I make many mistakes. Whenever I fall short, it reminds me that I am not free. Whenever I stumble, I am two steps closer to freedom because I learn from my mistakes and strive to improve. Steemit is an excellent place to learn and move closer to freedom.

One day I lay down on my back and looked at the birds flying in the sky. They looked free and unencumbered as soared in the air. I was sick and penniless. My landlord wanted her money. I had no money for medical attention. I had no job. It was one step back in my life.

I was angry and sorry for myself. But that experience changed my life. I realized that to gain freedom from my worries; I had to work hard. It drowned on me that the world owed me nothing. Even medical attention was at a fee. From then on I started working hard to dig myself out of poverty. That realization was two steps towards freedom.

Later, when I worked as a loans officer in a Bank, my MD told me that my grammar was not up to standard. I felt a cold sweat all over my body. I felt small, humiliated and miserable. However, my MD had a point.



It was one step back, but two steps towards freedom. From then on I strive to up my writing skills on a daily basis. I felt ecstatic when I completed my first book. It was a flop, but I learned how to format and upload it to Amazon. I have faith that the second one I am working on will be more successful.

I Keep Trying

I am new at Steemit and this in my first post. Let me introduce myself. I love to eat fine foods. I like to do what I want and be able to afford the best medical care for myself, my wife and two daughters. I like fast cars and bikes. They make me feel I am in control.

My name is Bob Matou and that is how am known to my friends. I love expressing my thoughts on paper. I love reading books, especially books on self-improvement. I intend to add value to Steemit and better my skills at the same time. During my childhood, I realized that although we are born free, freedom is elusive and relative.



Steemit Guidelines Smell Like Freedom

As I was reading through the Steemit website, I noticed that there are no set rules members have to follow, but only guidelines. That is great. It reminded me of the days when I worked in a sausage factory in Europe. The only written directive was: come on time, do your job and do not leave before time. The other decisions were up to the manager. Falling short of the guideline brought repercussions. It taught me how to live by principles, not rules.

Following are some examples of guidelines for participating on Steemit, based on FAQ and the Etiquette Guide by @thecryptofiend, one of the users. The Etiquette Guide gives the full list of instructions. Steemit does not enforce any of them, but they are there for your success.
• When you lose your password, you lose your account; secure your password.
• Steemit rewards high-quality content and comments.
• Once posted, you can't erase your account activities; ensure you are comfortable with the contents of your posts.
• You can post anything you want: blogs, photos, phrases, quotes, songs, anecdotes, videos, memes, and more.
• Give back to the system by taking time to curate and comment on other work, in addition to posting.
• You should limit your postings to not more than four times a day; overposting can reduce your earnings.
• Tag nudity or graphic imagery with "Not Safe For Work" (NSFW).
• Be original, avoid plagiarizing.
• Post with the right tag. Five tags are allowed per post.
• Do not ask for votes.
• Do not bribe others to vote for you.

Some of us may not live up to the above guidelines and get flagged, not intentionally, but because of human nature. It will be a step back, but if we learn from our mistakes, two steps towards freedom.