My Blockchain Aha Moment

The point where I moved from learning about blockchain to imagining the possibilities offered through blockchain and finding my place in this rapidly changing landscape

With most abstract or complex concepts, it is difficult to know when one “has it”. #Blockchain being just such a topic, it is also one that is evolving at a rapid pace, making it even harder to know if one has it “down pat”. They say the best way to know if you understand a concept is if you can teach it to someone else. At least that’s what they say.

As I worked through my own Blockchain learning curve sorting through in my mind the blockchain topic I was also discussing blockchain more with others. Each discussion offered me the chance to refine my understanding with others’ perspectives through my attempts to explain it in conversation. But, I was still not sure whether I understood it, quite frankly I still don’t know when I will fully grasp a topic with great breadth and depth. The dilemma in my mind was no longer trying to understand the fundamentals of blockchain, nor whether I saw potential in its application, but rather do I know enough about it to become more active in the space, and thus what is my place in the blockchain arena that I have become so interested in.

The Aha moment is when after thinking or working on something for a long while the epiphany arises.

Spending time learning about blockchain can become a full-time career. The various directions that can be pursued are a wide array into the technical programming, the various industry perspectives, the proof of concepts for those industries, the counterpoints against blockchain, the security and identity aspects, and the list goes on. I had already gained an appreciation for the topic and even narrowed down my focus to the applications of blockchain within #healthcare and in particular revenue cycle where I have spent my career and observed so many challenges ripe for innovation. But I was still unsure whether I should simply focus on just learning more about the topic or follow my growing interest to play a more active role in the space.

Aha Moment Part 1: Making it high enough up the learning curve to begin seeing the potential rather than the additional learning ahead

Since I had learned enough that I was even considering becoming more involved in the blockchain space I then realized that I had made a transition. This transition was the aha moment for me. The #BlockchainAhaMoment, as I like to refer to it, is the moment you realize you have made your way far enough up the #learningcurve that you shift from learning about blockchain to having enough of a general understanding that your mind starts thinking through the possibilities of blockchain. If I was even considering getting more involved I must have had it in my mind to begin seeing the potential for the blockchain technologies fitting into to the many opportunities in healthcare finance.

Aha Moment Part 2: I’ve had my aha moment and there are many more people who will need help finding theirs

Admittedly I wasn’t a programmer, but I do appreciate the science. On top of that I also began to appreciate that despite the blockchain community being a relatively small cohort there were many folks far further ahead of me on the journey. One particular conversation with a colleague wasn’t much different than the previous chats, but it was yet one more conversation with one more peer in the healthcare industry who wasn’t familiar with blockchain. I realized there were far more people outside the blockchain circle than those actively within it. That’s when I knew that there needs to be someone with enough understanding of the blockchain to begin helping I introduce others and guide them through acclimation process towards their own aha moment. Thankfully I recognized early in the importance of discussing blockchain in a way that is not too technical and not too “boil the ocean”. With this in mind I look forward to conversations with those that are open-minded and battling the challenges of healthcare that I also appreciate where we can commiserate using those pain points as entry points to discuss blockchain attributes to uncover its potential.

Aha Moment Part 3: The more participants we bring into the blockchain conversation the faster the movement will make a longstanding impact

There are so many more people that will need to be introduced to blockchain and helped through the learning curve efficiently to become part of the community. As we have more participants engaged in the dialogue and willing to contribute to the cause the greater the adoption will be. Just as with blockchain the more nodes on the network the greater the value becomes, so to the more participants in the space the more ways to apply blockchain to see how it can be implemented successfully.

I am still making my way up the learning curve, but many more people are further behind me on that curve or not yet approaching it at all - not introduced to Blockchain. Those are the people I want to talk to and which this website intends to help.​

If this message resonated with you, welcome to the movement. If you are still looking for resources to learn about Blockchain check out our resources page. And if you could do us a huge favor, next time you are in conversation with someone about blockchain suggest our website as a place for them to be introduced to the concept.​

Thank you for reading this post, I hope it helped you along the way to your Blockchain Aha Moment.