@jeffjagoe’s Year in Review

Achievements and Failures of 2017

Recently I was browsing my feed when I came across an awesome contest by @anomadsoul. For the next few weeks leading up to New Years, @anomadsoul will be holding a contest (funded by a @blocktrades STEEM Power delegation) aimed at reflecting upon the 2017 year. Until I found this contest, I had planned on making one simple ‘Year in Review’ post, but now @anomadsoul has encouraged me to break the review up into segments and really dive into the details of 2017.

2017 has been a wild year full of many unexpected surprises, both good and bad. I began the year in a fairly comfortable situation. I had a steady relationship with a sweet and beautiful woman. I had a job and a place to live. Crypto-currencies were an underground phenomenon… Now as the year comes to a close, I still have a job and a place to live… but I lost the girl and CRYPTOS ARE GOING MAINSTREAM! If that’s not enough to send you off in a whirlwind of chaos, then I don’t know what is.

Achievements

It's important to reflect upon the positive moments in your life. Reminiscing about that amazing feeling of self-gratitude you get after you achieve something can be the fuel to make you want to achieve more! Here are a few of my achievements from 2017.

Blockchain Adoption

I’m not sure if this is an achievement for me or an achievement for the world itself, but as a long-time blockchain evangelist, I am very proud of how far blockchain technologies have come in the year 2017. Entering the year, most financial institutions were skeptical of blockchain tech, now as we head into 2018 it seems like every giant in the financial sector is well aware of this major disruption to their field. I have been a proponent of blockchain technology since 2012 and I am very humbled by the advances this technology has seen in the past year. The market capitalization of all crypto-currencies recently surpassed the half-trillion dollar mark, by the end of 2018 I believe we will watch it soar well over $1 trillion. I have spent a lot of time, energy and passion trying to introduce new people to the world of crypto-currencies. Watching this ship take off is an amazing sight to see and it feels good knowing that the little things I did along the way helped play a part in developing this new economy.

Back to STEEM

I created my STEEM account in July of 2016. It was the 17,832th account created on the STEEM blockchain. Unfortunately, I did not begin posting on a steady basis until Spring of 2017. That was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I missed some serious opportunities by not being present on the STEEM blockchain from Summer 2016 until Spring 2017. That was a major time of growth, and the people who actively participated were greatly rewarded. I don’t remember what it was, perhaps I saw a price boost on coinmarketcap.com… but something made me dive head first into the world of STEEM in the spring of this year and I am very grateful for it. Since then I have made many connections with some very awesome people around the world. Every day this platform continues to amaze me with new projects and developments. I am definitely convinced it is one of the most (if not THE most) superior blockchains in existence. STEEM has amazing utility compared to many coins on the market, I truly think it has the potential to be at the top of the list. STEEM is a monumental game changer for content creators on the internet. My life has improved in many ways from using this platform, and the fattening of my wallet is only a small part of the benefits. If you be yourself, and interact with other people in the community, you will find loads of positive energy flowing. Find people that post content that interests you and make comments to start intelligent discussions. With so many awesome people from so many different backgrounds in one place, STEEM is an incubator for brilliance. I am very glad I found my way back here in 2017 and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Hit The Road

For the first time in my life, I crossed the ocean… and I did it by myself. I have always been a traveler at heart, I get a great joy from exploring new places… but before 2017 I have never traveled alone. Most of my trips were to familiar locations in the country with family or a group of close friends. After diving in to STEEM and hearing about STEEMFest 2 in Lisbon, I just had to go. Unfortunately none of my friends were interested in going and I was on my own… but it turned out to be one of the best trips of my life! I truly enjoyed the feeling of traveling on my own. It forced me to open up and talk to strangers, strangers that became friends. I believe that spending time in the world by yourself can provide you with growth as a person. I would have no problem traveling by myself in the future, in fact I look forward to the next time! Thanks @roelandp for making STEEMFest so enticing! I really look forward to the next one!

Failures

These are not as fun to talk about. When there are ups there are usually downs too. Here are a few of my failures from 2017.

Missed Some Boats

As the crypto-market continues its meteoric rise to end the year I can’t help but have bittersweet feelings. Yes I am glad it’s finally taking off and the rest of the world is waking up to it, but I had some major missed opportunities along the way. I learned about Bitcoin at the $37 mark. I was following the Ethereum project before it launched, and now this year the EOS project as well. I did not capitalize on any of those in the way I should have. The same goes for STEEM, I should have stuck around in July of 2016. The missed opportunities are haunting, but I have to try my best to shake off the past and be grateful for where I stand.

Lost the Lady

A much more personal failure, and one that is not easy to write about so I will not go into much detail. I lost a lover. She was the sweetest thing and I broke her heart. I feel like a complete failure for letting her down. I admittedly made some serious mistakes over the course of our relationship and it got to the point where she no longer wanted to hang on. It was early September when shit hit the fan and she hasn’t wanted to speak since. I honestly can’t blame her. I fucked up. She’ll always hold a special place in my heart and I hope she will be able to forgive me down the road. Until then I just need to be the best man I can be.

Just Eat It

SoOoOo I smoke A LOT of marijuana. Much more than you would ever expect. Mostly in concentrate form. Last year I received a state-issued Medical Marijuana card and it was certainly great, but it cut deep into my wallet. Legal marijuana in my area is incredibly expensive. $50 for a half gram of concentrates and the edibles are through the roof! I have been telling myself for a while that I should cut down on my smoking habits. I don’t want to stop consuming THC and CBDs altogether because I believe it has tremendous benefits, but the inhaling of the smoke/vapor is definitely not the healthiest way to go about it. I want to switch to an edible-only lifestyle supplemented by CBD-oil, but I have failed to ever implement those changes. Perhaps I will have a New Year’s resolution coming in the near future…

The Round Up

2017 has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, but I must say it was a very eventful year. Reflecting upon achievements and failures is a crucial part of the learning process and it will help you grow to become a better person. I look forward to the many adventures ahead in 2018!

Join WEEK 1 of @anomadsoul's #My2017 contest here: https://steemit.com/my2017/@anomadsoul/my-2017-contest-inviting-everyone-to-do-a-2017-recap-every-week-until-the-year-ends-100-sbd-weekly-reward

Thanks For Reading!