What STEEM Means to Me After 18 Months

This morning I came across @thatsweeneyguy’s post STEEM means a lot to ME after 10 months, what does STEEM mean to you? in which he talks about what STEEM has come to mean to him. He included a challenge to others to posts about what it means to them. So, here is my take on it.

My Early Days

I joined in August 2016 when STEEM had taken off to almost $5 in that early rush of enthusiasm. Then it started to drift downward, down to as low as 7cents. Yes, that low.

Took me a couple of weeks to decide to take a chance and start posting on the site. My early results were mixed. I hit it good on one post and then the rest were a lot less on rewards. I kept going though.

Just before finding STEEM I had made a personal decision to finally pursue writing in a more serious way. The ability to make even small amounts while working on improving my writing was attractive to me.

In those days, the only place to network and try to get to know people was through the comments and in steemit.chat. The discords hadn’t even appeared as an option. I felt like I was labouring alone but I explored and picked up some tips here and there.

Along Came Discord

The more I explored the more I found myself looking forward to my time spent on the platform. When the discords came along, they opened up a whole new world of Steeming. And, it was great.

Communities, real communities of people, were coming together to share common interests on the platform. I found @thewritersblock where I the members support each other in improving their writing and form a sense of family. I also found others supportive groups in @thealliance, @thesteemengine and @teamcanada in the PAL server.

And Then Pimp Your Post Thursday

As part of the curation niche I had developed with my posts The Steemit Ramble, I opened a discord server. From there developed what has become a very popular Pimp Your Post Thursdays. This has allowed me to give back to the community along with some small delegations I have made to various projects.

The Financial Difference

For many years I have lived on disability and widow’s pension. I had tried some other fields of work but between my own marginal interest and my disability issues interfering, I never gained any traction.

Those few dollars on a post was more traction, consistent traction, than I’d seen in a very long time. That old saying “take care of the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves” took on great meaning as gradually my account grew.

Anyone who has lived on fixed income learns pretty quickly, there is no margin for error or emergency. There just isn’t enough dollars. When prices rise faster than income, there isn’t enough dollars to meet needs either.

In the last several months I’ve done one power down a month. With the price of STEEM having improved, that one power down gives me just a bit of cushion to get through the month with needs met. I currently have access to enough funds that for the first time in many many years, I have access to an emergency fund should it be needed.

When my house froze on New Years day due to a power failure, I was able to call the electrician and plumber to do what was needed to get me back up and running knowing I could pay the bill. What a great relief and peace of mind.

In Short, What STEEM Means to Me.

Being able to work in the safety and security of my home, I can enjoy peace of mind and take pride in earning my own way. I can look forward to being able to build toward my later years. Most importantly, I can say what I have wanted to say all my life, “I work as a writer.”

That is what STEEM means to me.

whatsteemmeanstome

Until Next Time — Just Steem on

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