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YEWWWW!

A rather late and almost complete do-over of my original introduction post!

When I started my steemit venture 7 months ago I had little idea it would become a routine and almost daily part of my life. I have never had instagram, twitter, or any other social media outputs apart from facebook, and thats mainly to stay in contact with the legends I have been fortunate to meet on my travels through Australia and New Zealand. So when steemit came across my path in life, its almost ironic that I had so much draw and attraction to it. After the tip off from @headlessjess about a site where you would get paid in cryptocurrency for your writing material, I joined steemit and the youareyourowngod wordpress blog became obsolete. Its been what feels like a short journey since then, yet so much has happened.

As you can see from my first introduction post I set out a few ideas of what I had planned to bring to the steemit community through my posts. However the universe had slightly different plans and I've found myself taking alternative steps in new positive challenges. This isn't to say you won't be seeing anything from the fuckit list or Alan Watts quote's in the near future.

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A REintroduction!

It occurred to me as I flicked through some of my early posts that my introduction wasn't really, well, very introductory?

If you've been to the UK and visited my hometown of Crewe (aka Crewe York City) you will probably understand why I decided to move my life over to Australia. The english life just wasn't doing it for me, so I decided to set off on a plane and fly to the other side of the world in search of adventure.

That was 7 yeas ago. In that time there's been multiple road trips, surf expeditions, shark encounters and secret island's to name a few activities. The majority being ocean related - a huge contrast to my upbringing in a landlocked city. There was a two and a half year stint in Gisborne, NZ which was also standout, and in fact I'll be back there soon to begin yet another road trip (more on that later)! However in total, the bulk time of my travelling has been spent in Margaret River down in the beautiful south west of Australia, so it's no surprise that I find myself residing back here again for the fourth time - It's like a second home :)

As time's change, so do my passion's. Last year I put a break on surfing in order to focus on my football (soccer) coaching and playing for Avoca FC, on the Central Coast of NSW. I took up yoga full time and wrapped my soul up in meditation to later have an incredibly awakening experience. From this I gained the extra push I didn't really know I needed to put questions to myself and my life and start looking at things from a different perspective, in a very positive way. This is partly why I chose the username @youareyourowngod. There's a good chance you will see a few articles on philosophy, spirituality and motivation from me.

In October the surfing dry spell came to an end when I went on a two month surf trip to Indonesia, and after moving back to Margs, football has taken a backseat (for now). My passion for surfing and the ocean has been reignited more than before. I'm back doing waterman training and since starting wave photography last year have managed to capture some beautiful photo's in nature's biggest swimming pool.

It was only in November that I turned 28, and these last 12 months have been life changing for me. Isn't it a wonderful coincidence that steemit just happens to fall into that timeframe? :)

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Thing's to look out for on this blog

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Wave photography and #Shorebreaksessions

The ocean is an incredible sight. Its a playing field with very little rules. There's an energy that can heal the deepest of wound's, yet at the same time blindside and remind you just how powerless you can be against mother nature. I love everything about it, and this is one of the main reasons I enjoy ocean and wave photography so much.

The #shorebreaksessions series started last year, but is still young in only its 5th part. Originally it was a way for me to consistently showcase my photo's, but a month or so back I opened it up to the steemit masses as a way for those into ocean photography to share and promote their content with myself and each other. So far there have only been a couple of photographer's using the tag, but I'm sure there are a few more out there.

Over the next few weeks I will be introducing a weekly contest for those interested in waves. This is firstly to keep the STOKE alive when we're not in or around the water, but my long term goal is to create a wave based army community of photographer's and inspire other's to get involved!

International CryptoTrip (Crypto funded road trip)

Road trip's are awesome. Crypto is life changing. So why not combine the two and make it an awesome life changing event?!

As mentioned earlier, I'l be heading to New Zealand in the next few months to buy a van and do yet another roadie. This time things are different. The stake's are higher. My intention is set. I have challenged myself to do a continuous road trip living only off what I make on Steemit. In essence, this puts the power in your hands. You become part of the trip. If I fail to make $20 one week theres a chance I'll be sneaking into someones back garden to borrow their homegrown vegetables. On the flip side, with a high reward you could be sending me down to the south island to jump off a cliff (hopefully with a bungee rope attached). Ultimately, it will be up to you legends, regardless I have full faith in the Steemit community :)

Gain control by letting go.
Alan Watts

The second objective will be to promote steem as I travel the island's, and within 2 months aim to inspire 100 people (1.66 per day average) to sign up to steemit! For marketing purposes I am looking to purchase a GIANT STEEM logo to stick on the side of my van (similar to the van below I had 6 years ago):

If anyone can help with that please let me know.

Of course all that happens on the adventure will be posted here. My final intention is to harness the power of Dtube and work on a few vlogs, although I do still very much prefer and enjoy writing so expect some of that too.

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My standout post so far, current projects, recognition and Team OZ

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Put the whip away

https://steemit.com/life/@youareyourowngod/my-response-to-recent-awareness-in-suicide-and-depression

Ironically the post with no payout is the one that stands out most to me. When I've looked back on this post I've been reminded of the things I wrote and been taken back by how easy it is to sometimes forget my own ideologies.

Hey Legend,
just incase you forgot.
Im here to remind you,
just how truly special and unique
You really are.
Look up, into the night sky.
See the universe and galaxies above.
Now try to understand,
You are literally made from the same stuff as the stars.
This is how powerful and beautiful you are,
And always will be.
You are your own God.

:)

Current project: Shadowbot

@shadowbot is a KILLER project! The brainchild of @bigdeej, it is ultimately a reward pool aimed at rewarding posts fairly based on STEEM POWER invested in your wallet and your shadow rank, which is constantly recalculated based on your:

• STEEM reinvestment
• STEEM POWER (regular boosts for minnows < 500sp)
• Rank increase just coz its Christmas ❤
• Overall rewards on quality content you have authored
• Minnow booster Sundays increases payouts for those under < 500sp

If you're looking for consistent rewards on your content i would suggest looking into shadowbot. There is a constant battle to help fight spam, so anyone looking to abuse the system will likely be caught and put on the blacklist.

Find out more about the project here: https://shadowbot.us/shadowbot/faq.php or follow @shadowbot for current updates. I will also be writing a more in depth post on it soon!

Keep an eye out for

@curie - A whale curator and I think part of the Minnow Support Project searching for undervalued content and handing out some solid upvotes. Has an incredible habit of popping up just when you think your content is going unnoticed and you're on the verge of giving up. Doing an amazing and somewhat important job.

#TeamAustralia

Now, I wouldn't say I'm now an Aussie through and through, but I feel I've drank enough almond milk flat whites and use the term yeahnah enough in my daily vocabulary to at least be considered for joining #teamaustralia.

Like @curie, they are already doing a great job with content curation and are gaining members and support at an incredible rate. Also I've only spent a little time in the discord channel and they seem like pretty all round legends. I feel I can safely go to the Perth meetup without being mugged and dumped outside Rockingham railway station.

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Finally...

A huge thanks to all the steemit community for the continued support, inspiration and general epic community vibes! YEWW!

Some people say time is the most valuable thing a person has, and I can honestly say I didn't anticipate the amount of time I have spent reading AMAZING posts from other people about all sorts of incredible adventures and creativeness on top of the time I began to put in to sharing my experiences and thoughts in my own posts.

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Thanks for reading Legends! I wish you all a safe, peaceful and healthy week!

~ @youareyourowngod