Damn it... lost my first comment. anyway...
Yes, I powered down at the beginning so I could start trading. I can't remember how much but it was between 500 and 1000 Steem I think. I traded pretty successfully for a while. The end of 2017 I got some support and then the over-inflated SBD price allowed me to power up (sorry inflation rate!!)
2018 looks pretty steady which is a testament to my view, price doesn't matter for earning Steem and then oct/nov I sold EOS (not a great price but good enough comparatively) for Steem and powered it up.
I have been pushing just as hard no matter the price as I am here to earn Steem, not fiat. One day I might sell some to use but hopefully there will be a growing set of use cases that mean I don't have to ever convert it. If the price is right, I'd happily live off curation :D
That is something to be proud of. During the rise in price of steem you did good as far as growth / earning goes. That is a direct result of consistency.
lol @ inflation rate :)
With some fiat coming in, the focus on just earning STEEM is easier, but I think the best plan of attack.
Living off curation (or delegations), that is the Steem dream :)