Thoughts, Words and Photos (Thirty)
No one knows what the future holds, and never trust anyone that speaks about the future with too much certainty. It is not that they are necessarily wrong or on the right track but, if one believes too heavily in what they know, they act as if it has already come to pass. When it comes to uncertainty, there is both opportunity and the potential for failure and the trick to increasing the odds of success is, preparation.
Often, the preparation doesn't even require much work and if organised well, the preparation for the future is taken care of in the handling of the everyday now. There are many ways to incorporate prepping into the habitual tasks and some seem to do this naturally. Some do not. Perhaps it is a genetic trait that is inherent in the system but is slowly changing through natural selection.
Long ago, in the past before farming, there was little chance to store food products which meant, hunt regularly, and eat while there is food. Without the chance to lengthen the life of the meal, consuming calories while they were there was necessary and those who got the most calories, likely performed the best. Now with the ability to store however, there is more the problem of not eating too many calories and it is likely that those who do over-consume will face disadvantages.
This is the same idea as saving for the future, some people do it, many do not. Some take the attitude of 'saving for a rainy day' while others 'have a sunny day today'. There are risks in saving for a rainy day as who knows what the future holds but, the overwhelming results is those that do delay their gratification are in a much better position in the long-run.
Yet most, including me, suffer from instant gratification syndrome and struggle to fight the inherited genetics for eat all the calories you can while they are there. It is because of this that I am in a poor life position now, not because I haven't earned enough. I have never been a high earner but, if I was able to put five, even two percent of my income away, my life would be fundamentally different. It would have been my preparation and 2 percent is always possible.
The average salary in Finland is 30,000 euros but, I have been below that most of the time. Many non-natives are. I still could have saved 5%. Let's say I did and and out of my savings and due to unforseen costs, it ended up being 2% instead.
15 years x 30,000 = 450,000€ after tax, ~300,000. 2% is therefore 6,000 euros in savings and it would have amounted to about 30-40 dollars a month. 2 or three cups of coffee in a cafe a week.
I joined Steemit in January 2017, in March/April, I started trading and realised the potential of Steem. It was possible to buy STEEM at about 10c US at the time. If I had taken 1000€ I could have bought 12,000 STEEM and for the last year, been building heavily upon it. Combined with my content, my ability to influence and self-vote articles, today, I would undoubtedly (with hindsight) be a whale. But, I couldn't because I didn't even have the 1000€ to buy with. This was a lost opportunity because of a lack of preparation, not knowledge or willingness as my will to drive content continuously and consistently is strong based on a long-held belief in the platform.
There are always those who say that they didn't have the opportunity, didn't have the chance to save but, is it really true? I think not, especially at Steemit lately with the price of SBD. If someone joined prior to the change in value and really needed the Steemit earnings to survive, SBD is 5x higher now, that means that if they could survive before, they are doing quite well now. So, why still take it all, why power down? Consume all the calories just in case none come tomorrow, genetics and an unwillingness to adjust kick in again and again yet, no one pays attention to their habits it seems.
For my position in life now, there is no one to blame, it wasn't the government, it wasn't my boss, it wasn't my parents or the various economic crashes along the way. It was my unwillingness to delay gratification and put a couple percent away for the future just in case. That is my fault and I am doing what I can to make up for it now. Sure, it might seem a little extreme for many but, if I am going to break this instant gratification habit so I will never be unprepared again, I will suffer now and crush it completely.
Maybe then, I will be able to help my daughter understand her own genetics with more than just words.
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]
" So, why still take it all, why power down? "
Often the minnows that power down are also the ones complaining the most for not getting upvotes. Why should you if all you do is leech the platform? My vote doesn't pack much of a punch but I have made a decision to not vote for those powering down and to give something extra to people who instead power up.
Why should you if all you do is leech the platform?
It is like the forever unemployed complaining that the government doesn't provide enough even though they have never paid an income tax in their life.
🤔, I'm not sure how to feel right now. On the one hand, it's a great post. On the other, it's a painful reminder that I should've at least put some effort into Steemit since joining nearly a year ago.
Well, it's never too late and fortunately I'm not one for much self pity. 😀
lol, yeah, you should have. Still a long way to go though mate :)
Especially in my case, "long way to go" is a gross understatement. 😂
Unlike you, I have always been a saver, maybe because my parents made it clear to me and my sisters that saving was important. It gives me peace of mind, knowing there is always some money when disaster strikes or the washing machine stops working (for instance). For my parents, it was also a matter of "de tering naar de nering zetten', as we say in Dutch. Don't want or buy more than you actually can afford and certainly never buy anything on credit (with the exception of a house). But it is never too late as you certainly prove nowadays on Steemit. You gave a solid advice to everyone in your post! And, again something you can learn your daughter even at an early age when she is old enough for a small allowance (pocket money we call that in Dutch).
My parents failed miserably at this but, I cannot blame them. I am an adult and not incompetent. I don't plan on making the same lapses in parenting as them though.
I have worked relatively consistently since 12 years of age, I have had ample opportunity to be in a better position. I am not a victim.
"I am not a victim", you wrote and I am glad you said so because it is dangerous if people see themselves as a victim. Because when they do that, they are going to blame others for their adversity and then they can not withdraw themselves from their victim role and won't do anything or very little to improve themselves. It takes courage to pull back from that role, but when people succeed in doing just that, they often are better off (because of the fact they overcame something important) than those who have never had that misfortune.
I agree with what you're saying, but why regret it? What's the sense in thinking 'I could've...' or 'If I had...'. You have not. And those moments are already in the past, so thinking now about what you could've done is a waste of time, I believe. Point being - don't beat yourself up over it.
It's a good thing that you have learned a lesson from your past actions and are now taking measures to act differently.
Yes, most of us choose a moment of pleasure now, because it's at hand, within reach. And that's not always the best thing, but I don't think we should only focus on the future either. We should find a balance that allows us to live happily and do things that bring us pleasure now, while also saving for the future. There's no sense in only focusing on what's to come, because you may not be around to see it. So try to also enjoy now ;)
No regrets, but I don't plan on being unprepared (in the same way at least again). It is not about what wasn't done, but if I do not investigate and correct the behaviour, it is an eternal problem.
It's never too late for us to save if we will be given the chance definitely we will. Majority are not that well off to save a portion of their salary. Like here in the Philippines average monthly salary is only $250 to $350, it's not enough for a family of 4 to still have savings. But for those who can saving is a MUST.
Thank you very much @tarazkp for sharing this.
not one dollar?
Steemit is not a salary but it could be a revenue stream for some people however, it is an additional revenue stream which means, it wasn't available before. I f survival was possible before and others are surviving without Steemit, it means that at least some part of the Steemit earnings can be saved, right?
Yes, you're right. :)
I was glued to this piece from beginning to the end as this was talking to me directly . I also have the instant gratification syndrome especially on steemit . I always wana take it all, though of late I have been saving up some steem for the future, about 60 steems now which I know is still nothing but I think with this piece I will break that mentality for my own good. Experience they say is the best teacher but I think it will be wise for me to learn from your own experience . Thanks for this piece as always...really appreciate your thoughts this morning .
Reading this, I feel like a younger @tarazkp,always eating all the calories never saving for the future. This came at the right time for me, it's the perfect light to shine upon this grey area for me.... Thank you for sharing.. I've learnt the errors in my ways
Again, with your writing, you've set me on the right track. I have to say, it's really tempting for a minnow to cash out, instead of powering up. I'm curious though, does powering up, increase reputation?
We all suffer ups and downs in our lives, expecting too much and gain less, or more.
We always try to improve, bring more potential, follow the path to succeed,
i hope, we will be able to provide the better content on steemit, to value what we require.
what if i buy steem now ?and i try my best o grow my blog what will be the result after one year ?
How long is a piece of string?
Zero, a lot or something in between. No one can tell you.