_{Yes, double finger guns are in order. It is, after all, my Steemiversary.}

Join me in celebrating my one year anniversary by taking a trip down memory lane.

If you would tell me a year ago that I would still be a minnow after a year, I'd laugh at your face and tell you to leave the premises with your tail behind your legs. I was filled with hope, fully expecting that after a year I would be raking in an average of at least $100 per post and would be sitting comfortably near 70 rep. Well, okay, a year ago there wasn't a reputation system that was easily visible yet (God, I feel old), but yeah, you get my point. I had a plan, and I fully mapped out strategies on how to achieve it. "Locked in" wouldn't even do what I felt justice.

Now, if you would tell me 10 or so months ago that I would still be active in Steemit, I would call you crazy right before I leave the premises. Tail flitting in the wind, but still leaving the premises. I got burnt out and fully quit Steemit. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was ranting left and right near the end, and I was just so fed up with current climate then that I just up and left.

Right before that though, I wrote an introduction post as a last ditch effort to change my mind. As we know, introduceyourself posts have a way of attracting votes and interaction, so I figured if I could prove to myself that Steemit was worth my time, then I would stick around. During my first month, I already achieved my highest-earning post of all time (the record still holds to this very day), thanks in large part to @dantheman's massive vote, so I felt like I've already accomplished a lot. But, all my other posts had dismal performances, so I was still largely disappointed. Sadly, my birthday/introduction post made only $0.27. So, I left.

As you may have already surmised, based from the title and what I've written so far, this isn't a celebratory post at all. But, that's where you're wrong. If you're interested to find out why, then read on.

I joined Steemit a year ago after seeing a couple of posts my former employer @lukestokes made while marketing the platform. Since I trusted Luke's word when it comes to technological innovation, I read the whitepaper then decided to register. My mistake was that when I did register, I didn't tell him about it. In retrospect, I could've gotten a head start that wasn't afforded to people who started from scratch. If you could talk to my 2016 self, would you mind telling him about this? That would be awesome! Thanks!

I forgot why exactly I kept my identity hidden, but I commented on his posts without him knowing it was me—the Jed he knew. Maybe I tried to make a name for myself? I don't quite remember. Whatever foolish reasons they were, that was the first regret I wish I could take back. Eventually, I did tell him who I was, but that was when I was on my way out the door. I didn't know it then, but that crucial act would go on to dictate the direction of the next year of my life.

We had a long conversation about everything that happened. Out of the goodness of his heart, Luke set me straight and inadvertently managed to change my mind. I say it that way because I had nothing more to offer him, but he still took the time out of his busy schedule to converse with a former employee. That's the kind of guy Luke Stokes is, and I'm forever grateful for him taking a chance on me, not once, but twice. He went on to become a prominent member of the Steemit community, and have even setup a witness account, lukestokes.mhth, who I implore you to vote for.

I came back, the prodigal son that I am, and gave Steemit another shot. That story attracted the attention of Steemit award-winning novelist @ezzy, which in turn opened up the doors to meeting the ever-vibrant @dreemit. I became an active commenter once again, and managed to publish a couple of fiction stories, including my Steemit-exclusive novel, A Day in the Clouds. As much as I want to list all of my Steemit friends, you can check out the roll call of people you need to follow by clicking on this link.

I've had more than 600 votes for one post, more than 90 comments for another, and, for a time, I even averaged more than $30 per post. I found success in joining contests and I've made a bit of a profit by trading cryptocurrencies. Even though I was delayed by 3 or so months, I still managed to carry out my original plan, to some extent.

After all of that, you might ask, why the hell am I still a minnow!? Registering for an account in Steemit already makes someone automatically a minnow. If I carried out my original plan successfully, then why am I not raking in the dough? Where are the banners exalting my magnificence? How the hell is this a milestone post when I haven't achieved anything noteworthy??

HOLD YOUR HORSES AND LET ME TRY TO EXPLAIN!

_{Image Source}

What I achieved is more than what earnings, votes, number of followers or reputation scores could ever measure. It goes beyond all of that, and yet is arguably far greater than all of them combined. I gained perspective, and that's what I want everyone, especially newbies, to gain as well. An edge so that they could get ahead, so to speak, by learning from my cautionary tale.

 
 

 
 

'Member when I told you Luke set me straight, well that conversation was centered around one central topic: expectations. Yes, that expectation. The root of all my negative emotions, and what I believe is the root of all of yours as well. We feel bad about something because we expected a certain outcome, but was presented with a different reality. Sure, we can console ourselves after by indulging in a wide variety of distractions. But, the fact of the matter is, we were still hurt or disappointed by our expectations not being met. It's alright to admit it. You're human, and your reaction is normal.

You work hard writing your post, spending hours just to make it close to perfect as you can. Given the effort you put into it, you expect a huge number of votes to flow in, but no one knows you, so you comment on other people's posts to get noticed. You make sure to comment on whales' posts trying to get their attention, crafting thoughtful comments so you could stand out. For sure, they would return the favor and leave a comment on your post as well. By now you had already spent hours scouring Steemit for users to vote on your comments, and by your count, you should be well on your way to a hundred buck haul. You call it a day, deciding to just celebrate in the morning. Come sun up, you couldn't contain your excitement, so you rush over to your laptop, fully ready to answer a hundred comments to your well-thought out post. You load Steemit, and then you find that you only earned $0.64, 10 votes and 2 comments.

It hurts, I know. Trust me, I've been there. You then ask why do other posts earn hundreds of dollars with only a few pictures and some choice words. Browsing further, you see a post eerily similar to yours earning close to a thousand dollars, with a comments section so bustling doctors declared it legally alive. Go on, clench your fist and grit your teeth. How could the world be so unfair? What more could you have done? Why do their posts earn more than yours when it looks exactly the same? Well, don't ask me, I'm just a minnow like you. If I knew the secret to their success, then I would be a dolphin, or even a baby whale right now, like most of the other people that started the same time I did.

Breathe deep.

Calm your mind.

When you're ready to listen, the lesson will be right in front of you. (Well, in this case, it will be there after you scroll down a bit. Go on, scroll down.)

 

 

You don't know what they've been through, or what they had to do to get to where they are. Heck, you don't even know if they worked harder than you! Sure, some are just lucky, and whatever they post turns to gold. Good for them. But, these are the cards you are dealt, so the best thing you can do is to control what you can. Bitching and ranting won't do you any good. It would even turn off many users. Trust me, I've tried and succeeded on that front. _{Yay, me}

Don't get disenfranchised and just upload meager posts. You're better than that. I mean, I don't know you personally, but I believe that you're better than lackluster entries. Stick to your guns, work your way up the ladder and eventually you'll get to where you want to go. This isn't a race. You're in a marathon, up against no one else but yourself.

You might still be saying, "You did all of that, but look where it's gotten you!"

 
When you're at the point where I am, you wouldn't even care about titles like minnows, or dolphins, or whales. For the past 6 months, I've been donating all of my novel's earnings to my nephew, who's suspected as having Autism. I could've easily become a dolphin had I pocketed everything, but I didn't. Also, I don't post as often as I should. I mean, I could, but I don't want to post for the sake of posting. There's nothing wrong with that, you could if you wanted to, but that simply isn't my style. I post whenever I feel like I've written something worth posting. Not that I expect that it would garner a hundred votes and comments, but because I wanted to post it.

 
 

 
 
 

Moving forward, I plan to churn out more fiction stories, to comment on more amazing posts and to support more spectacular Steemians. With a single-minded focus to succeed, I will make it up the ladder and get to where I want to go. After all, I control my destiny. Furthermore, I make sure to leave thoughtful comments every time, so if you want me to vote and comment on your posts, don't DM or comment a link to it. You know what to do.

I hope you took away some valuable lessons about my experience. Don't wait until you're suffering through burnout before you realize that I was right. For the purpose of discussion, let's just say that I'm right, okay?

So, this is me

A one-year old minnow in a sea of dolphins and whales. And, I'm fine with it :D

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Oh by the way, before I forget! This was actually my 100th post here, so feel free to crack open that champagne bottle! Also, bonus points if you could guess the inspiration for the title of this post :D