STEEMIT ULTIMATE CHALLENGE 8 WEEKS - WEEK 5

It is good to know that there is some love left for a Newbie like me.
Thanks @dobartim for this contest. I really was elated upon seeing this contest post on my Feed; I was excited because I knew the opportunity to express and share with you and other Steemians how communications on Steemit have helped shape my life had come.
With all due respect, Patience is gradually growing on my inside because this is the third time I’m participating in this contest, and I hope something good comes out for me. Actually, to me, writing how communication on Steemit has helped my life is a huge prospect because mine is worth going through, and I hope and expect you read and meditate on it.

Elias Chijioke (@eliasjay) is my name. I’m from Anambra State, Nigeria. I read English at Covenant University, Ogun State, Nigeria. I just graduated last year.
“I will never cook in this house again; neither will I buy food stuffs again. You’re old enough to fend for yourself,” Mum raved at me. She walked past the kitchen door and slammed it. I thought it was a big joke, but later on, I came to understand that I was ludicrous to think it was a joke. As a graduate doing nothing, and as a result of Mum’s sudden strange attitude, I left house last year, toward Christmas period in search of a source of livelihood. Luckily for me, I bumped into a friend, @tony-duke, the guy that introduced me to Steemit. I still remember with poignant clarity that evening when he gushed out these words: “join us on Steemit where you earn from your passion.” I was totally baffled at the onset. “What do you mean; what does Steemit mean?” I quickly retorted in curiosity. “Steemit is a platform where you earn from what you like doing; you post, you earn,” he repeated. Well, with the determination on my inside, and with his help, I signed up on Steemit earlier this year. I tried and bought a new browsing phone, but it was stolen at the moment. “All is well,” I said within me. “At least, I have a personal Computer.”

I can say that Steemit is a great platform for writers, singers, comedians, painters, people who have an artistic flair, etc. I did my damnedest to study successful Steemians. People like @dobartim, @jerrybanfield, @flysky, @purepinnay, etc. and how they became successful within a short period of time. I also made some friends here. Friends like @ajremy, @sigmund, @prechi, etc. I learned something from the above successful Steemians, and one thing I’ve learned from them is there originality. They would post original poems, words of advice, encouraging write ups, etc. They would not copy others. Since I knew I could write, I began to write poems, relationship words, and things about life. I was doing all these things to earn a living, make Mum happy, and so that the economic recession in my country would not determine my future.
Nigeria is a blessed but corrupt country, where the masses find it difficult to make ends meet, where the top government officials would embezzle public funds, and no one speaks against them. As a result of this, I made up my mind that since things are bad in my country, I would make things right in an area of gifting. A wise man once said, “If things are not right in your environment that means you were born to make things right in that environment.”

I derive happiness from baking. I do bake meat pie, and cook its sauce. It’s one of the things I love doing. I started it with the little payouts on Steemit. Last month, I participated in a poetry contest by @tony-duke and @ajremy, and luckily for me, my poem came first. I was the happiest person on earth when my phone rang, and it was my friend, @tony-juke. He called and told me to send my account number. Of course, I sent, and received the alert immediately. Despite that, I was able to sell the 6.000SBD in my account. With the money from the poetry contest and from the 6.000SBS I sold, I was able to start a meat pie business. I also sent a little amount for my sister who was in school, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Now, I and my sister could eat with the little I got on Steemit. It sounds too good to be true, but it’s just the truth. I feel elated because today, I supply meat pies in small quantities for Super markets, schools, shops, etc. with my Steemit rewards. I need to be supplying it in big quantities because I’ve seen that people’s interests are on the increase.

My aim is to, just like Kentucky fried chicken, cook the best sauce that nobody else has cooked before, and I’ve gotten to that level, but my only obstacle is more funds. I need more funds to invest in my business. Here is the plan, well structured plan, if I could get more funds, I would invest it in my meat pie business, and by so doing the business will grow. It’s my desire to see it grow; it’s my desire to build a meat pie factory where my kind of meat pie is baked every day, and other snacks. I think that would create employment for our graduates who don’t have any job. That would also end the issue of crime in my country.

I love children also, and I have plans for them. After I make a huge profit from the before-small-scale-but-soon-to-be-large-scale business that I’m doing, I will rent a small building as a crèche school for kids, and from there, it will get to basic level, and to junior and senior high school level. The bona fide reason why I want to do this is because some kids cannot afford to go to school in my town, and again, some parents are very busy at their jobs, so they can’t take care of their children all by themselves. I desire to put an end to the issue. Dr. Myles Munroe one said, “Nothing changes until your mind changes.” I seriously believe in the above truism.

I have a dream on Steemit; I have a contribution to make. I’ve posted so many things, and I will keep posting rich contents for Steemians to see. I will keep expressing my opinions, beliefs, culture, the mind of God towards His people, and who Steemians are in Christ. Also, I’ve spoken to so many people about this platform, and I’m happy that they are joining us here on Steemit. When I tell people about my little success on Steemit, they always get interested, and I will never stop, neither will I keep my mouth shut. Just this week, I’ve helped five people in creating their own accounts, and with time I will get some more. I’m aiming at popularizing Steemit in my town because this platform is not at all popular here in my town. At least, five persons in a week. My younger sister is joining too, but not now because she is writing her exams. I don’t want her to be distracted because she is already telling me to open an account for her. I will make sure we walk together, I mean everybody in my town, to make Steemit a better place to earn a live, to make impacts, and to improve on our different areas of gifting.

Steemit has changed my life; it’s a great platform.
Back then, in my high school, I would shy away from students, especially girls. I just couldn’t associate with others. In my mind, imagination, I could, but physically, I could not. And day by day, there was this voice that kept raising the fiction that everybody hated me. I did my damnedest to silence the voice, but all my attempts ended in futility. As a result of my attitude, I was ostracized by many who felt I was unconventional. I would skip classes, miss tests, assignments, etc. and everybody would be wondering why I was doing so. I would not talk to, jest with, look at, or even greet my class mates. It’s not that I did not want to do it. I wanted to, but I just couldn’t. I was all alone.
A teacher would raise a question, and I would be already shivering. I would feel like the ceiling in my class room should open and let me fly out through it. The teacher would point at me to answer the question, and I would urinate in my school uniform. The problem was not that I didn’t know the question; the problem was that I thought I was no good enough to stay with others. I thought I would stand and say the wrong thing or vomit something that would make other students laugh at me. And finally, I would stand and mutter these four words: “I don’t know it.” Within me I knew I was intelligent, but I just couldn’t express my intelligence. I suffered from depression for years. I had a very low self-esteem, and there was nobody to tell, nobody to lean on. I couldn't tell anybody. At a point, I felt like dying; I felt like changing school. This culminated to my failure in school. Moreover, I got bad results every term, every session.
But now I have spoken to different people on Steemit, just from a few communications, I’m no more the same person I used to be.
Steemit has helped me discover who I am; I’m already improving on my writing ability; even my voice is getting good.
I can express my opinion, my belief, etc.
I can boldly stand and answer one’s question without urinating in my cloth, without feeling like the ceiling should open, and let me fly out through it.
I can socialize without having the feelings that I’m being hated by others.
Now, I believe in me. I'm just happy for being on Steemit today. Steemit is the reason for the difference in my life.

Again, with all due respect, I would like to say a big 'THANK YOU' to @dobartim for bringing up a contest like this.
Thanks to splendid Steemians out there for joining this platform, for your inspiring posts, upvotes, comments; you guys are just great.
I love you all, but God does more.
God bless you!

More information about this contest; visit the link below:
https://steemit.com/steemitultimatechallenge/@dobartim/3tp45u-steemit-ultimate-challenge-8-weeks-prize-fund-2000-sbd-week-5-registration-is-in-progress