Why Your "Right Now" Mentality Regarding Steem Payments Will Kill Your Success!
When I signed up for Steemit, I was unemployed. I was looking for a way to provide for my family so the allure of making money for creating content was very appealing.
I kept imagining making enough money to replace a full-time job. I envisioned spending extra time with my family since I would be able to work from home. I just knew down in my gut that Steemit was the answer to my all of my problems.
Boy, was I wrong! It did not take long for me to realize that my dreams were not realistic. If I had stayed in the "what can I get right now" mentality, I would have fallen to the wayside. Instead, I decided to think forward and develop a future-centric approach to the Steem community and platform.
![ancient-21569_640.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmWq1fv2e7nRuAR8e5oqxsdu2XvGV71wPsvCtkGGbJ6TzF/ancient-21569_640.jpg)
A "What Can I Get Right Now" Steem Mentality Is Destructive
As I think back to my initial thoughts regarding Steemit, I am reminded that I was looking for a quick buck. Not only that, I was looking for a lot of quick bucks, and I needed them yesterday.
- I was focused on what I would receive instead of what I could give.
- I was focused on myself exclusively, rather than the community collectively.
- I was focused on the desired end-result, but not the steps required to get me there.
If I had stayed on that path, I am afraid I would have ...
Isolated Myself From The Community
A lot of people think that creating content is the primary key to being successful within the Steem community. Although content creation is important, I argue that relationship building and networking is most important.
If I had only focused on the money, I would have neglected the people - my future followers. Some people are powerful when they join our community, so they are able to ride on the waves of their previous success. But most of us start from zero. We have to make people our priority because when no one reads/views/listens to our content, we won't be rewarded.
Destroyed Relationships
If I had stayed focused on the money, I would have destroyed the few relationships I made early on my Steem journey. I would have fallen into the trap of follow-for-follow or upvote-for-upvote. I would have reduced people to tools that are used and discarded versus viewing my fellow community members are value human beings. I would have missed out on some great opportunities to be mentored.
Left A Long Time Ago
If I was only here for an immediate payout, I would have left already. I often say (and often hear) that I came for the money, but I stayed because of the people. If you need the Steem platform to be a job replacement or a lottery ticket, then I suggest that you find a new opportunity. While some people have found overnight success, most of us have not.
If you need some friends or a supportive community, then perhaps you have found the right place. If you need a place to learn and gain knowledge, then you have definitely found the right place. If you want a place to dream and explore new ideas, we welcome you.
But you need to check your expectations at the door. A lot of people have come and gone, because the Steem platform was not as glitzy, glamorous, and shiny as it first appeared. Although the Steem community is often a little rough around the edges, we can make room for more.
Missed Out On Hours And Hours Of FREE Therapy
The Steem platform and community have become an outlet for me. I needed a place to be able to share what was happening in my life. I needed an opportunity to turn thoughts into words that seemed impossible to capture.
The Steem platform has become a "forever"* diary. Some of my greatest ideas and worst communication are forever locked on the Steem Blockchain. But that was what I needed, and if the money had only been the driving force then I would have lost out of this incredible gift.
Not Reinvested In Steem Power
I am taking a calculated risk that the community and platform that I have grown to love (with all of its warts included) will be even better in the future. I have consistenly reinvested my earnings into powering up because I believe that we are apart of something special, and I want to have a voice in how that plays out.
A "right-now" payout mentality would have crippled my current growth and my future authority within the community. I know that many of us struggle financially and that Steem may be a current stream of income, but I challenge you to think about what Steem maybe someday, and not just think about what it is today.
Not Have Been Able To Create
I have grown to deeply enjoy writing my almost daily posts. I have had the opportunity to create an online course (check out Steem Markdown.
I have been able to brainstorm and collaborate with other members. I have been able to become founder of new communities (see @BirthdayBoost).
I appreciate the opportunity to engage my mind, allow my heart to dream, and then execute my creativity.
Missed the Opportunity To Bless Others
I have lived out some dark days since joining Steemit. And I have watched others do the same. I have read replies that thank me for kind words. I have heard people pour out even more of their sad stories in the comment section of a post.
I have also been able to rejoice when people celebrate the blessings of life - birthdays, anniversaries, births, and so much more. I have been able to make new friends, whether they live an hour away or live on the other side of the world.
I have been able to show some love with a small upvote.
Final Thoughts
How would life be different if I had only come for the money? Where would I be today? How many of you would I have never met?
I am a bit scared to know that answer. At the end of the day, I am glad that I cast aside a me-first, me-only, self-centered attitude. I am glad that I moved past the "I need it right now" mentality and found a place where I can look towards a bright and meaningful future.
Thanks for stopping by! As always, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section.
keep on steeming, and the dream will realise itself :)
as long as you are having fun, the money is secondary
I am enjoying the ride. There are so many facets to the experience - social, knowledge acquisition, managing resources.
My short-term goals are to keep networking and providing value, but I would not be sad if someday we all can enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Thanks for stopping by. I plan on pressing on!
It's true that the most enticing part of steemit, in the beginning, is the opportunity to make money. But as we all realised after few days, it's not so easy and immediate. I can imagine many people just giving up after a couple of days. In the end it's not a small talk platform as facebook or similar.... it's more about constructive, original content which take time and effort, so whatever you manage to get back is very likely less than you deserve, expecially while you are still plankton....
I do appreciate the engagement that I have experienced in the community, and I agree that to do things right we must invest more time and effort than we do on other platforms.
Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you adding to the conversation.
My pleasure !!! :-)
I think many of us fall into that trap initially, but glad you saw the light! Powering up is the way!!!
Posted using Partiko iOS
Agree. I am trying to be forward thinking about my investment into the community and platform. I still think there is a lot of growth ahead of us.
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Appreciate the support of a great community. Keep pressing on!
Aside from expecting a ROI immediately... I can see a lot of myself in your post. From being involved with community to knowing where I see myself on the platform in the years to come
The expection of immediate ROI was unrealistic, but it is important to understand why people come to the platform. If they come for the money and see not other reason to stay, then we will have a lot of unused accounts. If they come for the money and see a better way to interact with the community, we can build a stronger and more vibrant community.
"Don't quit your day job."
That's what I hear when I tell me people I want to be a writer. I am a writer, and I still have my day job. I don't see Steemit as an immediate replacement for my day job in any sense.
Steemit requires a long game attitude. So I post here, and post and post. I am working on building relationships with others of like mind, too. @thesteemengine is just one avenue. I will participate in more groups to gain greater visibility to be sure, but I'm just going to grow by connecting.
I have found that it only takes a few loyal fans to start building a following. Even just one loyal fan is encouraging. I write because I like to write. I post my writing here because a blockchain has a rather permanent appeal to me.
So I will keep my day job and let the problem of turning writing into my day job solve itself by practicing the art of writing, every day. With every post I come closer to making that dream a reality.
Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate that you have added the conversation. Here are some thoughts I had after reading your comment
So many great nuggest in your comment. Appreciate it!
You can get a decent ROI if you just auto-curate, vote and time it properly keeping your VP between 80-95%. I do this with my chops account and it yields an over 6% return.
However this means you are not really using Steemit how it should be used. I dont use this method on my main account.
I can definitely see some opportunities for ROI with automating processing. I do enjoy the interaction as well. I know there are some new opportunities out there to explore. I just need to take some time, learn more, and see what is best for my long term goals.
I always asked myself this question: "how life would be without money?". I guess only in a resource based economy we could have that. Still, we are far away from it.
I never cared about the reward here, I was happy I could write everything in one single platform. Discord and the "free hours of therapy" came as a bonus. I am glad you decided to stick around. Steem on!
I am very glad that I stayed. Having been on the Steem platform for over a year, I see things differently. I have a better overall grasp of what is taking place, and I am in a better place to make decisions about how I want invest in the community/platform - socially, financially, etc.
There are so many benefits, and I look forward to seeing how they will impact my life in the future.
In my case, I came for the supposed profits, but I stayed for the social aspect of it. If you look at Steem as a long-term investment, you might still get something out of it. Not only money-wise, but also in terms of skills learned.
There is so much to gain. There is also a lot of opportunities to give and support others as well. I am thinking long-term. Hopefully, we can continue to grow in numbers and in strength. But if not I have been pleased with the journey so far.
My perspective and yours are somehow aligned, though not totally. I have since believed that steemit is more than just the current gains, that's why i try as much to dedicate enough time to it, look beyond and still can say "it will always get better"
Thanks for sharing your thoughts @sumatranate
Thanks for your comment. My thoughts about the Steem platform have changed a lot since I first joined. I would still like to see a return on my investment, but that can come in a variety of ways - better relationships, more knowledge, and if possible financial gain.
I believe that the whole experience is what makes the Steem community great.