Compounding Reciprocity

Source

Over the last few months, I've been building a determination to just keep at it here on Steemit. I don't look at the trending page much. I don't get discouraged when the price of Steem goes down. I power up whatever I can in SBD and Steem. I am committed to the platform, to do whatever it takes to build Steem Power.

I've read a few articles on how to be successful on Steemit and have looked at accounts that earn substantial sums every day. They all show the same consistent pattern of periodic and predictable posting, adding value to the community, and keeping it positive.

From all of what I've seen, I believe that consistent action over time will grow Steem Power for me. I have a goal: post once a day, 5 days a week. I check my replies and reply back. I express gratitude when my articles are noticed by curators. I give thanks to people who have helped me and who have demonstrated that there is a clear path to success here on Steemit. I try to help others when I can.

I see my reputation rising a little each week. I see the rewards rising a little more, each week. From time to time, I'm noticed by a curator account and I thank them for noticing. I get compliments here and there, and give thanks for them.

I look at every new account that follows me. I read their posts to see if they are creating content that is interesting to me. I upvote their posts if I like their work. I have even upvoted posts where I disagreed with the author, but could appreciate the quality of their prose, and how their content expanded my mind.

I am learning how to promote the work of others. I have sponsored others for Steem Basic Income. I have used bidbots for other people's posts. I have taken notice of the signatures used by others on Steemit to find that they are promoting others with their signatures as well.

The price of Steem and SBD may be down. But I don't let that get me down. I love writing, not money. Money just facilitates, it allows me to do what I cannot do myself. Writing is my one true love. I love how I feel when I write. I love watching the words evolved on this page as the keys clack away. I love how my fingers bounce off the keyboard when I write. I love engineering sentences.

I've tried Blogger, Medium, Patreon, and a few other places I can't recall. Somehow I've just settled on Steemit. I see people I have admired in other forums and venues coming here. So I know I'm in the right place.

I've participated in debates in social media and felt sickened by just how insulting people can be from behind the veil of anonymity. That is my real name you see on my profile page. I live here in Utah. I have a very simple message as a theme running through many of my posts: living in peace requires skill. It is up to us to learn and to teach the skills required to live in peace.

In sum, I've been learning to reciprocate with everyone I encounter here. I have learned to err on the side of peace here. Rather than give in to conflict and argument, I lean to the side of levity, optimism and goodwill. It has taken me a while to wean myself off of the ways of social media from before. But I feel that now, I have made a clean break.

I still use other social media platforms, but only to promote this one. I just post links to my Steemit articles on Google+, Facebook and Twitter. Not much else. I am mostly dedicated , even devoted to Steemit.

I don't worry so much about the bidbots, the reward pool rapists, the scammers, the plagiarists. The bidbots have their place in a free market. The reward pool rapists are missing the point of Steemit. The scammers will usually be outed quickly and if not, eventually. And the plagiarists are missing the joy that I find in writing.

I'm an optimist. Even in my darkest hours, I have found a core optimist. An observer who has noticed that if the world was truly and fully against me, I'd only be a millimeter thick. But I'm here, breathing, kicking, writing. I share this with you, brothers and sisters, to say "write on". If you show up, I'll show up.

I'm an optimist when I reply to someone's post. I'm an optimist when I reply to someone's comment. I'm an optimist when I resteem someone's post. I'm an optimist when I start a new article and still, when I post it. All of those things are acts of reciprocity.

Steemit is a wonderful social experiment where we can learn that, over time, reciprocity tends to compound.

Write on.

Slogan by @tecnosgirl

Other articles you might enjoy by @digitalfirehose:


Plan B for Humanity

A basic guaranteed income in the context of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A sort of political movie review: Star Wars: Rogue One

Happiness isn't getting everything you want - happiness is a skill

The opposite of love is not hate, it is apathy

Fate, impunity and altruism

A short but growing list of people I admire, who have helped me, and/or influenced me, my thinking and/or my posts:

• @taskmaster4450 - The Age of Abundance is here
• @scottsantens - The age of Universal Basic Income is here