The Genesis Post: Initiating a Journey

Welcome to dpetkovski.com.

People rarely stumble upon a first post unintentionally, so if you’re here, you deserve a brief introduction to this project.

What is This About?

At its core, dpetkovski.com is a website where I’ll write about my approach to everything.

If you allow me to put on my philosopher hat and bring you to the highest levels of abstraction, I’d copy this excerpt from a text I wrote a long time ago:

Life is important. Otherwise absolutely nothing matters.

If I take the liberty of postulating that those who cherish life prefer living a long, free, and fulfilling one, I’m confident in stating that there are only 3 things that have objective value to humans in the framework we live in and with the nature we developed. Namely:

• Physical and mental health
• At least one meaningful relationship
• Financial stability

So I’ll write about those 3.

Now the question becomes: what do “health”, “meaningful”, and “stability” mean for a person?

And that’s what will determine if we’re a match.

Can You Elaborate Further?

Pardon the lack of specificity, but it’s intentional.

As a person with continuously expanding curiosity, I could never restrict myself to a single niche. And I learned this the hard way, after longing for expression in various fields but not allowing myself to commit fully due to the box that’d put me in.

To clarify, I’m not referring to casual interests of mine. I’m talking about skills/knowledge/hobbies/projects/fields in which I’ve achieved varying levels of success, proficiency, and recognition. From official designations and appearances on national television to building a career and a lifestyle around them.

But still, when I say my name, I could never add a “vocation”.

I was never Mr. Petkovski – the strictly X, Y, or Z.

At the same time, I was all of them. And probably many more.

And as much as I enjoyed the abundant nature of polymathy, not being able to identify myself 100% with anything, I kept my work in the shadows.

Now, I have a better idea.

I’ll write about myself.

I’ll write about what I’m good at.

I’ll write about the things I’m currently learning and/or going through.

I’ll write about what I would’ve wanted to read when I didn’t know what I do now.

Be More Specific.

Okay, I’ll give you something.

Currently, I repeat, currently, I plan to categorize my writing in the following manner. Keep in mind that this is neither final nor exhaustive list:

• Fatherhood
• Self-reliance and self-sufficiency
• Productivity – strategic learning and skill acquisition
• Macroeconomics in the context of an non-professional index investor
• Bitcoin, self-custody and security
• Software engineering, technology, and career choices
• Expatriation/immigration, identity, and geo-arbitrage
• Book reviews and commentary on writings form the public domain
• Calisthenics and strength training at home, physical health in general
• Goal setting, mindset, optimism, and proper prioritization
• Personal stories and experiences in various domains
• Philosophy and my takes on a plethora of relevant and irrelevant topics

Keep in mind, I’m a lifelong learner and don’t claim to have anything figured out.

I just want to share my thoughts as they are so that likeminded people can find the value that my former self sought.

And Who Are You?

I’m D. Petkovski.

Here’s the introduction I wrote for myself on the v0.0 of the homepage:

First of all, I’m a husband and a father.

By profession, I’m a software engineer with more than a decade of experience. I work in the field of financial markets and have a keen interest in macroeconomics.

I’m passionate about Bitcoin and advocating for an energy-conserving, global, decentralized monetary policy.

 My hobbies include strength training, simplifying complexity, and sharing knowledge. I enjoy mutually-beneficial social activities.

Keep in mind…

This is a high-level snapshot of my current circumstances. If you’re reading this after 29th of December 2023, I might be a completely different person.

By the way, did my writing style improve since then?

Never mind…

Enjoy my website!

Edit from 2025: this is my new About Me text:

My experience is a unique blend of engineering and finance, including:

• Software Engineer with over a decade of industry experience
• Working in financial markets, with a keen interest in macroeconomics
• Master’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering
• Passed CFA Level 1
• Investing diligently since 2017, managing a 7 figure portfolio
• Authored 100+ educational posts on investment strategy, ETFs, Bitcoin, cold storage, and best practices
• Over 10,000 hours of research on the topics I cover
• Helped 15+ investors kick-start their journey, refine their strategy, and start with self custody

Interestingly, my path has been one of self-discovery rather than a pursuit of materialism.

I embraced the honesty of the free market and the harmony of energy conservation over time. With a philosophical twist on wealth accumulation, changing residencies, acquiring and renouncing nationalities, my quest for self-reliance in a global context remains ongoing.

An ideal that may prove unreachable, but hey, the journey is where the magic happens.

I think it’s much better now. 🙂

Related posts:

A Review of 2023: Rating My Yearly Goals How to Do What You Love How We Gave 3 Citizenships to Our Son (🇳🇱, 🇭🇺, 🇲🇰) The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (Book Notes) My Wife’s Take on Motherhood and Daycare 5 Money Myths and Misconceptions 9 Months Development & Stats: SGA Preterm Baby Luxury is Subjective – The Cultural Bias in Status Symbols Show Your Work by Austin Kleon (Book Notes) My Approach to Calisthenics & Strength Training 50 Facts to Wake You Up From Oppression Real Diversification – Banks, Passports, Residencies, Driving Licences, Assets Overcoming Gravity by Steven Low (Book Notes) Closing a 200lbs Gripper (Grip Training) Why I Stopped Covering “The Cycle”