Successes and failures 2018 - A look back through the year is easy with my favorite blockchain!
This article was motivated by the Blocktrades contest – these sorts of incentivized ‘homework assignments’ are a pleasureable challenge to complete – even with a full life of other tasks to get done. A look back at the lessons learned, the accomplishments achieved as well as things left undone.
I personally try not to view failures negatively, instead I try to fail forward, learning the lessons of each and adding to my sense and knowledge. Rarely, though, do I blog about my failures, preferring to put a positive spin on my blogs.
![Ecological Travels 2018.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/ecoinstant/cAWtw2cD-Ecological20Travels202018.jpg)
Looking at it from the realm of sustainability, we see successes and failures in all three aspects, social, economic and ecological.
In 2018 we become something like ‘migrant workers’, and we were able to live, help, work and study in 3 different places throughout the Americas. We successfully visited a lot of different family and friends from Wisconsin, to Florida, to Colombia, and were generally able to help them all in different measure.
![Wisconsin outside work.png](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/ecoinstant/OnpBWgiQ-Wisconsin20outside20work.png)
One of our biggest failures, after successfully agreeing to work with @c0ff33a by sending coffee to him to produce a Steem Roast, was our inability to actually ship the coffee. The nation has declared coffee a national patrimony under the jurisdiction of The Coffee Federation, and has made it very difficult to export coffee, even charging very high tariffs for unroasted coffee shipped outside the country.
We are working on ways to turn this failure into a success, learning all that we can about exporting and the Coffee Federation’s requirments. We will work hard to bring you all a Steem Roast in 2019!
![unsendable coffee.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/ecoinstant/r8amhSvQ-unsendable20coffee.jpg)
We also, though there has been some progress recently, have also failed to bring coffeesource.net back to life. Currently I am using a version of the web app locally, and have been working to get it updated and posted on its brand new domain name! We will be posting about this tool more in the coming months – this is another very high goal for 2019.
In terms of economics, we are still looking for sustainability by advancing our skills, working smart and hard, as well as investing in future projects. At the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, steem seemed poised to take care of much of our financial needs. While 2018 has seen us successfully accumulate more Steem Power than ever before, achieving Dolphin Status officially, we also look to 2019 as a year to continue seeking financial stability.
Subtropical Florida Hugelkultur!
In all things, success and failure come hand in hand, and we must learn from them both in order to continue plotting our course through this journey called life. We play our part and try to do our best, continuing to prioritize and operate according to our values – serving the Lord, becoming sustainable stewards, leaving everything better than we found it – including society and the planet Earth itself.
Prospero Año to all!
☕🦈
Failure is not a failure if you learn from it and move on. You can be successful in something because you know from the previous failure that what works and what not. Thank you for sharing this!
Wish you good health and success in 2019, @ecoinstant!
Life is always full of ups and downs, it's how we take on the challenges and overcome them that defines us. I'm sure 2019 will be a better year.
#thealliance #witness
You're attitude is very admirable! Working so hard and not even being able to ship the coffee would really get on my nerves. Glad you're using the experience to learn more and find a way through it. :)
Sometimes I get down - but what good does that do! I have to convince my self to get back up and keep on learning and doing! Thank you so much for leaving me this comment, it encourages me even further :)
Awww man! Making coffee a "national patrimony"? I wonder what the idea was behind that. It sounds all lofty, and stuff... but if it's to the disadvantage of coffee growers like you, what good is it? I'm so sorry to hear, but I admire your preserverence, and wish you all the best for 2019. Congrats on the dolphin status, now all we need is for the steem price come up, which is just a matter of time.
Yes, I think the federation is trying to do its best for the 'average' grower, which is why I have published limited information on our travails - I am waiting until I have the full picture, and hopefully some objectivity, to do a proper write up about it. Hopefully this includes full solutions - long term we may have to open an export company.
Steem will transform in that process - the good news is we will be the ones transforming it!
Sounds like a busy year. The whole coffee fiasco was interesting to learn about. I didn't know that there was a coffee federation. Hopefully you are eventually able to produce that STEEM coffee! Great message at the end. It's all about learning :)
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Dear @ecoinstant
Thank you for sharing with us some of your failures and success stories.
Your "coffee business" only proves how fragile and unstable everything can be. Our life income can be easily terminated with few additional regulations, which can kill many small businesses just to promote few.
Congratz. How much SP is needed to be considered Dolhpin?
Cheers,
Piotr
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i just saw your introductory video for link777. i like your perspective on social/economic/ecological sustainability :) most people would just refer to business.
governments are a pain in the ass. in my country, you can't sell lemonade infront of your home without going through some 'federation' or bribing officials. in the long term i hope to see crypto change all of that.. we'll see.