This is how Steem has impacted my life

In December of 2017, my brother told me about this place where you can write and earn. He said the name of the place is "steemit' and that the content I usually post on Facebook and unsuccessful blogs could actually earn me something. I had my doubts but there was really nothing to lose; I introduced myself and started a journey that has impacted my life in so many ways.

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My initial motivation was money and in the early days of my Steem adventure, I got to taste a lot of it. This was way back when Steem value was high and dust votes could cover all my necessities. Things are a lot different these days with the low value but Steem is still paying lots of my bills and helps me pay for the basics like the internet, the odd lunch and after a couple months of accumulation, I bought a new Tecno Camon 12 through my earnings here.

Earning on Steem through blogging and content creation is a combination of many factors that include engaging others, participating in contests and most importantly, constant improvement. Through my interaction with members of this platform, I have learned and developed a basic knowledge in the use of HTML, CSS and markdown text editing. This has gone a long way in improving the presentation of my content.

Presentation is important but it would be beautiful garbage without undergoing quality research on any topic and a proper writeup that flows. During my time on Steem, I adapted a system of writing that enables me to present my opinions in a simple and easily assimilated form. This has seeped into my personal life and whether it is an assignment, book review or project, I apply this acquired ability that was borne out of my time on this platform.

It's impossible to talk about Steem blockchain without talking about the cryptocurrency itself. Everything I know about investment, blockchain and cryptocurrencies was as a result of contact with this platform. After I made my first crypto-fiat exchange and then realised the undoubted potential cryptocurrencies hold, I delved deeper to see what else I could uncover.

My interest in digital means of investment and earning was further facilitated by Steem based platforms like cateredcontent and oracle-d that outsourced wrting and content creation tasks related to numerous blockchain and cryptocurrency projects. I learned about platforms like trade.io, binance, ethlend, decentraland and numerous others that leverage blockchain technology to varying extents. I invested in a few of them and if the odds work in my favour, they'll amount to something.

Participating in contests and activities in Steem, particularly those related to writing Dapp reviews also created a portfolio for me. Those projects I worked on that are immutably stored on the blockchain became a platform I used to get freelance jobs that have helped lighten my financial burden. In that period, I have ghostwritten for a few clients and learned how to alter my writing style to suit any narrative presented by a client.

Steem is a decentralised platform and what makes the upvotes, resteems and matter is the people. It is a diverse system filled with people from all sorts of demographics moving towards a common cause. Interacting with all these people has been a blessing and in the period, I've developed a connection with people like @trumpman, @penderis, @mistakili, @pangoli, and a few others. What is intriguing is the fact that despite being from different parts of the world, all these people seem so similar.

Steem has had a big influence on my life and impacted me in all these ways and there's definitely more to come.. There are lots of circles and niches that I am yet to explore, and I look forward to exploring all of them.