These past few weeks have been quite tumultuous in my world. 

Trying to balance my time between earning and speculating. I say earning in the sense of covering the costs of living. Albeit relatively small in Peru, but a cost none the less. Speculating my time in the Steem blockchain hasn't paid for any of my bills...yet. I am quite certain that the day will arrive and in the not so distant future. Regardless I need to put food on the table and Steem has had to take a back seat. 

(Just like a good homemade soup, Steem has depth, layered and a wide spectrum of flavours) 

It seems that the 'core' users  are resilient during these doldrums and posting away. I might not be posting as much, but I am find myself reading way more now. I have to say there are a few nuggets out there. Each person is specializing into specific fields and sharing on Steem. This to anyone who is remotely interested and like minded.   

I have finally come to the realization, 

late I know, but that I see Steemit as my wallet. A wallet in which I can manage my SBD and Steem. I also use Steemit to network, share and educate myself. Though I know I am not bound solely to it. I have used D.live , Steepshot , esteem, but I prefer to keep things simple and stick to the pillar of the this blockchain. The pillar that is also my d.wallet.   

I also look at my accumulated 'crypto' differently to others I know, maybe it because I have only invested my time and not my hard earned cash. I see blogging on Steemit as no different to me doing so on Face. Just been doing it for around 10 years with the former and don't really have much to show for it, but hey it is in the past and the future is here. 

  
Day by day my Steem power grows and as it does, as do the options. I can earn a passive income on my Steem power via delegating or auto-voting like-minded people and projects. I think I also earn a small fraction of the rewards pool, this just for having Steem power. I am not totally sure, but I think it is the case.  

I am seeing opportunity in other platforms and projects in which I can participant in. Steemit has been a gateway for me to other projects. This being raising my awareness, educating myself and using my earned Steem to invest in such projects. I still have to convert my Steem to another crypto to invest, but the fact that I can do so easily and this without opening my “real world” wallet is sensational.   

 
Not only that, I can have actually share ownership in these digital projects. Nowadays to own an actual company paper share isn't the easiest endeavors. You are likely to be one of many owning the same piece of paper. But with the our current space, you transact for that token, receive it and then it is yours. Then add in the smart contract component, out go all the middlemen and you are in control.   

Finding the next big thing, 

well isn't that a trick we would all like to know. Personally finding Steem was like my epiphany moment for all things blockchain and beyond. I don't expect to get very many of those throughout my lifetime, but it was definitely one of them. Identifying new token/crypto based platforms with real world usage, something that could be adopted by the masses and getting in early. This is my ideal situation, but there is so much out there and it can get overwhelming.   

My current strategy is knowing every virtual platform we use today, will be replaced by a blockchain version tomorrow. This is just a matter or time, those that adapt will survive, those that don't will die. Then I look for something I would use myself, not once or twice, but constantly. A bit like Steemit, but for other applications such as search engines. An example of such I found. I have started using presearch a couple of weeks ago as it fitted my criteria. You search,you earn tokens and that is it. Super easy to sign up and use, but downside is you can't yet extract your earned tokens. I am still using it, not too worried about wallet access, because it provides the same service as other search engines and I am potentially being rewarded for it. I haven't changed my habits, just my search engine and it didn't cost a cent to do so.   
 
The intent is to invest only using what I derived online via Steemit and venture into internet 3.0.  

signing off about to bake a stack of bread,

@intrepidsurfer