Belief is the magic key that unlocks your dreams. - Orrin Woodward (American author)

Believing in something is always the very first step to success.

In about a month I'll be celebrating my second anniversary on the Steem blockchain, and as always when milestones come closer, you tend to look back and recap the journey with all its ups and downs.

Those of you who've been here since the very beginning will know what I mean when I say that it's been quite a ride. We've been surfing the high and the low tide, and learned that if you don't paddle out on the rainy days then you actually don't deserve to be out there on the glassy ones.

What I can tell you is that - no matter how many times I got barrelled - I've never been more attached to Steem than I am today.

And that's why I'd like to do the next logical step and officially become a Steem Ambassador.

@surfermarly believing in Steem

Why I want to become a Steem Ambassador

I've been following the activities around the #promo-steem movement for a while now.

During the closing dinner at Steemfest², you were sitting right in front of me, Matt @starkerz. The fact that you were wearing a surf t-shirt definitely called my attention, but besides that it was our following conversation which has been kept in my mind since then.

You explained to me that your mission - under the umbrella of #promo-steem - was to add value to Steem through promotion. You told me that no matter how efficient your curation strategy was - the most effective way of increasing your own return on investment was spending your time on helping Steem to grow.

We didn't talk very long, but you already got me after a short while.

Now the time has come that I want to become part of your project.

The passion thing

Everybody who has been following my activities on Steem for a while knows that I'm one of these 'all-in or nothing at all' persons.

I've been all-in on Steem for almost two years now.

There have been few days since the 24th of July 2016 without loggin in to Steem and engaging with the community. I've been submitting almost 12,000 posts to the Steem blockchain so far, which is an average of ~16 posts per day. My reputation is at 72.5 and more than 9,000 accounts are following my daily activities now.

But these are just numbers.

I can credibly assert that Steem has changed my life in many ways.

What started as an experiment has now become an essential part of my existence.

Uncountable amazing people have crossed my path during these two years, and luckily I've met a lot of them in person already. Your stories, knowledge, sense of humor and passion have had a considerable impact on my own journey - whether you're aware of it or not, you've have shaped it.

It's been the mutual inspiration which has always fascinated me most.

No matter where you come from, no matter where you're going, Steem is a common denominator that automatically connects people from all backgrounds, cultures and belief systems.

Steem is a global connector!

I opened up my presentation at Steemfest² with the question if Steem was able to change the world and concluded my speech with the affirmation: YES, Steem is able to make a difference!

@surfermarly presenting her Steem based charity project @dreamsoftheocean

Give and take

Ned Scott's presentation at the very first Steemfest in Amsterdam lit a certain fire for Steem inside myself which has never been extinct since then.

@ned described the Steem eco-system as a self-sustaining circle, where those who contribute value to the system are rewarded for it in return. I loved the idea of a network that finally was able to give something back to those who create and share value on the internet.

It is what is newly described as 'the internet of value'.

While social networks that are part of centralized systems belong to the internet as it was invented twenty years ago, decentralized applications - dApps - such as Steemit.com are part of a futurable form of the internet.

Thanks to blockchain technology and tokenized environments built on these blockchains, the internet won't ever be the same again. Our lives won't ever be the same again.

@surfermarly's vlog on dlive.io

If I had the chance to become a Steem Ambassador, I'd like to further promote the idea of the 'internet of value'.

I'd like to build a bridge between Steem and the real world that surrounds me, helping to get more people in touch with cryptocurrencies in general and Steem/Steemit in particular.

Actually this is what I've been doing already during the past two years - yet, I haven't been focussing on the local aspect so far. A recent meeting with the creators of @steemitcanarias (the two brothers @kilianparadies and @cauac) has openend my eyes for the potential we have here on the islands.

While we were very few when I joined Steem back in July 2016, the Spanish Steem community on Canary Islands has been growing very fast during the past months.

Vamos!!

@surfermarly with the two brothers @kilianparadies and @cauac on their Mini Meet-up in Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Canary Islands)

The grass is (not) greener on the other side of the fence

I'd like to be completely honest with you since I firmly believe that accountability is one of the most important assets of a Steem Ambassador.

As I mentioned in the very beginning of my application, the past two years have been quite a wild ride. I guess any of the 'old dogs' here would affirm that right away. There's been drama and there's been tears.

Yet, I believe that a healthy relationship is never static and perfection doesn't exist. We go through ups and downs, success and failure, cheer and frustration, love and anger. That's what progress is all about.

What makes it become a real and long lasting relationship is the fact that we're never torn apart, no matter what.

The fact that I get emotional on Steem from time to time proves that I care. It furthermore guarantees you that I'm not a bot after all :-)

My principle: WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get)

There's no difference between the @surfermarly you know from the internet and the one you may run into in the real world.

I'm passionate about the things I love, stand up for what I believe in, enjoy to engage, interact with and help others. If you can't reach me online, then I'm probably trying to catch some waves. The Ocean enables me to balance the big highs and deep downs of life. It helps me to focus.

Authenticity, loyalty and trust are the core values that matter to me and which are the basis of any deeper relationship I enter.

An ambassador is a representative. Hence, the role of a @steem-ambassador implies responsibility, accountability, best practice and role modeling as a representer of Steem, including the above mentioned values.

I'm pretty aware of the challenge and would love to face it :-)

Thanks to everybody who's been supporting me on this journey so far, thanks for your time and appreciation, your loyalty and trust. I hope I can give back twice as much :-)

Yours,
Marly -

PS: For further information on the Steem Ambassador program please follow @steem-ambassador, check the #promo-steem tag and visit https://promo-steem.com founded by @starkerz and @stephenkendal and implemented by @anarchotech.

Thanks for your valuable time!
This blog was launched at the end of July 2016
aiming to provide stories for open-minded
people who enjoy living on the edge of their lives,
stepping out of comfort zones, going on adventure,
doing extreme sports and embracing the new.
Welcome to the too-much-energy-blog!

We create the future we wanna live in.

Original content. Quotes found on quotefancy: (1), (2).