Apologies for the past - Looking forward to the Future!

My first few posts on Steemit were kinda hit and run like I've learned to do in so many other places. It was never meant to be spam but can easily be understood or taken that way. After working for so many years on YouTube trying to get seen, trying to get noticed, trying so hard to turn those many hours of labor into some kind of revenue... It became habit to find a safe place to drop content, then scoot on over to the next place.

Over time I've reduced the number of places that I put content because it just never felt right doing the hit and run. So, I've struggled with how do you market your work?. There are a lot of places that say "build community", and I get it... I really do, but goodness there is a lot of time in the building of community.

This is why I love Steemit

Creators are actually rewarded by taking the time to build community while they are building community! On other sites I've worked to build community, but honestly have almost given up because it seems that I'm pouring hours and hours into the community building with little visible, tangible return.

I know, I run the risk here of sounding like I'm all about the money. It's really not true. I love sharing my story even without money, HOWEVER... telling the story online in a way that is consistent and persistent takes so much time. This is time that I'm sacrificing with my family.

So there has to be a balance of sacrifice and reward. There have been times I've thought about giving up ALL ONLINE LIFE. Seriously I would have it so much easier in my real life if I chose to give it all up. But then, there are the lives that I've touched and the stories that come from that.

Some of those connections and stories are explained in this post. Here's a snippit of a few comments:

"I have no father. Your videos make me feel like someone loves me."

"You have really encouraged me to live better. Your videos are calming and encouraging"

"I felt like quitting school. I feel like a failure, but chatting with you has helped me want to keep going."

Steemit is helping me keep going

Just like those lives I'm touching giving me some motivation to keep it up, so is Steemit. Steemit is proving to be a very positive and encouraging community. The reward system is a beautiful way to encourage these relationships. It's really NOT about the money for most of us (I suspect). Our time is valuable. It's nice to have the rewards that are possible here on Steemit to help give us a place to build community while valuing ourselves, our time.

33 Days!

After adjusting my perspective in the first week I slowed down and started participating more here. Of course, I still have a lot to learn and a lot of relationships to nurture, but the potential is starting to be realized. I have now been here on Steemit for 33 days. My follower count is rising. I recognize that each number there is a person, a real life person that is telling that they value my content and they are willing to invest their time to see more of it. I truly appreciate that, and value your time too.

My ability to reward you is still pretty small. When things are fresh I can give a comment about $0.13. This value, of course, throughout the day goes down. As I continue to provide content, as I participate in building community I look forward to being able to distribute larger rewards with my upvotes.

Thank you for sharing this time with me!!

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Thank you for sharing this time with me!
UPVOTE, RESTEEM, and FOLLOW!