Gratitude Gifts to Steemians in Nigeria - Appreciation and Generosity at its peak
Steemit has become a big part of my life for 3 years now, and I've made a family from Steemit, virtually and physically. You may be surprised as to why I choose to make this post, as it may not be necessary, but I have questions unanswered.
- Why did I choose to gift some Steemians and not gift others?
- Was doing the gratitude gift to promote yourself or to draw undue attention?
- What were my motives for doing the gratitude gift on a national meetup day?
- Did I give to receive back or just give out of free mind?
Some may actually have had these questions in mind when they saw all these. Nevertheless, I'm here to give answers to them all. I'm not saying these questions are what people asked me. I just feel some people may have thought of these questions.
My writing this post in this community is to appreciate all Steemians in Nigeria, the ones I gifted, and to keep Venezuelans in suspense as one big Steemit family. Before answering the questions, I'd love to say a few words. Steemit has always been a place I derive my creativity from, and through the mentorship, discipline, and encouragement of some users, I've grown to attain heights on Steemit.
So my achievements on Steemit are basically backed by myself and users on the platform. So I decided to appreciate all those that were a big part of my journey. These ones were there when I fell and rose up. They encouraged me when I thought of giving up. They mentored me not just in content but also in responsibility.
So I thought of appreciating them in the little way I could, at least to show that I still remember and value all they've done for me. It's not that everyone on Steemit hasn't been supportive. It's just that a few have been part of my journey and are still a big part.
Just as every participant in a contest can't be a winner, these few users were worth showing gratitude for. So I decided to surprise them in our first national meetup last month. Now to my questions?
Why did I choose to gift some Steemians and not others? |
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Some Nigerian Steemians may have expected their names as the mystery box was brought forward during the Meetup Day but didn't get to hear their names. If it were within my power to reward everyone, I would have done so.
As the aim implies, it was a presentation of gratitude gifts to Steemians who formed the basis of my Steemit background; that's why I chose to be selective and gave a few numbers. These gifted Steemians include:
my mentors
mentees
workmates on Steemit
a few friends; etc.
Was doing the gratitude gift to promote myself or to draw undue attention? |
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My gifting these Steemians wasn't to draw undue attention to myself or to praise myself for doing this generous act. I did what I did to show my gratitude to those who moulded me to become the content writer that I am now. Most people today show little or less gratitude to the people that were behind their success when they are successful in life.
They feel they have arrived and are now at the peak of making others successful, forgetting those that were in the forefront. I'm not like that. If not for the mentorship of my mentors, I would have left Steemit a long time ago.
If not for the support and encouragement of my mentees, I wouldn't have been consistent on this platform to attain the height I have. If not for my workmates, I wouldn't have known what shouldering responsibilities virtually is and working without favouritism is...
As much as I may have been praised somehow, that wasn't motive. I was acknowledging and showing appreciation in the little way I could by buying a gift for them and making it a surprise that day. It has always been my custom to prank Steemians during a meetup, but I just had to switch turns.
This explains questions 3 and 4. So which Steemian did I gift and why? I'll start with my mentor. You all should meet my mentor, @ngoenyi. I think she should receive the best mentor award in Nigeria because the majority were brought in on Steemit and trained by her; even 3 country reps knew Steemit and were mentored by her.
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I'll give her the accolades for introducing Steemit to us. If she kept this platform to herself or thought of the stress that accompanied mentorship, I doubt we would be on Steemit. This is one of the reasons I choose to give her a perfect portrait gift to be my mentor. Without her, I wouldn't have gotten this far. I use this opportunity to thank her again for her patience, encouragement, support, and kindness shown towards me.
She has been a mother, a mentor, and a friend. She deserves even more. This portrait may seem little, but it's the best gift I could ever think of to remind her of how she has been a leader. My gratitude will always go to her and to God for keeping her alive to be a mentor.
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The next person I surprised was @xkool24.. He may seem to be silent on the platform, but his doings aren't silent. His works have extended far from being an admin. As a leader and more, he has thought leadership and responsibility with patience and love. I am a moderator and newbie coordinator in his community. These responsibilities shouldered isn't easy at times. There are some days my network won't be friendly enough to complete reviews, or I'll forget to submit a contest post. He'll kindly call my attention to it and advise me on certain areas.
Time and again, I'll get on his nerves because of not being able to shoulder some responsibilities, but he was rather patient with me and encouraged me. He saw my weakness and rendered help other than just rendering me incapable. There's the motivation that comes with working under someone for the first time.
When you repeatedly don't get something right and all your boss does is call you Block head, incapable, not responsible, etc, you feel discouraged and may lose interest in the skill you're learning even though you're just physically present. The way he treated me in my dark times made me respond to discipline and take my responsibility seriously.
I would have just taken down the responsibility but still strived with his motivation. That's why I said he taught me leadership and responsibility. A leader understands those whom he's leading and tries as much as possible to feel what they feel, giving them the motivation and encouragement to do more. He never expected this from me, though. It was more like a surprise prank to him.
To my mother, @steemnurse01, she's the reason why there's @bossj23. From the video above, I saw how happy she was receiving the gift I kept as a surprise for her. She has been my greatest motivation to continue writing on Steemit. She taught me how to balance my academics with Steemit and other physical activities.
She's the reason why I keep living. She's my world, and this saying that we should make our mama proud is about her and for her. I don't want to count the number of times she has rendered care, provided for me, and fed me because no one would stand. Her greatest happiness is seeing me do what I'm doing with humility. I had to give her a Cartier piece of jewellery as one of my gifts of appreciation for the love and support.
Words would fail me if I gave details of who I gifted and why. I'll just acknowledge a few by their usernames. @whizzbro4eva, @benton3, @imohmitch, @ruthjoe, @okere-blessing, @goodybest and many more. I won't fail to acknowledge the artist @tempestinyang
In conclusion, gratitude is the best gesture you can ever show to someone who was or is part of your success in life. You may at one point in your life grow past the person who mentored or taught you a skill or work. Your success over that person's isn't a guarantee that you can ride him or her because of the level you've attained or probably forget all those times the person mentored you.
Recognising them doesn't mean you're still under them or they are your bosses. It shows you remember and are grateful for what they did for you, which is the reason you're standing out today. It may not be in the form of gifts as I did. Just a gratitude message or meeting with them in person can go a long way.
There's more happiness in giving than there is in receiving. As one big family, Venezuelans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indonesians, and other countries not mentioned form this cycle, and I can't wait for that time when all Steemians globally would meet up at a particular location. Aside from Nigerians, Steemians from other countries have formed the basis of my journey on Steemit.
Venezuelans, are you ready for @bossj23's pranks/surprises? Anticipate next year. Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia follow suit.
Thank you for the surprise gift. You are truly generous
One of my best gifts for the year. Thank ypu, so much.
Truly, it was a surprise gift a d I couldn't hide the excitement when I received it
Thanks a million
Your post has answered all the questions I had in mind. I want to let you know that I'm so grateful for working with you.
May your generosity continue to pave way for you.
Thanks for choosing me as your artist.
I'm still speechless, your show of love is incredible and I pray God replenish your pockets. Thanks once again.
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MODs Comment/Recommendation:
Wow you have given gifts to great people my friend, I recognize they are very worthy of gifts. Very interesting writing, keep up the spirit and may your days always be blessed and enjoyable.
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আপনার পোস্টটি সত্যিই অনুপ্রেরণাদায়ক। কৃতজ্ঞতার এমন প্রকাশ আমাদের মনে করিয়ে দেয় যে, জীবনে সাফল্যের পেছনে অনেক মানুষের অবদান থাকে, যা আমরা প্রায়শই ভুলে যাই। আপনার এই উদাহরণ আমাদেরকেও কৃতজ্ঞ হতে শেখায় এবং আমাদের চারপাশের মানুষদের মূল্যায়ন করতে উদ্বুদ্ধ করে। আপনার এই উদ্যোগে আমি মুগ্ধ এবং ভবিষ্যতেও এমন ভালো কাজের প্রত্যাশা করছি। শুভকামনা রইলো.
You did really well sir. Gifting and expressing gratitude goes a long way to melt the heart and put a smile of people's face. It's good to see that you're not limiting your generosity to your country. All the best.