Apple seeds and crypto harvests

I will be taking the real estate photos of our apartment tomorrow so that we can be ready to sell. Taking them ourselves saves us about 300€ and I figure, I can manage with my camera. We are still unsure if we are going to sell and buy the place that needs renovations, but the thing is that if we buy something that doesn't, it doesn't really change our lives much, other than moving from one place to another and perhaps picking up an extra room.

Extending our loan significantly for an extra room hardly seems worth it, but renovating a home into something that is ours while adding sweat equity definitely does. Not only that, it would also significantly change our lifestyle in various ways, firstly with the scrimp and save in order to make ends meet and renovate a little at a time if we can't get the renovation extension loan, and then with the change in lifestyle itself that the house would provide.

As a result of all of this, I was looking at my crypto assets again to see what assistance they could provide in the future, as I am not willing to sell anything to fiat at these prices. As I have said before, I have squirreled away bits and pieces here and there and over the last 6 months have put a few euros extra in when I can.

I was reading @aggroed's post on a "bullish crossover" between Steem and USD, and he was saying that potentially the next 12-24 months will see significant movement for Steem. But as we know, Steem like every other coin out there is coupled with BTC, which means there would also be significant movement across the board, as Bitcoin would have to run also and therefore drag everything that is anything up with it.

So, looking at my holdings, what is enough? It is the "age old" crypto question because there is so much uncertainty and like everything, it is going to depend on when you sell. If Bitcoin got to 50,000 dollars, currently I do not hold enough to cover the house - by a long way. But, if Bitcoin dragged all the alt-coins along with it on e way up to 50,000, I very likely would, especially if STEEM is in that group.

But, what if I had to sell all of my STEEM?

Hypothetically, let's say that in order to cover current debts and own a completed house, I had to sell all of my crypto holdings. Would I be content with the work and money I have put in so far even if it meant that it is highly unlikely I will ever have much holdings again?

Imagine putting $500 into bitcoin the last year or so, meaning that 6000 dollars was invested and the average price was $7000. This would mean holding about 0.85 Bitcoin. If it went to 100,000 dollars, it would be worth 85,000. That is a massive, massive gain. However, once it is sold at that price and even if it pulls back 75%, to get the same holdings again would cost about 20,000 dollars. But, would there be that 20,000 still available or would it have been spent and then, even if it is available, would one buy back in after experiencing that fall?

This is something that we have consistently seen on Steem with people who have earned a lot and sold at the highs, but still don't think it is worth buying back into. There are plenty of traders who apparently become shy in the bear markets after being so bold in the bull.

Because of this, I have to ask myself if I was ever able to cash out and pay off my debts and massively increase the comfort of my financial life, would it be enough? This sounds greedy, because of course it should be as that is what we are often working for in this life - but I am not so sure. The reason is that I see the potential of the industry and the value of my own participation being able to offer more value over the coming decades than simply to pay off a house, so I am not sure I would be able to take the "sell all crypto" deal.

There is also the question of the future value of Steem holdings in particular and being able to use them to invest into various other projects as well as earn on curating whilst adding value to others and their life goals. I don't think I would want to miss out on that either.

However, it is also good to consider what full liquidation would mean to life in much the same way that what would change if my family moved home and gained one room and perhaps a sauna, but in order to do so we would have to quadruple our loan. Is it worth it?

As said, I am definitely not willing to sell my crypto holdings at this price and would likely be more inclined to ride them all the way to the bottom. But if we as ourselves what difference it might mean if we had to liquidate and different multiplier points, would we be okay with the results.

For example, if all of your crypto assets increased 10x, 30x or 100x up and you were forced to liquidate at that point, what would that mean for you?

10x - I would be relatively debt free, own most of a house. This would mean that the majority of the household income would be able to be used for other activities, including alternate investments.

30x - Debt free with the potential to own a house as well as one or two small rental properties for steady income as well as having the monthly income flow from IRL work.

100x - Debt free, investment properties and the extra money to never have to really work again if I so choose, which I wouldn't because I enjoy working. However, I would have the freedom to do the work I chose to do and that in itself would likely be value adding to the experience of others.

Each of these would be life changing in their own way, something that I really would like to have as I am not in crypto to sell for daily expenses. The reason is that this is only the start of what I believe is going to be a world-changing industry that is going to reorganize the way we live our lives, and manage our various value streams, financial and social. Like anything in this life, in order to really participate as anything other than a consumer class, is to have skin in the game.

Skin in the game means that one is tied to the processes and results and therefore are more likely to work toward improving the system, even if it is for one's own ends. This is why companies offer management shares in the company itself, as not only does it make the package cheaper, it ties their wealth to the success of the company. While in a centralized corporation this can be unhealthy, in a decentralized ecosystem like Steem, rather than tying results to the share price, the share price is driven by the participating community itself which means, tying results to the people. The rising tide lifts all boats.

I still find it ludicrous that a CEO can get 100M a year, but the lowest paid employees can get 15k. I wonder what would change if a CEOs salary was directly tied to the salary of their employees. If for example a CEO could earn 50x more than the cleaners, would they work to increase the salary of the cleaners? There is more to consider in that model and it isn't that simple, but currently when they make cuts to employees, the other employees do not share in the savings made as they are distributed to the owners and the bonus models.

If for example though the Steem inflation rate was adjusted significantly downward, it would (should) raise the value of Steem for all Steem holders and still mean that while there would be less distributed, that less would be worth more per unit. Or, if @threespeak or @splinterlands became wildly successful as applications, all Steem holders will benefit in some way, even though the owners of the applications themselves would benefit more, as they should for doing the work.

This is why I want to stay invested as heavily as I can in Steem as while I might one day be faced with the possibility to sell it all and change my life, not selling it all and participating might be able to change my life and the lives of many others here on Steem. I find the prospect of that incredible and I hope that when the time comes, I will be in a position to not only benefit enough to cover my life and reap a little of what I have sown, but help many others plant seeds for their own future. Of course, the seeds are being planted now and consistently as much as I can, with each Steem having the potential to become part of the network of roots that secure someone's economic future.

Today, I was eating an apple and thinking about how each seed has the potential to take root, grow into a tree and bear fruit of its own, yet while the fruit is being consumed, is considered valueless. Of course, it requires nurture and energy to be planted, raised and harvested without cutting down the tree.

While the last 2 years of bear market has taken its toll on the community in many ways, I believe that we are stronger for it because there are those who have planted, raised and grown their accounts. Currently we have an orchard of fruit bearing trees that while unable to distribute a great deal of apples to eat, can pass out the seeds to expand the orchard. Once the price increases, the value that the orchard will be distributing and investing into all corners of the globe could be immense.

Life changing for many.

So, if given the option to sell all and change my life completely or hold a good portion for the chance to be part of a network of many changed lives, I think I would let a lot of my STEEM ride as stake, and see what happens.

Whatever happens, she'll be apples.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]