How Much Is Enough And Where Do We Draw The Line?
Where Do We Draw The Line?
Today's article is just something I wrote spontaneous. It's based on my personal feelings, ideas and opinions, but I've also been inspired these last 5-6 weeks or so... So I've still had time to think things through, more than once.
This is not something I write to point fingers to anyone and this is not to complain. I write this because it pretty much sums up what I've been doing so far, and it doesn't matter if I've done less or more than others. That's not what's important here.
The important thing is:
- How Much Is Enough?
How Much Is Enough?
I guess that most of you who're reading this already know who I am and many of the things I have done so far, so I won't go into any major details about it. I will try to make this rather short and to the point. However, I need to share some details with you, as that is what this is all about. I started to delegate my Steem Power 9-10 months ago. I strived to delegate 100% of my Steem Power to others in a way to pay-it-forward and to make Steemit a better place. Many things have happened during this time.
The @asapers have been around for 237 days in total and published 103 "Read me asap" issues. The asapers shares the rewards with the featured authors and three authors are featured each time. That basically equates to 309 authors who've been rewarded a bit more than they would've been without the asapers. As most of my stake has been delegated to the asapers official account, it also means that my stake have been working towards the growth of others. Besides my delegation to the asapers account, I have also been delegating Steem Power to the people directly involved in the asapers project, so some of my stake have been used to reward and grow others this way too.
I have also given away a total of 319.7 SBD and 26.0 STEEM since I joined in July 2016. That includes donations to @t-r-f, in an attempt to help others to get to Steemfest. It also includes donations for personal causes, different prizes and to push people to 500 SP.
On top of that, I've had a very generous delegation of 600 Steem Power from @preparedwombat for more or less this entire time. I have used that stake to manually curate and reward comments on my articles, but I have also used that to spread my votes further as I follow the asapers curation trail.
That being said, I have done various things to put as much of my Steem Power as possible in work. The most recent thing we've started is the "push people to 500"-initiative, where we've successfully pushed 7 users into Minnow-status so far. It's easy to see that I've done what most people would see as a good thing.
Due to my approach, intentions and actions, I've also had some setbacks. Setbacks in form of revoked delegations due to power downs for instance. I know that it's my stake and I do whatever I want with it, but as I've decided to be dedicated with my delegations it's extremely frustrating to revoke them. Especially as I know that it will affect a bunch of people. Either directly, or indirectly.
A few days ago, I had to revoke my delegations so I could power down due to some unforeseen circumstances. I got @erodedthoughts to "fill in" for me in terms of the delegation to the @asapers and I was just waiting for my Steem Power to return so I could start my power down. Something insane happened though... @fulltimegeek, (Make sure to vote for him as witness!), suddenly out of nowhere, transferred the funds I needed!?!
As he covered the amount I needed, there's no need for a power down at this point. But, I've already been affected by these unforeseen circumstances so I've also started to realize that it's far from ideal to delegate 100% of my own Steem Power, if and when something like this shows up.
That being said, I need something like an emergency fund, which I mentioned here, and I haven't figured out the exact details yet... But, I still want to continue in the same path as before.
I want to delegate my Steem Power and I want to do as much as possible for others... But I need to think about myself before others, and I haven't really done that in the past. I have pretty much been forced to change my behaviour due to this and I've realized that I need to draw the line somewhere. From here on out, I'll try to draw the line.
I will continue in the same path as before, but I will need to change certain things to make it as stable as it can be. What I have done so far is enough. I don't need to strive for miracles. I don't need to put myself in a tight spot to help others. There's no need for more from me in that sense. I will go with what I already do, and come up with a stable approach that I don't need to alter the minute something unforeseen shows up.
A healthy way to look at it might be similar to a theory that my late Grandfather instilled in me as a youngster when I got my first job (a paper route).
He told me that no matter what I am saving for or want to buy, I should put 20% of whatever I earn into long term savings in case of emergency.
This is definitely a good idea. I've never treated my steem earnings as a "real" income so to speak, but it might be a good idea to start doing that. Especially for rainy days.
It is a shame something like this had to happen for you to realize this. Fortunately, it turned out ok thanks to @fulltimegeek (again).
It's just an idea, but why don't you take a little of your delegation back - and try to find other people to fill in the gaps. I know you delegate to each of the asapers community members, but maybe hou could lower their paycheck a little. Or maybe - I don't know if the asapers comunity is profitable or not - you can lease some SP instead of delegating your own. I'm not talking about leasing SP through minnowbooster, too expensive. But maybe find someone you know and make a deal for a fair(ly low) price...
And it might be a good idea to take half of what you earn in SBD/Steem, and put it in your savings account. After a while, you'll have some liquid money, and there is no need to power down when something unexpected comes up.
Posted using Partiko Android
This is basically what I've been thinking of for the past few days. I've thought about powering down for 1 week, just to add some Steem to my "emergency fund" before I re-instate some of my delegations too.
Leasing SP might also be a good idea, and I've thought about that too. But it would only work if I can lease at a pretty large discount, so I guess it will be hard to find someone who's willing to do it.
All good ideas though, and I appreciate the comment. :)
There is no shame in thinking about yourself dear. You've done so much for this platform already, myself included.
You will also realize eventually that people like you will never lack help when you need it
Thank you @empress-eremmy. I know that I've been doing what most people would call "good things" and all, but my biggest problem is that I want to continue in the same path, no matter what. As I see that it works. I'm pretty much the same in real life too. It's difficult to find a proper "balance" between me and others so to speak... But I have to do it, and I will. :)
Slow and steady wins the race! What you have done is great so far and only beginning. It will be the consistency in the long haul that will be the measure of your success and adjustments in your delegation and support will happen again and again as things evolve.
Do what ya gotta do and thanks for all you have done for so many.
Thank you for your comment. You are right, I will most likely adjust my delegations with time and I'm okay with that. I just want to figure out a stable approach for now, so I won't have to revoke or drastically change my delegations the minute something unforeseen pops up. I have a few ideas though, so I might be able to do this without affecting others too much in the long run, which is what I'm trying to avoid.
I upvoted your post.
Keep steeming for a better tomorrow.
@Acknowledgement - God Bless
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Thank you.
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