I work at a challenging school, so I gain access to paid counselling sessions. Last year, for a particularly exasperating kid, I signed up for a counselling session. The counsellor drew a black dot on a white paper and subsequently drew my attention to it:

During his debrief, he mentioned something about how my attention had been so preoccupied with the black dot that I neglected to notice the white space around it. The white space symbolizes the opportunities and possibilities that I have neglected as a result of my preoccupation with the black dot.

⚫️

How am I gonna relate this to Stacker News?

Before Million Sats Madness, I was absorbed with keeping the cowboy hat. 🤠 Day in day out, I kept track of whether I would still get to keep the cowboy hat. Through my dedication, I eventually realised that at 2pm in my time zone, I would receive a notification that brought with me the Daily Rewards. A few minutes later, the system would refresh - and I would be assured of my possession of the cowboy hat.

During Million Sats Madness, my black dot changed. It was no longer about whether I kept the cowboy hat or not. I wasn’t really zapping more than usual, but somehow, the apprehension of losing the cowboy hat loosened its grip on me. That’s because of the Leaderboard. Honestly, I think I check it once every hour just to see my position. As a result, I no longer check my cowboy hat so obsessively.

And because of the Leaderboard, I got to really feel the ebb and flow of Stacker News. If I post something in the afternoon, it won’t garner many responses. A good time to post something is 7pm in my time zone because that’s when the Saloon opens up for business. Another valuable timing falls just before my bedtime because that’s when many Stackers come out to play. I would never have realised all this if I were focused on the cowboy hat.

So, through the Million Sats Madness, I realised two things:

⚫️

Enjoy the Million Sats Madness!