These days, there are many guides and experiments that enlighten Stackers how best they can obtain a cowboy and hold on to it. Back in September, I was completely clueless about this feature. I was just shooting bullets in the dark, hoping to land on bull’s eye. Which of course didn’t happen at times.
It was such a bewildering process. One time last September, I even wrote about this engima in what I hoped was a tongue-in-check manner: #264047. @Darthcoin then extended an invitation for me to join the lads at the Saloon.
Which I did, because I thought that was the magic pill of keeping my cowboy hat. I’m from Singapore and we have a Singlish word which encapsulates our psyche: kiasu. It means to be afraid to lose out to others. I don’t know what the cowboy hat is all about but I definitely want it when others have it!
Subsequently, I grew wiser to the ways of this site and learnt that I could probably hang on to a cowboy hat if I zapped Stackers consistently. My motivation was still extrinsic-dominated. I saw the cowboy hat as a status symbol. That others might zap me because my views were somehow deemed more relevant than when I didn’t wear a hat. Seeking attention in a non-flashy way, I guess?
I made it to 8 days. Got cocky and thought I would definitely make it to 9 days - and promptly lost it.
I then pulled back for a while. I’m not quite sure why. Disappointed? It wasn’t as if I hadn’t tried. Maybe I was trying to absorb the impact this curveball had given me.
Eventually, I thought I would give it another go. After all, SN is the funnest way of stacking sats. xP Suffice it to say that I was on high alert. I made it to 10, then 20. Today marks the 30th day of wearing my cowboy hat.
I mean, it isn’t in the bag here because who knows, I may drop it at the 29th mark. But you betcha I would be commenting and zapping like crazy after I publish this post.
Gradually, I felt a shift in my soul. The cowboy hat transformed into a source of pride. That despite all of life’s challenges, I had the bandwidth to write (admittedly not so great posts at times). That I had the capacity to remain curious about others. That I was able to prioritise my time and energy and exchange dialogue with people on issues that matter to me.
My cowboy hat tells me that I’m strong. tenacious. go-getter. All the positive attributes that boost my self-image.
I’m determined to hold on to my cowboy hat for as long as I can!
Have you experienced a similar shift from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation?
cowboys for life
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Glad to be in the exclusive club
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🤠
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Very much so. I must have gone several months finding cowboy hats only to lose them within a couple of weeks. Now, I'm in such a groove that nothing short of an EMP is taking this hat from me.
It's such a powerful and silly little commitment device.
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Glad you worked out a winning formula haha
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one day my hat will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine
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Channelling your inner Darth… I’m going to say you will have to pry mine from my cold, dead hands..
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Yeah, no. You crossed a line with that statement, Stackie.
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You can found the League of Cowboy Hats haha
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58 sats \ 1 reply \ @gmd 24 Jan
127 🤠 💪
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Hope to reach your level a few months down the road!
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58 sats \ 1 reply \ @sn 23 Jan
yeehaw!
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Yeehaw! 🤠
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Here's 100 sats for your effort and here's to another 100 days of cowboy hat winnin'!
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Love it. Weekends are a challenge for me, the daily routine completely breaks down and I usually lose my cowboy hat at weekend. Not the first thing I've lost on the weekend, and I'm sure it won't be the last, but it is perhaps the most painful loss.
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Hope you have a fun weekend routine to make up for it. You win some, you lose some. Hope these days numb the pain somewhat
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Yeehaw 🤠 lost mine a few times, but HODLing on for dear life now!
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The hat has become just as important as the sats for me!
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He looks calm n steady haha
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Yeah, I got my cowboy hat today. Let me find out! 😎
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Congratulations! May it last as long as the Nile River
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28 sats \ 1 reply \ @Nuttall 24 Jan
This is the way to the ranch known as the Double Horned Citadel.
Just don't get carried away with the mushrooms in the paddock.
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Great advice haha
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28 sats \ 1 reply \ @Roll 24 Jan
And what about the famous Indiana hat :)
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Don’t tempt me
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Hat wearers are worse than bored ape-ers showing off their digital trinket. You can't even sell your hat to a bigger fool. Imagine letting a few dozen pixels next to your username control your behavior. Sheeple.
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So, whats the trick to keep it? Post and zap every day?
I just got my hat yesterday, and I'm getting worry about it.
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Every time I found a hat, I lost it about one day later.
I'm only telling you this so you can mentally prepare yourself ahead of time.
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Post your stuff Zap other posts and comments Post your comments in response to the comments
Sounds super tedious but once you get into the groove, it’s fun!
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28 sats \ 1 reply \ @saunter 24 Jan
Cowboy hats and lightning bolts when zapped are def my favourite UX details on stacker news
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You describe my feelings so well
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Always a pleisure to read you Cowboy sensei…
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See you at the Saloon later xP
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38 sats \ 1 reply \ @Eobard 24 Jan
deleted by author
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Lucky you. I confess I’m addicted haha
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