Much like money doesn't matter unless you are poor. At least with being ugly one can build a stellar personality, become highly skilled, earn well and be attractive in other ways. If you are poor and need money, there isn't much one can do other than - act like you are ugly and develop into the kind of person that is hirable.

I know, I know - it is always someone else's fault we are poor because if it was our own choice, we'd choose to be rich.

https://i.imgur.com/cIlbRSs.jpg

Asher wrote a post about him [crossing over 2000 SP in earned curation](https://steemit.com/steempower/@abh12345/earning-cryptocurrency-for-up-voting-or-liking-content) and how once he thought that curation returns were insignificant. I used to think the same but like him, watching it overtime has changed my thinking quite a lot.

I am one of those idiots Asher spoke of who manually votes and doesn't maximize curation returns but, I still manage 50-60 SP a week from voting on content. In the comments Ash asked @meesterboom when he can live off curation and that is an interesting question to explore I think. 

I live in a pretty expensive country so for me to live off curation getting 50 SP a week, I would need to be able to sell about 4000 dollars worth a month meaning, I'd need 20 dollar Steem price. Unlikely to get there soon? Yeah, I better keep working.

But like Asher said, watching CR grow overtime (if powering up) gives a very good insight into how things work in general and of course, how instant gratification is going to limit future possibility. The two+ years I have been working on Steem, I have definitely not been living the high life because, I am aiming toward future possibility. While not everyone can do similar or at the same level for a range of factors, all can do something.

Perhaps the reason is that I am ugly. Well, not hideously ugly, but ugly enough that in order to have the relationships I have had, I needed more than my looks. I am also raised poor with a scarcity mindset so the skills I needed to develop in order to survive well enough took a fair bit of work. 

Luckily, I have a very big sense of humour.

Humans aren't very good at visualizing or 'feeling' processes like compound interest.

For example, do you know, *the rule of 72?* If you quickly want to estimate how long it will take to double a number with interest added, just divide 72 by the interest rate. Try it:

http://www.moneychimp.com/features/rule72.htm

Easy right?

But, I am a skills coach of sorts and skills tend to compound too but, they don't necessarily have numbers attached. 

Are you a straight man? Are you single and looking? Can you dance?

Why not? If you want to meet women, it is probably advisable to be places where women might be. Oh... Tinder. How's that working out for everyone? Happy? What about when you are 50?

Work skills are of course the similar. Walking into a job with skills is far more advantageous than walking in needing to be taught how to tie shoelaces. The thing is though that pretty much all skills can compound against other skills to create a unique profile to make one attractive to an employer. Oh, you don't want to be an employee?

Good.

So, what skills do you have that you can utilize to be able to earn enough to cover life's costs to the level you choose? Hmm. Perhaps you should start as an employee and grow some more skills along the way.

The world is changing rapidly and while everyone wants what I call, *Workless wealth,* most people do not have a unique enough skill or personality profile to have it. To earn well, one generally has to be able to stand out of the crowd in some way, not blend in. *Unless* one already has resources available to attract more resources.

When I came to Steem I had no such resources but, I did have some skills with one being my ability to work like a whipped horse and another, my ability to delay gratification and remain uncomfortable rather than expanding lifestyle decisions. Without those two things, the chances of me ever living off Steem would be approaching zero. 

But, most people here will *never live off Steem* but, that doesn't mean it can't provide a very decent revenue stream for many people *if* they are willing to do it a bit rough for a while, earn, power up and let it compound. One year or five, it doesn't matter, just work and patiently grow.

A thousand Steem today is worth about 450 dollars and will generate around 3 Steem in curation a week. Not much right? Well, that compounds and over time and with posting, that 1000 Steem becomes 1500 and generates 5 Steem. 

That means that when I am able to live off curation at 20 dollar Steem, that 1500 Steem account is earning 100 dollars a week in curation. Not bad for 450 dollar initial investment and that doesn't factor in other benefits or price rises. 5000 *potential* dollars a year is pretty good for not having to do much, and while not famously wealthy, it is nothing to scoff at. Oh, and that 1500 will be worth 30,000 dollars and just be sitting there, earning quietly forever.

Now, I don't know how all this will pan out and I don't know when Steem will be worth 20, 50 or 100 dollars but, *I* definitely think that there is value in developing oneself into a position to find out. 

I might not be able to be anything other than ugly, yet it doesn't mean I have to settle for being unskilled and lacking opportunity as well. 

This is the age of the internet where almost anything can be learned for free and, we are entering into the age of the Blockchain and digital assets where those skills are going to be able to be earned upon without needing a centralised employer. To take advantage of it though, the skills and knowledge need to be held, just like assets must be in order to have advantage from them.

There is some kind of push to make 10,000 minnows but, for those who are doing the making, consider that rather than making bigger fish, help them learn to grow themselves and understand that the opportunity for them and the community as a whole is amazingly bright - even if highly uncertain.

The Steem community has a lot of ugly in it. 

It also holds a massive range of beauty and some very highly skilled people. Use the skills to earn, learn ways to make sure that what you earn becomes an asset class that can both be held and provide and, understand that the responsibility is your own.

So much opportunity and I hope you don't waste yours - but if you do, that is your choice.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
<sub>(posted from phone)</sub>