In the space of a month here on Steemit, my emotions have ranged from paranoia to ecstasy.

Like everyone else I thought it impossible

My first day on the site I spent looking around. I remember picturesquely seeing the topic link for the word "anarchism" and thinking, "surely not". Though it was. Filled with real people being rewarded for real anarchist thought. I didn't believe in some sort of omnipotent force before, but after seeing this I can safely say my faith in Humanity had been restored.

"Time to Post Immediately!" I thought to myself, and I did. I posted a somewhat half-assed introductory post, compared to most Authors introducing themselves.
That was my first lesson on Steemit. Don't half ass stuff. Do it as best as you can the first time round so that you have no reason to second guess yourself a week later.
Although it had been received with a warm upvote from @ned , I was yet to realize that I'd just posted on a platform that's going to be the greatest thing of this decade.
I will re-introduce myself in full and express the madness of an Autodidact in its entirety.

My first and Second post were similar in the respect that I had no idea what a post should look like...

That's when my paranoia kicked in.

When you've been awakened to what's really going on in the world and spend some time alone delving into the abyss of corruption that engulfs half this world you start to become quite paranoid. You start to piece things together even when there's no connection. This kind of paranoia is haunting. You spend half your day joking about crazy shit the government could be doing behind your back whilst secretly knowing there's a possibility for that shit.

Well, that paranoia followed me after my third post. I posted a revolutionary idea to create a Decentralized Taxation and Governance system using a Blockchain at its core, less than 6 hours later the site was hacked and many user accounts were taken over by some malevolent being.
Somewhat funny now I think about it as whoever did it is an idiot for thinking they could make more hacking the site than from actually joining it.
Anyway, I thought it was the Government. Being the crazed anarchist kook that I am, mad for kooky-puffs, I sat there for an entire evening racking my brain over an imaginary reality where Steemit was already dead and that another place to voice civil discontent had been censored. I even posted a rant suggesting that it was the fault of the developers them self. My paranoia had gone as far as to blame whoever it felt like. The posts that followed were the same, fueled my paranoia.
I feel the need to add that, after living in a world that censors you at every turn it's hard to know what's real and what's not. I guess at this point in my Steemit adventure I had no idea that this was as real as it gets.

Then came the power.

After a couple of somewhat mediocre posts I posted a rant whilst drunk after realizing my votes were actually worth some cents for other users. I felt like a boss! It felt indescribable realizing that staying true to Steemit was paying off, not only for myself but for my friends as well.
After all the paranoia and anxiety I was previously experiencing, a feeling of somewhat omnipotence had started to creep over me instead.
Subconsciously, after receiving a great response on that last post, I thought I could post anything and make a killing off of it. I was wrong.
Not only that, but others were posting absolute shit and making money off it. I can't speak for anyone else but I'm sure that what I was witnessing at this point was an experimentation phase from a lot of users in the same boat that I was.
Those of us who'd received a hot tip elsewhere about Steemit, followed the breadcrumbs, found the house of candy, were secretly wondering just how much candy we could strip from its walls. Safe to say most of those experimenting failed, including myself and my own cheeky submission to catch whales at a certain time.
Subconsciously I was being an idiot. Consciously though, I was starting to see more of the big picture. I was learning just how Steemit works and how I should be contributing to the platform instead of worrying about my own rewards.

At this point I had only reached the two week mark.

I was still experimenting with my posts but more importantly was learning eons of truth. Brilliant posts left right and center. My life was becoming absorbed with what I could find on Steemit.
Being an Autodidact I thrive off of finding knowledge. Imagine what it's like for me to see a place that's constantly rewarding those who post authentic knowledge. Holy smokes it was euphoric. I was starting to see more and more that what really mattered here was the uncensored voice people were being given. That any topic, so long as a clear informational value was articulated, could become a trending topic. I became a true believer.
At first I was happy to try out the platform. Then I felt over excitement as the money rolled in. Now however, I ultimately feel it's my responsibility just as much as anyone else to ensure this platform survives whatever the establishment or other malevolent beings try throw at it.

It's safe to say that I've gone through the phases one goes through after leaving the mainstream social media system for something better.

In my third week here I spent time trying to get back on the "real" Steemit track. And, for the last week I've spent more time reading posts than I have posting them. Not to say I have been posting a bucket-load too, that's a given. With the new addition of the follow feature (though it already existed) I feel I have even more of a voice again. I'm starting to feel more and more in-tune with Steemit and how it works. It's even helped me to reinvent myself again and again as a person. I've been given a new hope.
My passion for life and the things I enjoy has been restored. Not being censored when I express myself has given me a positiveness that I can not describe. If I were to put it into words, I'd say that I've found my safe place, my people, and a new reason to live up to my full potential.

So, now I'm ready to go out into the wild and promote Steemit as much as I can. I'm ready to go further than I ever have when it comes to Decentralized technology. I'm now working on a paper for a Decentralized Socialist Critical Theory, along with a whitepaper for the decentralized communities first communal music/video streaming service. Steemit has given me new life. For that I am eternally grateful to Steemit and its creators.
Like others on here, I pledge to invest in the site. I'm already buying up Steem behind the scenes on Poloniex, creating what I believe will be a nice little nest egg in the future. I suggest others should as well, of your own free accord of course.
Steemit is a first of its kind when it comes to both the blockchain and social media networking. It's developers are benevolent in nature which is also a first of its kind when it comes to social media.

In the future Steemit will be the only place I reside.

Every day this place becomes greater and greater. I've said that it would many a time, to friends, family, and randoms that come across what I have to say. It's a great feeling when you're right about something.

Right now, I'm going to go have a beer and continue flicking through posts. There's been some interesting developments on here lately and I'm currently enjoying the quality entertainment it's bringing me. Oh, and if you came to this post looking for some advice, here's some:

1. Enjoy yourself
2. Remember What's Important
3. Be yourself
4. Be the version of you that you always knew you were!

Peace & Love

-Sensei