We keep saying "Bitcoin fixes this" but the fiat off-ramp is still broken - are we just early or is this a fundamental problem?

Been orange-pilled for 3 years. Stack sats, self-custody, the whole thing. But here's where the philosophy meets reality. I freelance, and more clients want to pay in BTC. Amazing, right? Except I still need to pay rent, buy groceries, cover business expenses - all in fiat.

My current workflow is painful: receive BTC payment. Send to exchange (already compromising on self-custody). Convert to fiat (taxable event + fees). Wait 3-5 days for bank transfer. Finally access the money I earned a week ago. By the time it's done: 2-3% in fees, tons of time wasted, and a tax reporting nightmare.

I looked into platforms that supposedly bridge crypto and traditional banking with instant stablecoin settlements - could keep most in BTC, off-ramp only what I need. But using any custodial service feels like I'm missing the point.

What bothers me is that we've solved the hardest problems - decentralized money, trustless transactions, censorship resistance. But that last mile? Still depends on centralized exchanges, traditional banking rails, government permission, and custodial services.

I want to live on a Bitcoin standard. But right now it feels like I'm living on a "Bitcoin + painful fiat conversion" standard. The irony: Bitcoin payments are faster and cheaper than wire transfers, but I still end up using wire transfers to actually USE that Bitcoin.

Are we solving this, or just accepting that hyperbitcoinization is the only real solution?