As Steem approaches one dollar from the wrong side, there are plenty of people panicking but I hope, there are plenty of people returning to their posts about 'If Steem was a dollar' and buying up. Money where your mouth was? Yeah, I am pretty sure a lot less people are going to buy-in as when prices are high they wish they could go back in time but, when they are low they are wondering if it will ever come back. The time is never right for some to buy.
Of course, not everyone has the available funds to buy-in with but it is interesting to think how much people spend on entertainment activities yet, never have enough to actually invest into something that has the potential to increase in value. People playing the latest game on the latest console to avoid thinking about the challenges of life. They have a 1000 dollars to spend on a phone every year also. Ah, that is bought on credit, wise move. That dam credit cycle that is impossible to get out of isn't helped by the continual consumption of nothing of value.
I feel for the people who have been living off Steem by necessity but, for those living off it by choice, I hope that they have been tucking some away for a rainy day and not going hand to mouth every seven days. We might be here a while or, we might not. It is hard to tell really but I don't think it is going to reach an ATH any time in the immediate future. The last time it was $1.02 though was November 26, 2017. 1 month later it hit the All time high of $7.31 on January 3rd 2018. Crypto is an unpredictable animal.
The prices affect people's posting behaviour heavily and, those who are here for the cash out fast money have been steadily reducing their activities while those who think long are increasing theirs. There is just as much Steem to be made now as there was before and with the drop in activity, it is easier to get. I am not saying easy, just easier.
My process hasn't changed for a very long time although I have adjusted various positions. Consistency of movement is the key to getting anywhere and whether the steps are small or large, a new destination is guaranteed every time a move is made. If we could see how much work and effort goes into some of the large projects in this world and, how much time it takes, we would see that not much happens overnight.
Even with Steem "so low", there are still likely no better places online to earn value on content however, there are likely better places to earn. I wonder how much extra capacity people would have in their lives if instead of holding a controller and playing a game for 10 hours a day or watching every series on Netflix, they flipped some burgers instead. For many, it seems this is beneath them but for others, that extra income could change their lives if spent on growth opportunities rather than consumption activities. If you aren't producing, you are paying and if you are spending more than you are earning, you are running on debt.
People like to get lost in the complexities but for the most part, life is pretty simple and can be made even simpler if instead of acting on emotion, people acted regardless of emotion. If people work out where they want to be, all they need to figure out is how to get there which is likely to change over time. As long as one understand that the actions made are working toward where they want to be, the emotional position can be ignored.
Emotion is our own personal FUD system that generally does more harm than good when it comes to our behaviors. People like to argue about this but, for those who do they are generally not the ones enjoying being where they want to be. What they don't want to admit though is that no matter how comfortable they are with their emotions, they haven't helped them. People will claim tat I am wrong and in the next breath complain about not having what they want, not have the relationships they seek or are depressed. Emotions are awesome dictators of action but unfortunately, rarely for benefit, especially in times of hardship.
This is likely why people are revisiting the concepts of Stoicism as to be Stoic doesn't mean to be a statue, it means to act independent of emotional pulls. Emotions are the most addictive drugs in the world and the cheapest to take. Yet, they are likely the most expensive to life. When it comes to doing what you need to do, if emotions don't support the movement, acknowledge them, put them aside and do what you need to do.
Waiting for better or avoiding the bad times is yet to improve a skillset. The best thing to be when better times arrive is better than today, whatever that means for your tomorrow, work it out. You are free to go, you are free to stay, you are free to act with whatever tools you have at your disposal, what are you going to do with them?
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]