Humans of Crypto #5: Interview with Paul Mihalache
Primer: Paul is one of the earliest creators in CRE8R DAO whom we had the pleasure to work with. He is one whirlwind of positivity who touches the lives of anyone he comes across. Here, we share the highlights of our Humans of Crypto AMA with Paul Mihalache.
Background
Share with us your background. What were you doing before crypto?
I am from Romania and my educational background is in teaching and Physical Education. I taught for a few years in Romania and completed a Master's Degree in Sports Management and Marketing. I am a qualified football referee and have been doing it since I was 15 years old.
How did you enter the crypto rabbit hole?
My brother told me about “internet magical money” called Bitcoin back in 2015. Had a few BTC and sold them for peanuts. Re-invested in ETH and this time I held them for a longer time and made good profits when I cashed out.
The 2018 crypto crash made me lose interest, as the ADA, LTC and some other shitcoins dropped by 90%. I “forgot” about crypto for some years and focused on matched betting, but this didn’t go well and turned into compulsive gambling.
In the spring of 2020, I quit betting for good, after approximately 20 years of betting on sports and playing the odd blackjack or roulette. I made my come-back into crypto and blogging, starting a new adventure on Publish0x. Kept earning and expanding my portfolio since then.
How would you grade your success level currently, out of 10?
Success is not easy to measure, as it is relative and different for each individual. Success is having what you need to live safe and happy, not having what you want. I think success is linked to Maslov’s Pyramid of Needs. Some will be happy to have a place to sleep while others are happy when they are helping others.
I would grade my success at 7 out of 10, as I have a beautiful family, my own house, a car, and not many worries about what tomorrow can bring. However, the aim is financial independence and the give both my boys the right environment for growth.
What are the top 3 books you’ve read that changed your perspective on life?
I would say The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was inspirational, showing that happiness is closer than we think. Great Expectations by Dickens was one of my favourite childhood books and made me think differently about becoming an adult.
Mihai Eminescu is the greatest Romanian poet, and his work was fascinating. We study him a lot in school and The Morning Star (Luceafarul) is a masterpiece. It took 10 years to be written and is one of the longest poems in Europe’s romantic poetry. It is a love story between a star and a human, showing that mankind is unpredictable and unreliable when it comes to feelings.
Habits
What’s a typical day like for you?
I wake up at 7 AM to get ready for the school run, and other stuff around the house. I do my crypto morning routine between 9 and 11 AM when I catch up with the news and write little bits on the article drafts. I then chose what article I want to finish for the next day and I focus on it.
The afternoon is shared between family time, Discord calls and house jobs. If I have free time I will watch a football game on TV or some TV series. I also enjoy nature walks and visiting new places. My evening routine is in fact the children's routine, involving cartoons, playing games and getting them ready to go to bed.
Are you a gamer? What's your favourite non-crypto game?
I played a lot of Starcraft and World of Warcraft before crypto took over. My Rogue on WoW was the top DPS on the server for years and a top raider. I stopped playing once the Metaverse started expanding, as the idea of Pay2Play was replaced by Play2Earn.
You’re a PE teacher and a football referee and work in the mental health field. Can you share with us more about your various career?
I have loved football since I was 5-6 years old, and my whole educational background is in Physical Education. I finished a Sports & PE college and then followed up with University in the same field.
I wasn't good enough to be a professional football player so at 15 I changed sides and geared up with a black kit and a whistle. I was paid for the job and earning your pocket money as a teenager means a lot.
I work with people with Learning Disabilities, and it is heartwarming when they achieve skills that build up their independence. They all want to live “like everyone else” and they put a lot of effort into this dream.
Can you share with us what your fitness regime is like? How often do you exercise and what do you do?
I don’t have a special diet, I just exercise more than I eat. I have football games over the weekend and I go for a long run, 4-5 km on Wednesday. I walk a lot and I am trying to eat before 9 PM, if possible. One of my struggles was to stop drinking fizzy stuff like Coke and Pepsi.
You have published some fiction and non-fiction books. How did you get started? What is it like to publish your own books?
I have 11 published books (https://www.amazon.co.uk/~/e/B019FB0ZNG) and most of them are about fitness and well-being. I published “How to get rich Cryptocurrencies” in 2017 but I sold only 2 books. I hope those two followed my advice and bought a lot of Bitcoin and Ethereum.
I always wrote notes and ideas in notebooks, and these notes from years ago were the starting point for my poetry and poems book. My first book was about Lucian Bute, a boxing world champion and University colleague.
What do you grow in your garden and how do you carve out time to maintain it?
I have a little garden and I grow my own herbs and spices, which I use for my cooking and meat seasoning. I don’t allocate too much time to maintain the herbs garden, as all they need is water and sun.
What is one thing or one habit that improves the quality of your life so much that you wonder why you didn't start sooner?
Sleep is important, and a balanced diet can improve the quality of life. I know it is easier to give advice, as most of the time I don’t have enough sleep to recover mentally and physically. I did make a goal to sleep more and avoid going to bed at 3-4 AM.
How did you manage to find the energy and time to do so many things?
I don’t really manage everything, I just prioritise the more important tasks. I have a list of weekly tasks and I made a habit to start with the most important ones. I am often missing deadlines because I am involved in too many projects, but I am trying hard to complete everything I said I will do. I usually recharge my batteries by cooking and obviously by eating. It’s nothing more relaxing than cooking a prime-cut steak.
Projects
What are some DAOs you would recommend people to participate in? Why?
The speed in the Cryptoverse is 10x and things change so quickly. At the moment I am focusing on only 3 DAOS, SuperUMAns, CRE8R and Across. Those three are on the top spectrum when it comes to community, crypto experience and earnings.
What are your best and worst experiences in a DAO?
I have two best experiences: to become a UMAster in the SuperUMAn DAO, one of the 15 people that have a higher influence in the community, and to achieve my F100 at CRE8R DAO.
Worst experiences? Putting time and effort into projects that ghosted the community. Snow Swap is one of the above, where the Discord channel didn’t see any admin for months.
In your view, are there any ways to improve the DAO experience?
DAO experience should be about bringing your skills in the interest of the community, and working with others towards a common goal. It should always be about the development and the evolution of the DAO/Protocol and individuals should be the cogs that make the machine work. The system cannot work properly if the cogs are not aligned or if the pieces lack synergy. (I do love using the word “synergy”!)
Life Philosophy
What’s the most controversial thought you have on crypto?
I always think about how my life would have been if I hadn't sold my Bitcoin in 2015. It always haunts me back, the thought returns with every BTC All-time High.
Another controversial thought is what if all the money and time I wasted on sports betting between 2018 and 2020 was invested into crypto?
Share one piece of alpha with readers
Be early in a project and put passion into what you're doing. Someone will see your potential and will help you to achieve greatness.
Name one mistake you have made in crypto and what you have learned from it
Investing without DYOR and letting “crypto gurus” influence my investment decisions. If I want to gamble on crypto or a new project, it is better to do it following my gut feeling, not someone’s recommendations.
What is one thing that you know that most people don’t?
I know that happiness comes from little things. Success is about mentality, and a winner never stops! Dream big and keep following your dreams.
What’s one misconception that people have about you?
People think I know a lot about crypto, but this is not true. I don’t know how to code, I don't know much about blockchain and I often have to google crypto terms to understand certain things. However, this never stopped me from learning and pushing myself out of my comfort zone.
Is there any person you model yourself after in the crypto space?
That will be Clayton from UMA! He is a true leader and is amazing how he can manage to work with many DAOs, working to create new tools and projects and travel around the world.
Conclusion
Can you recommend one person that you know personally and who has an amazing story to share?
You should get in touch with Clayton and check his story!
All information presented above is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as investment advice. Summaries are prepared by The Reading Ape. While reasonable efforts are made to provide accurate content, any errors in interpreting and summarizing the source material are ours alone. We disclaim any liability associated with the use of our content.