Never Give Up On Your Steemit: Giving Up is Too Easy, Trying is Hard!
Background Image Credit: elizabethlacy.wordpress.com
Giving up is too easy! The hard thing is to put in a bit of effort to achieve your goals. Frustrations and challenges are part of our development in all phases of our lives. It is up to you to prove to YOURSELF that you are capable of sticking your head up and pushing through the struggles and the pain and come through the other end a stronger person.
Did I forget to wish you all a Merry Christmas…
Before we go any further, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas holiday like I did. Four days in the rurals without a decent internet connection ensured that I evaded the online community and joined the humans down on earth.
I can’t complain though.
Those were the best four days of internet detox that I have ever had except for that one day I mixed too many types of meals and I was confined to the toilet for a good 30 minutes.
It was definitely worth it!
I am now back to the capital, Nairobi. Back to the grind and back on Steemit. I love it here.
Let’s get back into it – The Steemit Dip!
What is ‘The Dip’?
Most of us who started out on Steemit with nothing in investments have probably experienced this or are still experiencing this.
The Dip is hostile. It is painful. It is brutal. It is that prolonged period of time where you are earning almost nothing or nothing at all right after you were claiming some good rewards on your posts.
This is probably the only thing most of us on Steemit have in common.
The Dip hits hard especially for someone who joins Steemit and only sees it as a place to make money fast.
Unfortunately, the highest number of people that join Steemit fall in this category and therefore, that means that most wallets that are created are normally left dormant when they eventually say,”F*** it!” They pull the plug and run off to put all their money on Bitcoin.
Coincidentally, this is also a major advantage. A simple illustration would be Bitcoin and what happened in the so-called ‘crash’.
The price pushed up so far up and was visibly straddled on fragile stilts. When the price experienced a bit of a jolt those stilts broke as fickle trades pulled out their money. [I don't blame them] Most were looking for a quick profit in the hype leaving most of the speculators who got in when the price was high with a devalued investment.
The Dip, in this case, acts like a sieve. Those who do not really believe in the Steem dream and what we can achieve with such an amazing blockchain will quickly fall off on the wayside while those who believe and are strong-willed will push through this low and earn the rewards that lie ahead.
A Case Study of My Own Experience
Introductory post
What attracted me to Steemit was the opportunity to make money. I was part of that school of thought. The massive amounts on most of the posts I saw assured me that I would never have to work very hard again. Never!
Ridiculous, right?
When I made my introductory post that is when reality hit me. I made about a dollar and even less once I claimed the rewards after the seven days. Nevertheless, I did not give up. I thought that I could do better.
Quite discouraging earning nothing.
The next posts after that literally earned ZERO! It was so frustrating. I thought speaking about what was happening in my country would appeal to most people but the truth is nobody could really relate. Probably more like, nobody was really interested in the politics in my country and I don't blame them.
Most people do not even know what is happening in their own country so why should they be bothered with what happens in mine?
Genuinely trying to raise some money for a good cause. Ended up using money from some freelance work I did here on Steemit.
People want to be able to relate to what you post.
This is something I figured out much later after I had taken a bit of a hiatus away from Steemit.
I was looking for a way I could make more money online and I figured that Steemit could not offer me that, at least at the moment.
It was around this time that I decided to get back and try my luck again. I had just watched a video by @JerryBanfield and I felt convinced that I was letting go of a very good opportunity.
Started seeing some growth. Interacting with people in the community and providing value has been the key for me
My thinking changed completely and I starting viewing Steemit as a community. An investment in something that could change lives all over the world in the USA, Europe and especially in Africa.
It became a learning environment for me that has helped expand not only the way I think but has also challenged me to explore further into programming and building applications on the Steem Blockchain by collaborating and learning from my betters like I am doing right now.
My Challenge to You! What is your Steemit goal?
Yes! You definitely want to make money and you probably need that money.
However, if the Steemit community implodes in the near future [God forbid] what value will you have drawn from it?
Can you confidently say that you have expanded your horizons? Have you learned something new? Have you acquired a new skill?
Money does not last forever! You know that. Knowledge, however, lasts forever!
Think about it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and I hope you pulled some value from it.
Support Community Curation Project @boosterke for Steemit Kenya with an SP delegation, Steem or SBD.
"My thinking changed completely and I starting viewing Steemit as a community." <-- I'm not there, but, I need to be. While some extra money would be nice, the sharing, growing and learning is much more of a benefit. Thanks for challenging me to take inventory of my goals and purpose in being a part of Steemit. Upvoted and followed, in hopes of more opportunities for reflection and growth.
You are definitely on the right path. Take a moment to explore Steemit and try and see what other people are doing.
Always seek to add value to the community. I am also not quite there yet but I am sticking with it and because I know what lies ahead. The money will always come.
Thank you for your kind words and I wish you all the best on Steemit.
Only trying to make money is never the right way. It is important to enjoy what you do. Meet new people and talk abouth things you love. This way you will earn something just for being who you are.
There's still hope people, let's keep steeming.
It is great to see that you have started posting. Keep at it.
Wow, this post was actually what I need right now, I have been posting since but the highest I I eanred is less than 0.3$ after my introduceyourself post.
Pls can you help coach me up a little. I would appreciate to learn from you. Nice post, it was really inspiring
My advice would be write relatable content. Style your articles well for an easy read and also engage with the community in the comments and also on Discord servers. Basically make friends with people whose work you enjoy. You are bound to be recognized and receive upvotes.
Keep working on it and don't give up.
you know i read the article and its lovely and so good and i wann read it again .. felling motivated
I am happy you took some value from this post. Keep at it.
Thank you @deniskj for promoting this post together with https://steemit.com/budget/@jerrybanfield/introducing-steem-budget-proposals
Great message! I have had moments of self doubt and the thoughts oh "is this really worth it". And then I come across a gem and think "yes, this is why I am here!" Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
I can see why you would think that. Most of us feel the same way. It is up to you to better yourself, dig in and make it through to the other end. Other peoples success is proof that it is possible. Thank you for your kind words.
This is what we were talking about in the meetup. Thanks for this. In as much as people want to earn money, I think we are also getting the value of community, knowledge etc. For me, one of my goals for 2017 was to improve my writing. By showing up and writing a +500 word post every day, I am sharpening my writing skills. Even when all else fails, I know that that is the value I have from this platform. And also the great community. I know the future is bright for all of us! Cheers.