How Has Steem Impacted My Life: an unstructured journey
What was the impact of Steem in your life ever since you became part of the Steem family and why you would recommend it over a similar project?
This was the question @theycallmedan asked in his How Has Steem Impacted My Life initiative. Honestly, I am not even sure where to begin, but perhaps it is where it started.
In the beginning...
I will only tell this briefly as a recap, but I came onto Steem through someone who knew the financial problems my family faced, and also knew that I could write if motivated. My daughter and wife were physically struggling and I was working all I could while still caring for both of them, living in a haze on about 2 hours of broken sleep a night. We had just found out that my daughter would need a special formula due to her allergies that would not be covered by our private insurance or social services and was twice the monthly cost of our mortgage.
You know those times where you just need a break in life? After a complicated pregnancy, a disaster delivery and 6 months of incessant work day and night - life wasn't going to give us that break.
Along came Steem...
It started here with this post.
Human
And I didn't know it at the time, but I think that the sentiment of that first post is why I have found my place on Steem. For most of my life I have been searching for what makes me unique, what separates me from the person next to me as I have never been skilled, never had a party trick that was my own to differentiate me from the group - I have always been average at many things.
Which seems to be my thing.
That first post led onto another and then another and after predicting that I would post once a week, soon it became daily, then multiple times a day. And they got longer and the topics more varied. I do not read, I don't watch the news - all of my content is me, my experiences, my observations and my thoughts about this world in which we live. At one point, I commonly had over 40 posts active at a time, and I think only once in nearly four thousand main posts have I added one without words - an image.
I am a private person, a reserved person, a person who has never taken the spotlight.
I have a fear of success and we live in a world that is increasingly and perhaps always controlled by the confident, the ones who will take the proverbial bull by the horns regardless of their ability to act well, to act in the best interest of anyone other than themselves, no matter the cost. That is not me, nor will do I see it ever being me - but I have to grab a horn because if I don't and we don't, we have no right to complain about where we are in the is world, or where we end up.
Responsibility...
Despite many challenges, life has been one of largely looking after myself and from a very young age my future was in my hands - and I wasted the opportunity. Freedom reigned over by an immature is unlikely to reach potential. With no guidance, I suffered a lack of focus, couldn't find my thing and had no one there with the sensitivity to observe and support my areas of interest.
While I had overcome many things before I reached Steem, once I got running here, I couldn't stop. The potential to explore, learn and most importantly create our own world on Steem is enormous. When people struggle here, it isn't because of the payouts, the community, the UI or the UX, it is because they don't have a fucking clue who they are yet. You are not defined by anyone other than yourself - wake up and take responsibility for your shit.
The creatives...
Being on Steem made me realize how much of my life was being wasted consuming while I am a creator by trade, like every motherfucking one of us in this world. Our purpose is to create. Yes, we consume also, but past the needs of life, our consumption diet is there to support our creative mind and body and, everyone of us has an artist inside, no matter our background, education level or economic position in life - we are creators.
We talk about censorship in the world and what we fail to realize is that the largest case out there is the suppression of the free artist within each of us, hidden from the world because we believe ourselves inadequate. Instead, we have been convinced to give up on our imaginations and consume the creations of others, but make no attempt ourselves because we can't compete with the best the world an offer.
As if competition is the point of our creative imagination.
SMTs and communities are coming to Steem and with them, the possibility to rediscover who we are as creatives across a plethora of topics and niches that may be insignificant to all others in the world, but a narrow few or even perhaps, a minority of one. Us as the individual. It is funny how many think this is all about economic value - this is about taking ownership of our world and the power to not only reimagine it, but rebuild it into something that nurtures and encourages us to create, not consume. Creation takes many forms.
Control...
I do not want to control anyone, but I do want to have control over myself, my actions, my emotions, my reactions, my outcomes. Not everything can be controlled and a lot lays outside of my grasp, but I have learned a great deal more about myself on Steem through interaction and reflection through writing than I have in the walking world that gives little space for anything other than chasing survival.
Survival is no longer making ends meet, although that has to be factored in. Survival for me is now freeing the self to be the creative force and whilst doing so, help others along the way. It is incredible how many waste this opportunity laid out in front of them as they complain and moan about their immediate desires not being met. Your blog is yours on Steem in a way that it is like nowhere else on the internet - your experience through it is yours as well. You want ownership - own your own damned experience.
Community values...
Having a childhood spent largely alone meant that I looked after myself a lot and this meant that I also rarely relied on people for my existence, if I needed or wanted something, I had to find a way to get it. This meant that community for me was largely absent. But, I knew it was important to me and as a result, I was a social butterfly, never painting myself into one group, one genre, one background or perspective. Instead, I learned all I could from all I could.
Some people have wondered how I can write so much across topics and the answer is simple. I do not spend much of my time consuming engineered content, I spend my time listening to people, their stories, their challenges and the things that motivate them to act or remain passive. While we all want to be discovered for a talent we hold, we all fear being discovered for what we truly are and the internet has given people a space to drive one and hide the other. In so doing, it has segmented what was once community and turned it into the world's largest pissing contest, no matter how augmented the reality.
A life of real...
And perhaps this is where I should start to end this - AUTHENTICITY I am not the smartest cat or the sharpest tool, but Steem has provided me a space to be me unreservedly, even though my identity is known. It is a risk, it is a gamble that the future will treat what I have done immutably in the past kindly, that those who read this in the years to come will understand that all of it was written in a volatile and ever-changing world, from the eyes of simple man that changes along with it.
Steem is more than a place to shout into the void to find some semblance of relevance as a person, it is a place to have my voice heard by those who may find solace in the struggle, motivation in between the lines and solidarity with a mind and heart that is not so different to their own.
One day, I want my daughter to be able to read through this mountain of text and find herself as she connects with a father that she will have never known, because like it or not - we hide ourselves the most from our children as we do not want to be lesser in their eyes.
The risk of it all...
We talk about the risk of Steem failure, the risk that the value of the token will never raise, the risk that the competition will overtake us, the risk of development stalling, the risk of users leaving, the risk of government interaction and the risk that we are all wasting our time.
Time is never wasted doing what is loved and trying to build a better world.
If Steem hasn't impacted upon your life -
You are doing it wrong.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
![Onboarding](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://i.imgur.com/e6A1MiM.png)
I still remember the moment when, at the closing dinner in Krakow in the salt mine, you stepped up to the table in the middle row and asked if the seat next to me was still free. I said yes out of politeness, but at that moment I thought, who is this guy? After a short time it became clear that the top author of Steem is sitting next to me. It was a great honor and I will never forget this evening. Steem On :-)
the honor was all mine. Steemfest was great as it allowed me to put real people to the names that I had admired on steem for a long time. Thank you for letting me sit down :)
WOW
its amazing to read this. I imagine the real honor sitting next to him myself!
Easily the best thing I've read this year :P
Connected with me on numerous points, but this one probably takes the cake:
I know I've said it before, but aside from my greedy self, I want good things here for you and yours the most. Thanks for being here :)
Since you haven't been around much the last 13 days... I'll take it! :D
And as I have said before, if it happens for me, it happens for all of us, literally thousands of lives changed globally by Steem. I hope we don't screw it up.
I’ve been around a lot, just spying more than anything else.
Yes you have, I just like hearing the potential we have here 😬
I reckon there are many lurkers creeping at the moment.
Decentralize apps make everything more distributed... Hopefully the world can heal by this means...
the apps are going to be the funnels in, in the same way that they drive people to buy phones.
Tweet Impact
https://twitter.com/tarazkp1/status/1216474059330007040
Your freaking tweet wordplays are as entertaining as the posts XD
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Yay!
what do I do with these
I will run out of Tweet puns eventually.
A likely story.
A tweet as old as time.
See. SEE.
I just looked up when Twitter launched to see how old the tweet as old as time would be and it's the same age as my daughter x_x
wow... you are old!!! ;D
Yes, yes I am XD
and I can also feel the dagger looks and mild amusement/exasperation of my parents and the outlaws and pretty much everyone else older than me XD
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It's been a long while since I last had such a good read.
Thanks and thanks for supporting the initiative as I think it is one of those that when people take part, they will be grateful for more than they think here.
Man I'm glad we have users like you on this platform which for the most part brought, retained and rewarded the wrong kind of people. I'm certain that will change over time, though.
It really is appreciated. One of these days all of the BS of these early years will be long gone history, along with many of those who have caused it :)
Remember how I wrote a year or so ago that you will be top 10 Steemian in 5 years or less. Now you have reached the top in my mind. I know genius when I see one.
Posted using Partiko Android
Humbled by the undeserved praise :)
5 years from now this place has the potential to unearth and reward the real talents of the world, and I want to be part of that future.
Hope you are doing well, mate.
Thank you! Like you, creating every day. Something is wrong with me if I don't do anything creative in a day.
It has become part of my life process now I think and if I don't create something, it feels like my day has not been used well enough. Strange in a world that encourages avoiding work at all cost.
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'We had just found out that my daughter would need a special formula due to her allergies'
When i read those words I literally broke out in sweat. I went right back to the time when my new born son was on life support. At about three month old he was due to come home and I was told I would need to pay $500 per 500 mils of formula the hospital making in their lab to keep him alive.
!ENGAGE 10
That is crazy!
Normally in Finland it would be covered by the state, but only after 2 months of testing cheaper alternatives, something that the specialist said she didn't want to do. Our private insurance wouldn't cover it as it was classed as food, not medicine.
Is everything okay now?
Ah yes he is taller than me now : )
At the time he was in National women's , Greenlane Auckland.
I think the reason they wanted to charge me was they were trying to convince us to abort at 8 months. But me being me I felt i knew what the problem was. Turned out I was right and he is completely normal. Just an ordinary guy but better looking than most lol
Good to hear. Sometimes I wonder what impacts these very young events have on kids, but of course it is an unknown. I remember nights at the hospital (she was in the ICU for the first two weeks) thinking if she will somehow remember all the needles and tests.
Perhaps it makes for a good superhero origin story though :)
I hope my daughter won't be taller than me, but given mine and my wife's height, it isn't going to take much effort for her to tower over us...
There is one aspect in which she will probably tower over many.
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Your story made me cry I don't know why, but I think I identify myself at some point ...
Although I am professional, I still do not feel satisfaction or recognition but it is not about the economic.
Very recently I started on steemit although in parallel I write in a blog.
I think that by getting a vote or a comment you usually lift the mood and that's good
thanks for sharing
I have the sense that this is becoming more and more common. Perhaps in the past we turned a blind eye to being content by filling our world with material things - but now the emptiness of it is too obvious to turn away from.
I hope that you find peace in what you do, or at least some balance :)
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Hi @tarazkp, I've been following you for a while now, and even though I speak Spanish I take the time to translate your content.
I have been struck by the amount of content you generate, but I found the explanation when I read you, you only flow apparently without filter to express what you feel and think and that is what makes you unique.
I'm new to steemit and I've never experienced what it was like to create content, I just limited myself to facebook and getting here was something similar to your story, the need brought me to steemit, I still find it difficult to express myself with agility because I think a lot about what I'll send to the world and I'm afraid of making mistakes, hurting, and leaving nothing positive behind.
But this contest has motivated me to participate, and I will also make a post because as you mentioned if steemit has not changed your life you are doing it wrong. Greetings from Venezuela.
I wonder how many think the same and what they are actually doing is limiting the world by not adding their voice into the fray. Like anything in this world, small steps lead to the greatest of revolutions.
If we're human anyway, we're allowed to be wrong, right.
It is part of the human condition. :)
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Hello, thank you very much!
This has been an impressively inspiring post. I glad I started following you recently, you are enriching my daily reads.
I resonated with the most of the content, but this quote impacted me the most.
I learned about steem over a travel blogger. Yes, I want to do that too. However, as I spend more time on the platform. Interest has shifted quite fast. Motivation for the post rewards, into truly having a space to share ideas with are not likely to be censored. Ironically enough, I'm my first censor. Dreaming about a high quality content, and then preventing me from trying due to the high expectation.
Enlightened by your posts, I'll work on getting some content out. Through self expression I should arrive to the point where I know myself. If it happened to you that way, I should reach the same place following your footsteps.
It seems to be a common effect on the platform where people come in expecting to add and take from one area, but spiral out fast. Definitely one of the benefits here.
It is one of those just start things. Once started, it can develop very fast and expand wider.
I believe that it happens for us all this way, it is just that much of our time is spent avoiding the self-examination. I wonder if we are scared by what we will find or, scared we will find nothing of value.
Good luck and enjoy it all!
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