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When we write a post at Steemit, naturally we would hope that the post be well received and earn as much as possible. A lot of times, we also felt that the earnings of our post do not commensurate with the time and effort that we have invested to come up with the quality post. This can be very discouraging especially when we are tempted to compare our earnings with that of other posts which in our opinion may not be as good as ours but somehow managed to attract much higher earnings. Comparing earnings is a futile exercise, those who have higher earnings normally have put in a lot of hard work to build their standing, branding and reputation in this community.

I am a veteran minnow, having joined Steemit slightly more than 1 year ago. As at 26 September, the earnings for my last 7 posts have been between a low of $0.97 to a high of $9.14 with an average earning of $3.23 per post. Of course I wished that I could earn more but that is the reality that I have to accept for now. Instead of comparing my earnings with others, I have to question myself, which areas do I need to improve. If you take a look at my profile, you will see that I have been posting almost on a daily basis since the second week of September. So despite the lackluster earnings, what is it that motivates me to write daily?

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My main motivation stems from my belief that the value of my post is not determined by its earnings. Do I think that my post deserve higher earnings? Of course I do. However the validation of whether my post is good or not does not come from its earnings. A more accurate measurement of the value or worth of my post is its impact on my readers. I am a motivational blogger and my vision here is to spread positivity at Steemit one post at a time. Therefore if more users are inspired or motivated by my posts, then the more valuable my posts are.

Your next question will be “How do I gauge the impact that my post has on its readers? This impact can be gauged to some extend from the comments that readers have for my posts. These comments will reveal the response of the readers towards my posts be it positive or negative. The comments that I received for my posts are also served as a motivation for me to write daily. I am very grateful for these comments and would like to share some of them with you all.

Post: I Will Arise

I love your message and positivity!
I'm not religious but I replace God with soul or source then I agree! :)
Comments by @expressing
https://steemit.com/christianity/@positivesteem/i-will-arise-an-original-poem#@expressing/re-positivesteem-i-will-arise-an-original-poem-20170925t171907444z

I love your heartbeat for God. And I do know that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him
Comments by @edith4angelseu
https://steemit.com/christianity/@positivesteem/i-will-arise-an-original-poem#@edith4angelseu/re-positivesteem-i-will-arise-an-original-poem-20170923t170701274z

Post: For I Am A Spirit Filled Man

This is wonderful! I think it speaks about how we are attached to the world and we must release all ego and attachment to move into our spirit.
Comments by @bitdollar
https://steemit.com/christianity/@positivesteem/for-i-am-a-spirit-filled-man#@bitdollar/re-positivesteem-for-i-am-a-spirit-filled-man-20170925t152030611z

Post: God Is Love

Great poem. God is love, and love puts others first, He put our redemption before his own desire not to suffer death. Nice post
Comments by @gabrielinnocent
https://steemit.com/popcontest/@positivesteem/god-is-love-an-original-poem#@gabrielinnocent/re-positivesteem-god-is-love-an-original-poem-20170925t142943658z

Post: Positive Reflections - Getting Out Of My Comfort Zone

I am absolutely following you for you. I like your work. Inspiring, and, you have a way with words...
Comments by@arbitrarykitten
https://steemit.com/positivity/@positivesteem/positive-reflections-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone#@arbitrarykitten/re-positivesteem-re-arbitrarykitten-re-positivesteem-positive-reflections-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-20170924t060200525z

@positivesteem your post was dam motivational and really you have practiced whatever you are preaching that's makes your article more valuable...... keep steeming.
@originalworks must really upvote your post.
Comments by @sid9999
https://steemit.com/positivity/@positivesteem/positive-reflections-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone#@sid9999/re-positivesteem-positive-reflections-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-20170917t144020183z

Great advice! Stepping out of your comfort zone isn't easy, it always comes with a barrier to overcome, but it's THE way to learn new things. For me, making new connections can sometimes be out of my comfort zone, but I'm working on it...!
Comments by @fitzgibbon
https://steemit.com/positivity/@positivesteem/positive-reflections-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone#@fitzgibbon/re-positivesteem-positive-reflections-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-20170922t184257842z

The result it gives you that freedom to move on with the world. If you don`t move on with the world it will just move on without you. Leaving you to rot to inner core. I believe you sometimes got to let go of certain aspects of your past and present too. It is better to have 3 to 10 really close friends than 20,000 so-called friends or followers. A person has to keep reinventing themselves over time so you can change and adapt to new aspects of life. If people do not they become stale and boring. Throughout my life I see people become stale and out of touch with the greatness of life by living in the same place for too long or thinking about the past too much too.

What you should do is climb out of a building window. Then slide down and hold with your fingertips onto the window edge. Then countdown from 10 to zero, let go of the window edge and face your inner fears. But make sure the window drop is not higher than like 12 ft or you might hurt yourself. This is your 1st step of breaking out of that comfort zone. Doing something that other people are totally against. I never really listen to other people in to improve myself as a person. A lot of people do not like a person to be successful or better than them. They will just shoot a person down until their head is totally filled with doubt and then they become the new loser sat in the local park drinking cheap strong alcohol all day long.
Comments by @makkizakki
https://steemit.com/positivity/@positivesteem/positive-reflections-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone#@makkizakki/re-positivesteem-re-makkizakki-re-positivesteem-positive-reflections-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-20170919t144425571z

Post: I Will Not Give Up

It is a beautiful, uplifting and inspirational poem. The only thing that I can't bear to say is that my autistic son is "disabled" because I don't see him that way.
Comments by @boodles17
https://steemit.com/positivity/@positivesteem/i-will-not-give-up-a-poem-dedicated-to-all-parents-of-disabled#@boodles17/re-positivesteem-i-will-not-give-up-a-poem-dedicated-to-all-parents-of-disabled-20170923t151921663z

This is a great poem and my heart goes out to all those who take care of those who are in need.
Comments by @edje
https://steemit.com/positivity/@positivesteem/i-will-not-give-up-a-poem-dedicated-to-all-parents-of-disabled#@edje/re-positivesteem-i-will-not-give-up-a-poem-dedicated-to-all-parents-of-disabled-20170920t140004705z

the best one of poem. full of meaning
Comments by @jonas160
https://steemit.com/positivity/@positivesteem/i-will-not-give-up-a-poem-dedicated-to-all-parents-of-disabled#@jonas160/re-positivesteem-i-will-not-give-up-a-poem-dedicated-to-all-parents-of-disabled-20170920t204722002z

Indeed very touching poem. Upvoted and following u as always. Regards Nainaz
Comments by @nainaztengra
https://steemit.com/positivity/@positivesteem/i-will-not-give-up-a-poem-dedicated-to-all-parents-of-disabled#@nainaztengra/re-positivesteem-i-will-not-give-up-a-poem-dedicated-to-all-parents-of-disabled-20170920t132701961z

What i like about this post is your enthusiastic spirit of helping your disabled one, may God give you the courage to continue. and DO NOT GIVE UP. All over the world this year Jehovah's witnesses attend their convention worldwide captioned DO NOT GIVE UP, i encourage you to attend this convention it will help you to persevere. This post received an upvote from the heralds. If you would like to recieve upvotes from theheralds on all your posts, simply FOLLOW@https://steemit.com/@theheralds
Comments by @thepreacher
https://steemit.com/positivity/@positivesteem/i-will-not-give-up-a-poem-dedicated-to-all-parents-of-disabled#@thepreacher/re-positivesteem-i-will-not-give-up-a-poem-dedicated-to-all-parents-of-disabled-20170920t121206311z

Post: Positive Reflections -What Is Holding You Back From Achieving Your Dreams?

Fear of failure holds me back. In theory, I know that "failure by not even trying" is worse than "failure by at least attempting" since in the latter case you have SOME chance of success. Having said that, as a perfectionist (albeit lazy), attempting with a chance of failure just doesn't seem worth it. Anything I do, I have to work hard on to meet my own standards.

So yeah, that's my Achilles' heel. Great post, and congratulations on your 5000th post! That is quite an achievement :)
Comments by @snoozy
https://steemit.com/popcontest/@positivesteem/5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section#@snoozy/re-positivesteem-5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section-20170920t062158360z

nice post and congratulations on your 5000 post @positivesteem
You are amazing writter....
Comments by @amirul
https://steemit.com/popcontest/@positivesteem/5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section#@amirul/re-positivesteem-5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section-20170919t164732706z

I really love this post. I wish to see it in more of your writings. Cheers from Sabah @madeve
Comments by @madeve
https://steemit.com/popcontest/@positivesteem/5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section#@madeve/re-positivesteem-5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section-20170918t171907713z

Awesome post! Again I enjoyed reading.
So true what you are saying. That's why 100%upvote.
Comments by @modernpastor
https://steemit.com/popcontest/@positivesteem/5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section#@modernpastor/re-positivesteem-5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section-20170918t075000543z

@positiveesteem : beautiful writeup. Thank you for sharing.

If I may share my thoughts, Everyone has a choice to do what they want to do. "Holding me back from achieving my dreams" isn't really something I believe in. I was in a position where I was a musician, wile doing a full time job. Then came my beautiful baby daughter, and I realized, that I couldnt do both - keep playing music and do my job - I was missing out on time with my baby girl.

Thats when I decided to quit the band, and concentrateon my regular job (IT Career) so I could build a future for my family and give them the time they deserve.

Its been three years since I quit the band, and while I do miss playing music live, I know the time spent with my daughter is absolutely invaluable.

Its all about choices. And your priorities
Comments by @baconbaba
https://steemit.com/popcontest/@positivesteem/5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section#@baconbaba/re-positivesteem-5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section-20170918t062325083z

Congratulations on 5000 posts!! Good for you!!

To answer your question. What is holding me back at times is that I am saying yes to too many things. Sometimes, I see that something needs to be done. I know that I can do it and that it is good for the community, family, friend, or (insert various options here) - so, I do it.
But that is not always what is best for me or might take the time I wanted to spend on my own goals.
I had to learn to say no. Yes, it might be a good thing to do, but I can't save the world single-handedly and have to say yes to me and my needs as well.
Finding that balance is not always easy.
Comments by @mariannewest
https://steemit.com/popcontest/@positivesteem/5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section#@mariannewest/re-positivesteem-5000th-post-positive-reflections-what-is-holding-you-back-from-achieving-your-dreams-put-your-answers-in-the-comments-section-20170918t052156137z

Post: Positive Reflections: Be Kind To Others And Myself

Great message @positivesteem. Kindness us a universal language. We can our own worst critics sometimes. Life is a never-ending learning experience. We shouldn't be too hard on ourselves when we fail, but we must learn from the experience and move on. Thanks for sharing.
Comments by @bmj
https://steemit.com/positivity/@positivesteem/positive-reflections-be-kind-to-others-and-myself#@bmj/re-positivesteem-positive-reflections-be-kind-to-others-and-myself-20170916t004514325z

Post: Is Taking Too Many Selfies A Symptom Of Mental Illness?

@positivesteem Interesting post, I must say and so very relevant in today's times. The whole generation, going after the selfies, being selfish and self obsessed! (100% my take!!!)
I strongly believe, taking a selfie or two is not an issue, but when one gets obsessed with, to seek others' likes/comments/opinions and so on, its becomes a vicious cycle and eventually leading to addiction and sometimes disastrous results.
Just be yourself!!!
Upvoted!
Comments by @amitsharma
https://steemit.com/psychology/@positivesteem/is-taking-too-many-selfies-a-symptom-of-mental-illness#@amitsharma/re-positivesteem-is-taking-too-many-selfies-a-symptom-of-mental-illness-20170912t142647971z

I actually had an addiction problem with selfies about a year ago, I felt so ugly all the time so I would take pictures of my face and then photo shop them to the extreme and claim to people that's what I looked like. it's not like selfies are a bad thing, but they gave me a way to obsess myself over my insecurities and prolonged the social anxiety disorder I had.
Comments by @kouba01
https://steemit.com/psychology/@positivesteem/is-taking-too-many-selfies-a-symptom-of-mental-illness#@kouba01/re-positivesteem-is-taking-too-many-selfies-a-symptom-of-mental-illness-20170912t121213013z

Right now, the earnings for my post are below the value of my post. And I will not let the earnings be a measurement of the value of my posts. But if I continue to send out positive, inspiring and motivating messages, I believe that this gap will gradually reduce as more people come across my posts and find value in what I am writing. Do keep on Steeming.

Follow me and stay positive.

Do check out my previous posts.

God Is Love
Hidden Gems Of Magnificent Moscow: Canteen 57
I Will Arise
For I Am A Spirit Filled Man
I Will Not Give Up: A Poem Dedicated To All Parents Of Disabled

Spreading positivity one post at a time.
Charles

If you like my writing please up-vote, share and comment. Please help me to spread the message of positivity and support on Steemit by resteeming this post.