6 months ago today I sold some STEEM for the first time and found a BTC exchange centre in Ubud where I sold the BTC for IDR, the local currency here.
I was surprised to find this exchange centre no more than 15 mins drive from my home in central Bali and even more pleasantly surprised when the exchange happened quickly and without any problems at all.
Two years prior to this moment I set myself the goal of finding a way to travel the world forever which did not take me away from my family.
At the time I believed the answer to be YouTube and the monetisation of my films. But how wrong I was!
After meeting an amazing developer here in the jungles of Bali I learned about Steemit for the first time and immediately felt as if this was for me.
I focused all my attention upon learning how this platform worked and pushed myself to NEVER GIVE UP regardless of the value of Steem, posting & reading every day without fail, always speaking from my heart with the intention of helping others.
Below you can see the final film I posted on my YouTube channel which documents the day everything changed... because since then I have not wasted my time with YouTube at all.
Here are the sites I look at in the film:
To avoid the 3% charge and retain your anonymity use LocalBitcoins to find your nearest person willing to buy Bitcoin in exchange for cash. Or visa versa!
What is my Steemit system?
I have always been drawn towards documenting my life and Steemit has become a kind of diary, bank & therapist for me!
My articles are a clear reflection of that which I am thinking about TODAY and to attempt a breakdown of categories for you now would be futile.
So I give you my last week:
6 days ago I saw Steem under $1 and encouraged everyone to buy buy buy!
5 days ago I wrote about the mutation of caterpillars after witnessing chemtrails overhead
4 days ago I wrote about the life of my father, Harry Stonehill on his 100th birthday
3 days ago I wrote about the weirdest looking cats on earth, the Sphynx.
2 days ago I wrote about the importance of creating authentic gifts for your loved ones which don't harm the environment.
Yesterday I wrote about understanding our partner's life goals & non violent communication.
EVERY DAY I post the words of Abraham (using the dailyquotes tag) because they resonate with me deeply have helped me use the Law of Attraction in my life... so it is my intention now to share this magical skill with others.
(Abraham is the name given to a non-physical collective consciousness which speaks through a woman called Esther Hicks.)
What else has helped me achieve my goal?
Steemit is a SOCIAL platform and as such we must do our best to interact with people. I am consistently reminding my Steemit students here in Bali to respond to their comments and take time out every day to read the work of others. I have learned so much this way and become friends with so many wonderful people, some of whom support me consistently now, and for this for family and I are eternally grateful 🙏🏻
The platform rewards those who seek to help others and it has been my great pleasure to give a 2 hour live presentation to a group of crypto enthusiasts at Bali's first Steemit Meetup a few months ago and do my best to help a great many more onto the platform with a collection of free video tutorials and a Steem Masters training system. See the trailer for this initiative below:
Look for people with the same ideals as you
Check the hot & trending feeds to see if anything resonates with you and do specific searches using tag words which you feel connected with.
How to do this?
Simple. If you are looking at conspiracy for example, just enter the following url addresses:
fo ACTIVE - https://steemit.com/active/conspiracy
for TRENDING - https://steemit.com/trending/conspiracy
Take the time to read & interact, building your network of like-minded people, always supporting them when you can.
It may not be instant but in time you will find your team if you are consistent with your efforts.
In Conclusion
To say that I have been living on STEEM for 6 months is not 100% accurate as I have invested my Steem into mining and many different alt coins which are all making me a little extra on the side.
PLEASE NOTE: This is not as difficult as it may sound! Remember that I knew almost nothing about crypto a year ago.
I would like to thank all those who have supported me here on Steemit. My promise to you all is that I will never stop producing quality content written from my heart, and I will never stop telling people about steemit... and if they are interested, I will always do my best to help them.
This is what my old Facebook page looks like today, in case anyone is confused about where I have gone!
The effect of helping more and more people onto the platform is naturally only going to lead to an increase in the value of Steem. So, I suggest you all get out there and do the same!
I leave you now with a few images from that magical moment six months ago when for the first time in my life I scanned a QR code with my ipad and a few moments later was handed a lovely big bundle of money ;)
This is so awesome to hear - living on nothing but steem, your passion, something that you can do freely and from anywhere in the world, and still support your family with it! That's what steemit is all about!
Keep it up!
Well said!
Hi Sirwinchester! Great to see you here under one of my posts :)
Thanks very much for your support and I feel truly blessed to have discovered Steemit at this time in my life :)
Hope this post has inspired a few people!
Hey I just wanted to say that's a really nice post - Steemit as my bank, diary and therapist - cool quote!
I like the way this post links the general (develop a genuine attitude, which you need to 'succeed on Steemit) and the specific - use the searches and find like minded people
And interestingly the advice you give is pretty much what I've just realized about how to make Steemit work and hence why I found you - looking for like minded people.
And I honestly never heard of local BTC exchanges either... you've given me something to research.
Seriously, one of the best, densest, interesting posts I've read on here. Wish I could give you more than a 002 cent upvote!
P.S. what I like about your posts is that you seem somehow calmer and less frenetic than pretty much everyone else I've looked at with a 70+ reputation. Keep it real!
Awesome to meet you here! I am touched by your words and encouraged by them too :)
I have noticed that many of the higher rep numbers people seem to focus on detailed news articles and this seems to work very well for them. Check out @teamsteem who is really an awesome guy.
My system as you observed is much more specific to me and the way I live my life now. And that's okay! Even if it doesn't always reward me as much as I would like it to ;)
I believe if we are not enjoying the writing process there is something wrong.
Feel free to PM me on steemit.chat if you feel as if you have produced a quality article and would like a resteem.
Hi thanks for the encouragement! I'm pretty reliant on @curie for any serious revenue at the moment, but know that won't last, so thanks for the tips - I may catch you in the chat sometime...
Can't beat those wads of SE Asian money! I'm in Thailand and always have to change cash for visa related travel to the surrounding countries. Sometimes I feel like I need a body guard with all the bills. I have a secret agent vest to carry it all :)
I am just at the point of wanting to try to convert some sbd to thb. I feel overwhelmed with the idea. I came to steemit for the Alexa ranking to get my content to rank. I was planning to ignore the crypto side of it - I was so innocent when I got here!!!
If you can get your cash in Bali - I can get mine in Bangkok. Thank you for the inspiration. I upvoted, resteemed, and tweeted. I hope more people will be motivated by your story too! Enjoy your paradise.
Thanks very much for the message here!
In response to your words I would say that it only feels daunting the first time. And yes, I'm sure BK must have a BTC exchange centre... or people near you (found through localbitcoins.com) willing to sell cash for BTC.
Great work with the secret agent vest! We also have one ;)
Hey, if you're still in BK in Nov... we will see you there!
We will be hiring a car there and driving to Chiang Mai to revisit the place we first met :)
Aw! how romantic! I'm planning to still be here until April 2018 and then I don't know :) I would love to get together if we can work it out.
I'm just excited to have money to even take out of a social media account at all! I've been in this crazy world pushing my natural weight loss message for about 7 years now and steemit is by far the most lucrative site right out of the gate. I have a lot of balls in the air and steemit makes it look like I might be able to drop some of them now.
Sorry to say that I was not aware of your core message till now. And I will have a look immediately. Having lost a bunch of weight myself through 100% natural methods I resonate with this deeply. Did you catch my explainer on these methods a few days ago?
https://steemit.com/health/@samstonehill/how-did-i-get-ripped-without-exercising
Let's keep in touch and hopefully will see you soon!
I did read that post and you and I are on the same wavelength for much of it except that I am eating paleo for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Organ meat, bone broth, gelatin, and that type of thing. I have a lot of pain, inflammation, and joint deformity and this diet seems to work the best for me.
I wish I could be in bare feet! Lucky you! I know how much difference that makes from times I have been able to do it. My feet are about the worst of all my various troubles. I can barely get around in Bangkok with shoes on.
I'm on the 7th floor here and I wish I was grounded. I do gaze at my lovely sunsets at least.
I hope we can meetup. I just recently found the thai tag and apparently that's where the thais are - not the thailand tag (tourists! lol). I think this city should be able to support a good get together if we can find each other.
Stay safe over there and keep posting about your volcano - very interesting to the rest of us.
This is great @samstonehill what a wonderful thing steemit as given you and the opportunity for many of us, I cant wait to get some more power behind me.
Thanks for the support my friend! I can't deny that the amount of Steem Power behind me is gradually being reduced but the amount in the trading account is looking much more healthy after six months in the markets.
And at some point I will have to sell a bunch of the alt coins I invested in to pump it back into my Steemit account!
You look happy, healthy and your helping Steemit succeed while be rewarded/compensated for it!
Perfect!
Thanks for your support here! I am feeling happier than ever these days. It has been a goal of mine for the last few months to improve my overall health and confidence... and to create empowering relationships with all those whose lives I touch. And this all seems to feed back into increased happiness ;)
FYI - You also look very happy & healthy in all the awesome images I've seen of you! Perfection personified :)
So great to hear brother!
I feel the same way and am grateful to share such profound truth with you!
Thanks for the love and the support bro. May life continue to get better and better!
SteemON!
I love this post Sam. The steemit community needs to really grow fast, so people from all over the world can see the potential and make money doing something they love doing :)
Thanks very much for the comment. Yes, I agree people need to see Steemit working.
I was lucky to have made a bunch of Steem when the price rocketed from $0.07 to $2.30, at which point I sold a few thousand and put most of it into trading & mining. These are things that seem to run well alongside Steemit posting.
Thanks very much for some good advice. It seems along road to get there, but once I am will certainly invest in trading on other cryptocurrencies :)
The road is not so long. This time a year ago I knew almost nothing about Steemit and crypto.
Steemit is a great source of information to help us move forward quickly in these areas.
Thanks Sam. I am now following you. I find you very inspirational and gives me the lift to carry on as would love to have the freedom you have... Look forward to seeing more post from you :)
Hey Sam :) nice to hear! The heart knows best ;) beautiful post!
Thanks bro! Hope all is great with you :)
Awesome! Please make sure there is room for me in Bali someday. Keep living the dream.
Any member of Steemit is now a member of our family... so you are welcome to join us any time!
Though we will be moving to Thailand in Nov ;)
"To say that I have been living on STEEM for 6 months is not 100% accurate as I have invested my Steem into mining and many different alt coins which are all making me a little extra on the side."
😕
This is really not as complicated as you may imagine. Bear in mind that I didn't even know what Bitcoin was in August last year.
Trust me. You will pick it up fast :)
Thanks.
You have had better luck than me with it. I lost with gox, BFX and hard big with hashocean. hashocean investments- today would totally pay for me to meet you in thailand. I have many instances of losses.. Now shellshock is my biggest enemy.
Please do tell of experiences with mining as I am very interested..
Very inspirational! Thank you @samstonehill!
Am pleased you found it inspirational. Steem on!
;)
@halcyondaze yarden post led me to yours... I have read portions of the books by Esther and her husband. I have yet to finish one.
I enjoyed this post! I look forward to more @samstonehill.
I am also not much good at finishing books! Doesn't matter... as long as we get the main message.
Many thanks for the comment and hope you enjoy following me ;)
Steem definitely has possibilities for liberating people and allowing them to lead the life they want to live - that's what so exciting about it, that you can travel, write what you want, enjoy life, and share it with others for money.
It has been a complete liberation for me. I am a film maker and I love what I do, so that part of my life will never stop. But now I get to choose the jobs based on my feeling about them, rather than the price tag attached ;)
We need to get this story out to more and more people so they could see the value that steam has and how it can help great content creators have a supplemental income or enhance their life
Absolutely! I hope lots of people see this. Wish i had more time today to properly post promote it!
"supplemental income"? ...it's my only income! :D
That's really cool Sam, followed you and upvoted. I love the idea that people in countries that don't have the opportunity to get a good income can find other ways. Many cyber currencies say that they are designed to help people in Africa, Asia etc, but the networks seem to be more focused on making a lot of money for a small number of people.
You know it. Steemit is the only platform I have come across which really is helping the lives of the poor all over the world. I have seen it here in Bali with my own eyes. Teenagers earning more in their first few days on Steemit than their parents earn in a month.
Wow I do have a lot to share and cannot wait to begin having these niches developed, hammered out via my thirst for steem expression. First I actually need the patience to upload to somewhere.. to post a good prof. pic.
Thats an amazing story, I book marked this so I could read it again when I get discouraged here. Ive only been here a short time and it's Posts like this that keep me coming back. Thanks for sharing this with the community @samstonehill.
It is my pleasure to share my experience honestly and I feel truly blessed to have discovered Steemit when I did.
You absolutely must keep coming back here. It is my firm belief that the value of Steem is still low and in time it will rise... a lot! At which point you will know why you have been tucking it away as Steem Power for so long ;)
thanks for your post. Persons like you inspire me.
Good to know. Thanks for sharing :)
Wow, you are a true inspiration. This is a fantastic Steemit success story. Thank you for turning your fortunate experiences into a gift we can all share, through your courses. I'm looking into them now.
Thank you my friend. Appreciate the comment. And hope that many more will find my story inspiring ;)
wow thats an amazing post. especially the part with the exchange in UBUD. Im in crypto since a few month now but didn't know that theres I places where you can change bitcoin into fiat. As im in Canggu for the next two month im thinking of giving it a try just see how it works, cause this is amazing. Thanks for that post.
There is another one closer to you in Canggu! I believe it is in Seminyak. You will have to check it out, but for sure you don't need to come all the way to Ubud ;)
cool, thanks. so that one should be on localbitcoins.com as well? first I need the price to go up again a little bit. ;)
haha! Yes, the price is a little low right now. And having just checked the site it seems you may have to come to Ubud if you wish to use the exchange centre. The one in the south only does fiat to crypto. But on localbitcoins.com you will almost definitely be able to find someone local to you willing to buy BTC for fiat.
thanks for the info, couldn't find it either. but as said, I better wait a few weeks till it goes up again. if it does?! :)
wishing you guys much more success as I do for all of us.. it is our time to shine and be one family.. great post I enjoyed reading it and agree with you the value will go up over time.
Thanks so much for reading & commenting ;)
Wuao excellent thanks for sharing your experience .. it definitely changes your life I only have two months in this great platform and I really love it !! Just publishing from the heart and helping each other is the main idea ... Having new friends and getting to know other cultures has become fascinating ... Congratulations and to multiply the sales of Steem !! Greetings from Venezuela .. I follow you we are reading = D
Hello there! Great to hear you are also loving Steemit from Venezuela. The international community is growing so fast. It's amazing to see :)
All the best to you!
Hi .. Thank you, my friend !! That's how we are becoming more Venezuelans joining in this great platform .. I hope we will be more and more worldwide .. Blessings and success!
Sam you should do a post on how you got so ripped and sexy down there in Bali!
~ Kevin
Haha! I'm not big on labels but this seems to cover it pretty well...
I spin a fire staff, I don't wear shoes, I am a vegan and I look at the sun every morning. Ever since I began these practices my body has changed dramatically.
your tutorials are great.very informative plain and simple.
Thanks for saying so. I wish I had time to do some more!
What an excellent story! I'm so happy for you!
I'm also happy to be here, myself. Today marks my 14th day here. I also gave up on the massive energy parasite, known as YouTube.
Cheers to better times and a much more supportive environment for all to thrive in!
Absolutely! Here's to better times and liberation for all :)
Happy 2 week anniversary!
Salud!
And thank you! I feel like my mind has expanded quite a bit in the short time I've been here. Looking forward to mucho more!
I found foreigners living in Bali are thriving via YouTube and Steemit, and yet my own Balinese and Indonesian friends in general, none of them really interested in trying to make some $ on Steemit nor YouTube, what a shame 😅
I have seen the same thing. Change is tricky one for many and old routines are tough to break. But when they see their kids making more money than them, perhaps they will address their income system!
Bravo! Love this post - Truly inspirational, but at the same time makes me very jelly ;) One day...
The road is not so long if you focus on a simple goal. One year ago I knew almost nothing about Steemit & crypto. Yet here I am living on it today ;)
Nice! Quick question if you don't mind :) Has your facebook/other social media presence helped bring in many of your FB friends onto steemit, and if so, did that happen 'naturally' through linking your steemit posts to facebook, or somehow else?
Quick answer.... no. My old following didn't follow. But new (and much more open minded!) friends have quickly been found here :)
Cheers :) That's exactly what I'm finding :/ Mention crypto, blockchain etc and the shutters come down. Oh well - their loss coz Steemit rocks ;)
That is an awesome Post @samstonehill Steemit is growing very well , subscribed to your Youtube channel , keep it up and Thumbs Up!
I appreciate the comment and YouTube sub, but I rarely post there any more. DTube & DSound are the future ;)
Much love for this wonderful post. Glad to see you finding solutions so far out there on an island. All the best to you and your beautiful family.
Thanks very much. It has been an amazing journey to this place I stand. And the road before me looks even more amazing ;)
@originalworks
The @OriginalWorks bot has determined this post by @samstonehill to be original material and upvoted it!
To call @OriginalWorks, simply reply to any post with @originalworks or !originalworks in your message!
To nominate this post for the daily RESTEEM contest, upvote this comment! The user with the most upvotes on their @OriginalWorks comment will win!
For more information, Click Here!
Lovely jubly! Muchas gracias ;)
Thanks! Good to know humans are involved ;)
Isn't it great to know they're still there, somewhere between all the bots :-)
Wow great adventure!
Thanks ;)
Awesome, my friend, awesome! :)
Thanks bro! It's a great life hey ;)