Over the weekend, I watched Air on Prime Video. The film portrays the captivating story of Nike’s pursuit of basketball rookie Michael Jordan, resulting in a groundbreaking partnership that forever transformed sports and contemporary culture. A prominent theme emerges throughout the movie — the ten principles upon which Nike’s foundation was built.

Having dedicated the past year to developing Decentralist.com in the web3 realm, I couldn’t help but recognize striking parallels between these principles and the ongoing development within the web3 space.
It’s challenging to remember that despite its current dominance, Nike wasn’t always the force it is today, particularly in the basketball arena. Similarly, web3 finds itself in its infancy. As a collective, what principles guide us in this ever-evolving landscape? Amidst the daily echo chamber we operate within, fragments of the above principles can be heard from various corners of the ecosystem. Yet, if you were to ask ten individuals, you’d likely receive ten different answers. Additionally, we’ve witnessed numerous individuals and projects ignore the underlying ethos and enter the space to make quick profits, execute rug pulls, and subsequently vanish.

How can we navigate the runway, countering the negative forces, while building the plane that is taking off? We must identify unifying elements that bind us together if we truly aim to effect positive change and avoid repeating the shortcomings of the web2 era. We require a guiding north star to steer our ship.
With that in mind, here’s my proposed suggestion:
The Nike principles that I find particularly applicable for web3 include:
- Our business is change.
- Perfect results count — not a perfect process. Break the rule: fight the law.
- Assume nothing. Push yourself to push others. Stretch the possible.
- Dangers: Bureaucracy. Energy takers vs energy givers.
- If we do the right thing, we’ll make money damn near automatic.
Additionally, let’s incorporate some core tenets of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency:
- Build an environment that is trustless.
- Embrace a permissionless approach.
- Prioritize security.
- Facilitate increased global access.
And voilà! With these combined principles, we establish a solid foundation from which to operate and drive positive change in the web3 space.
The last and perhaps most challenging aspect is how do we inspire widespread buy-in? To borrow a quote from one of my favorite Broadway shows, Hamilton, “This is not a moment. It’s the movement.” We must operate from a place where these principles take center stage. Each project and decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) in the space must effectively communicate its missions, visions, and values while also uplifting and amplifying each other’s voices.
The truth is, there are far more individuals doing good in this space than there are bad actors. It’s time we shine a light on the positive aspects, so we can collectively focus on fostering growth, showcasing the essence of our community to newcomers, and breaking free from the failures of the past.

Don’t forget to subscribe and follow me on Twitter to be notified when new entries are posted. Have ideas about what you’d love to see featured in future entries? Send me a tweet!
Follow me on:
Twitter: Erin @ the Decentralized Diary https://twitter.com/decentradiary
Website: https://www.decentralist.com/
Medium: https://medium.com/@decentralist.com
Decentralist.com is a directory 🗒 for decentralized resources. It includes resources such as the List of DAOs, List of DAO Tools, and the Decentralized Diary. Visit our website at www.Decentralist.com or follow us on Twitter @decentra_list.

The content is for informational purposes only. Nothing contained in this article constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer of a security, token, or application. This is not investment or legal advice. Please do your own research.