Having experienced going through ballet lessons, my wife would often tell me about the pain of the ballerina tip toe. There's a number of published works discussing how in extreme cases, it results to medical conditions needing surgical procedures. What looks beautiful, elegant, and easy on the outside often requires sacrifices not everybody is willing to do.
"Everybody wants to shine bright like a diamond, but nobody want to get cut!" - Eric Thomas
It was my office mate Mark who introduced me to Steemit nearly three years ago at the beginning of 2018. I knew about bitcoin since summer of 2017, and I have been buying when I get incentives at work from when it was a thousand dollar per BTC. I wouldn't say I have a deep understanding of the technology behind the blockchain at that time. I was buying purely at the technical analysis perspective, and the huge hype happening around cryptocurrency in general.
I had a brief experience in small-time trading, and knew about the concept of buying the leader, at the time BTC was a clear leader. When Mark told me I can earn cryptocurrency by blogging I couldn't believe him. I thought it to be some sort of experiment people who want to make money for themselves started.
There is no fee to join; and Mark's been showing me his wallet, his withdrawals, and his purchases using the money he makes in Steemit - so I signed up. It took a full week to get confirmation that my account's been created. I was loosing interest, and have it been delayed a few days more, I would have completely forgot about it. I was pleasantly surprised that my introductory post made a decent payout, and I was making calculations in my mind about how this can potentially pay more than my current day job. I wasn't going to invest my time and energy into something I don't understand. Hence, learning how the platform, the currencies, and the community overall work was among the first things I have done in my early days in Steemit.
I am lucky to have joined when the Welcome, and FAQ sections were added. I spent the sum of four hours commute to and from work everyday for a whole month just reading helpful posts and education materials to get a good grasp of the platform, and the community behind all the fuss. My next few posts made cents, but I had no complains. I knew at this point that every reputable Steemian went through some sort of downtime. I was determined to do well for a few reasons.
Why I Went On (Steemed On!)
Part of my journey through learning how to Steemit aside from reading the many helpful material in the Welcome, and FAQ sections was to stalk some of the most acknowledged Steemians who've gone from being minnows, to dolphins, and whales. I followed their activities from when they were just starting using the blockchain explorers SteemD by @roadscape, and SteemDB by @jesta. That is how I know that even the top rewarded authors at that time started slow themselves, and being a new kid on the block with very little experience gave me no ounce of right to complain. I posted regularly, but only posted things that I know I will be proud of. Never cutting corners or resorting to post just anything for the sake of maximizing the potential payout.
I followed the activities of dolphins and whales because from the start, I knew I would like to be like them. Primarily because I would want to be able to support new authors the way I was supported, and pay it forward. I will be lying however, by saying that is all there is to it. I saw a bright future for the project, but at the same time acknowledged that it has a long time to go before mass adaption. This is among the first few choices I had to make decisions on early in my Steemit journey. Am I going to be here for the short-term rewards - and enjoy myself while it last, or am I going to tough out the temptation - and be part of something big if and when it becomes big?
It wasn't easy at all. I was envious when I saw Mark's new laptop and iPhone, and the truth is I almost powered down myself when he bought a car. Buying a car would have made my long, everyday travel to and from work so much more convenient. I was looking at Steemit, and all the things I've learned from being in the platform quite differently though. I thought maybe one day, because of Steemit, and the many things I can learn from it - I wouldn't even have to keep my day job.
I was lucky to make it to @sndbox's second batch of cohorts in July of 2018. It was so rewarding to engage with 99 other creatives with various areas of expertise, and a handful of highly talented, veteran Steemians we call Stewards. The upvotes from @sndbox and its trail enabled me to build up 6000 Steem Power by the end of 2018. When my SP reached 10,000 in summer of 2019 when Steem was ranging between $18 to $20, and I have built some consistency in both my stock and cryptocurrency trading, plus the other passive type of investments my wife was managing from home; I handed out my golden corporate handcuff. My wife and I elected to live by a farm when our daughters went to the University. We still document our activities to-date on Steemit, we host meet ups every now and again, and are always on the lookout for brilliant creatives we can support - the way we were both supported when we were just starting.
We both wanted a less complex life out of the corporate world when we reach our mid-forties. Before getting to Steemit, we were already doing quite a few things towards that end. I do have to say that Steemit contributed a hell lot to making it possible. There was another possible scenario - Steemit could have failed, Steem and Steem Dollar could have stayed undervalued or devalued altogether, but even if that happened we would have still learned a few skills that would sustain our family's economy for a long time. We are both glad we avoided the tempting short-term rewards, and went long. We delayed our gratification, and can now practically live by the interest.
Please note that this is a fiction story and should in no way be taken as an investment advice. I am not a financial expert and am not qualified to give such advice.
I am advocating powering up based on my opinion built upon my own experience in Steemit. Here are some other post I wrote on the subject:
What I Bought with My Steemit Earnings
2017 Steemit Personal Year End Review #1: Statistical
Steemit Business Intelligence: Reputation, Posting Activity, & Steem Power Correlation
💵 STEEM is a Currency of LOVE ❤
A Steemit Short Story: "In This For The Short-Term"
Credits
Cover Photo Background - Pixabay
Donna Paulsen No GIF
Guy Taking Notes Image - Pixabay
Question Marks - Pixabay
Magnifying Glass - Pixabay
Sndbox Cohort Schedule - @sndbox
Closed Fist - Pixabay
Farm House
