The inspirational leader Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his famous “I have a dream!” speech.

I believe in a future where the money we have will be much fairer and easier to use than it is now. Once we earn it, our new money and the value associated with it will retain its worth. It will not be subject to central bank or government activities that serve to undermine it, making us have to work harder and harder for that same value. Our new money will serve to help bring more balance between the rich and the poor, because the rich will not directly control it. It will not be subject to censorship by centralized authorities, telling us what we can and can’t buy with our new money.

Our money of the future will also be more accessible. It will not discriminate in who will be able to use it and enjoy modern online banking and commerce methods. As such, our new money will create higher productivity and inclusion from large populations of the world who are currently shut out from modern finance.

Using our new money will be a more fluid experience than the one we are currently used to. We will be able to transfer any amount of value, around the corner or around the world, instantly and with equal ease. Our new money and accounts associated with it will be able to be stored on our mobile devices and home computers, making it available to us at any time or place. All hours of every day will be our “banking hours”. Rigid banking structure and restrictions will be a thing of the past.

Our new money will be secure, protected by military grade encryption right on your phone or computer. Only we or those we trust will be able to access it. Divulging personal information will not be required for us to use our new money, protecting us from centralized database breaches. Even so, we will still have the ability to purchase items online with our new money.

Despite this much improved functionality, accessibility and security there will be little to no fees associated with using our new money.

In short, our new money will have the potential to increase quality of life, and make the world a better place.

Join Dash Nation, and get acquainted with our new money.

I recently watched a video in the Ted Talk series. This is not a recent video, having been released in 2009, but it sure inspired me. I will leave it below, please watch it. In it, speaker Simon Sinek examines why some companies or organizations succeed and some don’t. He explains how great leaders inspire their followers to try new products or services and become dedicated educators among their peers. He explained something that I believe very much applies to Dash and how we are getting our message out there. He explains that most companies and organizations focus on the “what” first. Fewer companies focus on the “how” first, while very few focus on the “why” as their leading value proposition. The companies and organizations that focus on the “why” first tend to be more innovative, inspiring and successful. As early adopters of Dash, we are all leaders so this advice can be taken to heart by us.

As I watched this video, I felt more and more that this man was encapsulating my thoughts about the way we at Dash are promoting our brand. In Dash, with our tagline “Digital Cash”, we are like most businesses and organizations who focus on the “what”. We are even like the fewer amount of businesses that focus on the “how” by promoting our PrivateSend, InstantSend and Dash Platform features. Yet, Dash has failed to achieve significant traction with the general public. This is because we do not have a cohesive and powerful “why”. Why should people try using Dash? What will it achieve? What’s in it for them?

In the video, Simon explains that it’s important to cultivate a passionate community that has the same beliefs in the “why”. He gives the example of the Wright brothers, who are responsible for the first flight. At the time, there was a focus on becoming the first to achieve it. The Wright Brothers had some powerful competition. Samuel Pierpont Langley was given $50,000 by the War Department to figure out flying machines. He had a seat at Harvard and worked at the Smithsonian. He was extremely well-connected and had access to the best minds, which he hired for his research team. His activities were covered by the New York Times, and everyone was rooting for him and his team.

Meanwhile, in Dayton, Ohio, Orville and Wilbur Wright had very little money. They used the proceeds from their bicycle shop to finance their dream. They and their team also had little education with no one having a college degree. No one cared or followed their progress. But they had a powerful “why”, a motivator, a cause, a belief that caused them to act in unselfish ways with long hours dedicated to the success of the project. They truly believed that this discovery would change the world for the better, and they willed themselves to see it through.

Samuel Pierpont Langley, on the other hand, was motivated by riches and fame. He was motivated by the result, the “what”. The team surrounding him in turn worked in the same way, with no passion or vigor.

As a result, the Wright Brother’s team worked long days and hours for little remuneration. They worked their fingers to the bone for the cause, the vision, the “why”, and put in much blood, sweat and tears to see their dream become a reality. Samuel Pierpont Langley’s team simply worked for a paycheck, only doing the financed amount of work, nothing more.

On December 17th, 1903, the Wright Brothers and their team of nobodies realized their dream and saw their selfless dedication pay off. No one was there to see it, the news broke a couple of days later. The powerful vision and belief in something bigger than themselves, their “why”, led to this moment of triumph and meaningful contribution to the world.

Do you know what Samuel Pierpont Langley did in response? He quit. He did not congratulate the brother’s team and offer to help improve upon the technology, he simply went away. His opportunity for more riches and fame was gone. He didn’t care about the “why”. Once his “what” was gone, he vanished.

Dash: Our New Money.

How can we in Dash Nation learn from this? I’ve always somewhat felt this way, but recent events have convinced me even more that Dash is more like Samuel Pierpont Langley than the Wright Brothers. Let me explain why.

I will start with our branding and core message. As I mentioned earlier, Dash really has done a fantastic job explaining “what” Dash is, and “how” it works. While exciting technologically, what Dash is and how it does things will not stir up anyone’s passions. Unfortunately, as mentioned in the video, these explanations do not stir any response from the decision-making part of the brain that responds to the “why”. At Dash, we would do well to make cultivating a strong “why” message first and foremost. Once that is done, the “what” and the “how” will fall into place, as they remain strengths for Dash. I have submitted my “why” above at the beginning of the article. I believe Dash will change the world for the better, and I outlined “why” the world needs it. I even have a suggestion for a new tagline that will encapsulate this thinking right now: “Dash: Our New Money“.

Next, there is a tendency in Dash to “let the other guy” do it. Oftentimes issues are brought up by community members. These community members are then asked to head up an attempt to fix these issues, and they say no, they will let someone else handle it. A passionate community, motivated by the “why”, would not do this. People would be tripping over themselves to contribute to the cause.

Dash has an expansive treasury that is ostensibly a benefit to our project. I submit, based on the leading premise of this article, that it is also a negative aspect. Some recent events back up this theory, as do the activities of other digital currency projects. Coins like Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Monero get things done without the benefits of a treasury. They have passionate communities that believe in the cause, the “why”, and are motivated to contribute to it without monetary rewards. In Dash, our culture is becoming more responsive to the “what” (getting paid by the treasury or an increasing Dash price) and once that “what” is taken away, little work is done. There is less of an emphasis on the “why” (what will Dash do for the world) that motivates people in other currencies that don’t have a treasury but still get things done.

This video reminded me why I created the Dash Nation movement. Dash Nation aims to rally supporters of Dash, give them something to be proud to be a part of and make them passionate about Dash changing the world for the better. Dash Nation is about instilling a belief that we can all contribute to this dream in our own ways, whether they be large or small. This focus on the “why” leads to a vibrant community and culture that encourages and rewards contributions and creates a legion of dedicated educators of others. A focus on the “why”, as we’ve seen with the Wright Brothers, leads to selfless dedication to the overall cause, without regard to financial remuneration. Social recognition of contributing to the cause becomes a more powerful motivator.

I will use my position as the founder of Dash Nation and Cash Alternative TV host to help quantify a solid “why” proposition. I will start with this article. I invite the rest of the Dash community to do the same.

What motivates us, Dash Nation? If it’s fame and riches, we are no different than Samuel Pierpont Langley. If it’s the “what”, we are nothing special. If we truly believe, and want Dash to succeed in it’s mission and change the world for the better, than we are just like the Wright Brothers. We will selflessly work hard and take pride in contributing to the cause. We will lead and encourage others to do so, and build a thriving culture to realize our dreams.

We will start with “why”.

Important (MUST WATCH) Ted Talk with Simon Sinek – Start with why: