To go or not to go
To go or not to go – that is the question. I have been contemplating for quite a while about the reasons that could help, or on the other hand hinder, my ability to attend this wonderful conference. And since 
In my previous post I described what makes the event such a superb opportunity for all the party/business heads committed in the Blockchain sphere. The question is not whether the event is worth it, but rather whether all the mutables that make my life what it is are going to align and sort of support my journey.
Financial situation
Financial situation is the core and basically only aspect with the “decision making” power. I have already written how the people, the speeches, the party, the discussions…basically everything is totally wonderful (ok the speeches could be better often times). There is no reason not to go from this perspective. But as we all know, money not only makes the world go round, but also our lives. Thus said, financial situation is ultimately the deciding factor. But it consist of (as hinted) many variables.
The buffer
I happen to have quite an OK buffer worth of around 100K Czech Crowns. That could imply I do have money for the event, but the reality is not as simple. It is true that technically I have the money, but on the other hand I am on my own in life, and the buffer is supposed to be my saving grace if anything in my flat breaks or if I fuck up drastically somewhere and would have to pay for my mistakes. Vast majority of all the money I am making comes from decentralized communities, and those are anything but stable. I simply can’t afford to drain my buffer, for if the Altcoins won’t recover in foreseeable years, I could find myself in financial crisis. It’s needless to say that no event is worth a personal financial crisis.
I would be willing to drain exactly 15% off my buffer if it was needed. The only reason for it is that I can easily imagine replenishing that amount of money during the next year (without a steady income it’s not as easy as it would seem and it largely depends on crypto-market… that could from another perspective fulfil the task quite easily). That would roughly take care of the travel expenses.
Crypto
I can’t imagine a world where the value of my portfolio wouldn’t be a factor directly “responsible” for my attendance on Blockchain conferences. Despite the fact that my portfolio definitely exceeds the value of my buffer, I can’t simply sell so many tokens in bear market just to attend one event for crypto is the only money I have apart from the buffer. You see, my generation won’t receive any pension income. I also do a lot of work in decentralized communities for less money than I would like, solely because it’s a bear market and I know that there is a high chance that I will be able to sell that income for much more. I would hate tap into my buffer for food too. Also we have to take in account that there is much I need to do when the crypto bulls – included but not limited to: Flat constructions, rebuying of broken gadgets that I need for work, re/buying gadgets and things that I need for my leisure time, buffer increase, paying all my debts, buying Tether to create a pool to buy from during next bear market.
I would be willing to sell some of my Steem if it was at value of 2 dollars or higher – which so far doesn’t seem likely. But it definitely depends on the overall price of the ticket and the amount of tokens that would ultimately be necessary.
Free ticket
The narration of this story leads me to the most plausible option. A flood of competitions that are offering free Steemfest tickets is right about the corner. Since I would have to endure trough the longest journey I have ever taken yet to get to the Bangkok, it would cost me dearly. I’m confident that I can afford either the event, ticket or the plane ticket, but not both. Winning one of the ticket competitions is therefore probably my only option, given the crypto market mood. I am definitely going to keep a close eye to the contests that will be announced and participate in all of them that make sense to me and where I can utilize my skills.
That’s it! There really isn’t more to my decision making process.