As I continue the process of climbing out of my latest "Steemit Nervous Breakdown" I have been pleasantly surprised by the positive change in perspective and direction which this recent crisis has begun leading me. After all, the best part of nervous breakdowns is the process of coming back together into a form which is different - and more resilient - to the one you were in before falling apart. I like to use the analogy of making glass. The glassmaker has to heat the glass JUST ENOUGH for its structure to break down in order to be able to then shape the material from something LESS complex and aesthetically appealing into a more refined, visually appealing - and often functional - final product. The process of producing a masterpiece of glass requires that the fundamental material is warped and broken down repeatedly, through the fire, in order to finally be transformed into something of beauty. So it is with our lives - both on and off of Steemit.

The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts

As we continue pushing through the "fire of transformation" - one nervous breakdown at a time - on Steemit, we eventually begin to realize that Steemit is ultimately a symphony. It is a collection of individual players using their unique instruments of skills, talents and life experiences to contribute their individual sounds, or posts, into the grander whole - the perpetual, flowing masterpiece of collective content which is Steemit. Steemit itself is a living organism of information and creative transmission, constantly moving in waves which resonate through the multitude of individual players who function, simultaneously, as producers and consumers. That creative output is constantly being refined and relayed through the continuous feedback loop of curation and production.

Let The Music Take You Away

The process of coming to this realization proceeds in stages. One of the FIRST realizations you come to is the simple fact that there is just TOO MUCH content out there for you, alone, to EVER possibly consume. The good thing, though, is that you DON'T HAVE to! Do you eat ALL of the food at a buffet? I would hope not. But if you do then you have MORE SERIOUS problems than succeeding on Steemit. The second major realization you will have is that there is an INFINITE amount of content which YOU can personally PRODUCE on Steemit. So the logical deduction which arises from these two basic realizations is that you can ONLY create or produce SOME of the content on Steemit. That is, you are merely an individual PARTICIPANT in the grander whole - a "player" in the Steemit "orchestra". With this seemingly simple, yet profound, realization you can begin approaching Steemit in a more manageable, and enjoyable, way. You are no longer "David" striving to conquer the Steemit "Goliath". You are, instead, the cello, emanating your individual melody as it melds into the grander harmony which manifests outwardly through the string section, and then further along through the orchestra as a whole. That is, you play your part, and the rest comes together naturally.

Once we begin to view ourselves as an important PART of the greater Steemit WHOLE we can begin to find a better balance of listening (curating) to the other players, and playing (producing and contributing) our own individual part. We start to improve our listening skills, and by more refined listening we are then able to embellish the contributions of our fellow players. In this way, the quality of the symphony grows more refined over time, as all parts evolve and mingle, and we begin to regain our sense of being a vital human player in this grand, tragic-comic SYMPHONY called "life".

Today's Dreaded Homework Task

Step #1 : Read ONE post from FIVE different Steemians whose regular content you find most interesting and valuable. As you read their content think about how YOU - as the CONSUMER of their content - can process the COMBINED information these five people have transmitted in their posts into a form of your own post content which EMBELLISHES and harmonizes with this collective content.

Step #2 : Write down ONE or TWO comments which arise from your consumption and processing of the FIVE posts in Step #1. Try to focus in as much as possible on adding your most UNIQUE and SPECIFIC enhancement to the collection of posts.

Step #3 : Publish your comment on one or more of the five posts in Step #1 - of course, adding a personal touch to the comment in each individual comment.

For example, if you read five posts on "ways to effectively use hashtags on Steemit" use all of the ideas in the five posts to then add YOUR OWN unique idea. In this way, you are commenting as a "player" contributing your "part" to the larger collective "composition" of content.

Feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, etc. in the comments

Full Steem Ahead...

@transcript-junky