In the summer of 2017, my friend Jake, a tech enthusiast, wouldn't stop talking about Bitcoin. It was trading at around $2,500 then, and he was convinced it was the future of finance. Skeptical, I dismissed it as another tech fad. Fast forward to December, I received an ecstatic call from Jake. Bitcoin had surged to nearly $20,000! He had sold some of his holdings and paid off his student loans. Curious, I started reading up on cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and decentralized finance. While I didn't dive in immediately, the lesson was clear: sometimes, the future knocks softly before it kicks the door open.