Locking LISTA into veLISTA sounds like a great idea—allowing you to share protocol revenue through voting and influence how incentives are distributed. It seems like a perfect passive income solution. But reality often hits hard: a maximum lock-up period of 52 weeks means you completely lose liquidity of that funds.

Before deciding to lock your tokens, I have to ask myself one question: in the next year, will I really not touch this money at all?

If you're a trader who gets anxious watching price fluctuations every day, or if you suddenly need cash in your life, then locking your tokens is simply not suitable for you. veLISTA has always been designed for those who plan to be "shareholders" in this ecosystem, not for frequent traders.

So, when is it worthwhile to participate in Gauge Voting to earn bribe rewards? Only if a certain premise is met: you must treat this portion of LISTA entirely as a long-term equity allocation, or as a sunk cost already spent. In other words, you must be okay with it being immobile for the next year.

Apart from this mindset, my top priority is always maintaining liquidity. This is not caution; it’s survival instinct.

(Disclaimer: The above is a personal research sharing and should not be considered investment advice.)