
10:58 actually makes it stronger. To see why,
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