Yesterday marked my first full year of very active adoption and engagement on the Steemit. I'm self-employed after quitting my job at a global bank 3+ years ago, and have been completely self-sufficient by grinding it out by my own means ever since.
Crypto has been a life changer for me as an investment to continue to hold, but Steemit has helped me see and experience global adoption every day. I've gotten many friends and family on the site, but they haven't seen the potential as I see it just yet.
It hasn't been an easy ride trying to start niches that aren't overly popular yet, i.e., thrifting, upcycling, a daily global fitness challenge I ran for 160+ days with 55 Steemians involved for 580,000+ exercise reps tracked/done by the team, platform improvement ideas, and plenty of drum performance videos for open mic and entertainment. In every case, I can say that I've genuinely tried the best I know how. I only stopped the fitness challenge because of a family situation I'll explain below. The motivation to help others is always there.
All of my Steem Power has been earned and I haven't used any form of bot since Minnowbooster 11 months ago when my account was worth zilch. It was a deal I made with myself early on to embrace the true spirit of the platform. I'm always voting manually and upvote nearly every genuine comment I get.
I joined Steemit a few days after my Dad essentially unfairly disowned me before dying of brain cancer, so it's been an immense help to get me through a very difficult time. A lot of people on Steemit helped me when I started opening up about it. Here's one emotional post I wrote on why Steemit was so important to me then. @idikuci from COM was so moved, I believe that he spent ~100 SBD of his own money to promote it. The comments and reactions I received showed me that the power of Steemit was for real. To continue leaning on the platform for help, I then started writing inspirational posts by his bedside towards the end, knowing it'd keep me sane then.
When I thought I was out of the woods, my Mom was directly crushed in her face/chest by a falling tree during a tornado WHILE driving full speed, and has been in hospitals and rehab centers since mid May. A month later, I found out that the only pet I've ever raised (my comfort animal I suppose) had cancer, and I had to put him down 3 days later. After that, there were major issues with my brother who hasn't handled all of the family challenges so well, which has kept us all worried.
Steemit has helped me immensely with the latter by making daily punchline jokes from the hospitals or during these rough months to find something to smile about. It's been a ton of responsibility supporting her. The comedy community (and comedy open mic - been a judge several times) has evolved into a great support group, and my sweet spot for now, but I want to do more once my Mom is home and I have my home business in full swing again. I find that sharing laughter is of great value on the platform and in peoples' lives outside of it. While Steemit hasn't exactly paid the bills, I continue to resell online for every dime I get, which I love to do, but it's a lot easier to justify travel expenses when life is in order.
In other words, I need a break, and would like to make that SteemFest this year so I can continue to learn, network, and build relationships for the long haul. I really want to meet the people I follow, interact with, and respect. Lastly, if there are going to be any Steemians playing live music, you'd also have an experienced drummer that's ready to rock.
Thanks for the beyond generous offer and taking the time to read this.
Sorry to hear about all your troubles and mishaps. And happy anniversary! You've come a long way.
Being such a fitness-oriented guy, if you haven't yet, I suggest you also check out @actifit - SMT for rewarding fitness activity on the steem blockchain
Best of luck getting that ticket :)
I appreciate your encouragement and support, Sir. Thank you for the idea.