Today is my 55th continuous day on steemit. Not one day off ;)

I have met many amazing people.
I'm working with many incredible "givers" as my teammates at #newbieresteemday.
I've come to know of some very cool organizations and services that operate here. (too many to name)
And I've learned very much about how this platform works and how beautifully designed it truly is.

All of this in 55 amazing days!

Hope

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Some people ask me why do I spend so much time on the platform in these 55 days. They have wondered what do I expect to get from the experience. Some I'm sure, think I'm a bit crazy or have OCD. :)

Well the answer to the questions can be summed up in one word: Hope

With hope a man (or woman) can do anything. They can drive farther, push harder, and strive higher than most would think was possible. Hope is a driving force in human nature and harnessing that hope is a lesson I learned long ago.

Rocket-fuel From #StewardsOfGondor

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This is a simple story about how one thing leads to another. How the discovery of one beautiful heart can lead to a connection with a whole new world filled with generous and brilliant souls. The hope is here already on Steemit, you simply need to know where to look and how to make the connections.

Chapter 1

I met a kind and helpful lady @goldendawne about 30 days ago. She offered to help me in any way she could (#newbieresteemday had just launched). We talked and jointly came up with an idea for her to "mentor" our newbies and minnows in a weekly segment called "Dear Dawne" click here.

Dawne is a "Stewards of Gondor" recipient and she is a writer and staff member for @qurator. Which of course are both amazing accomplishments. Dawne wrote about her new segment and told "her" contacts about what she was doing. This lead me to find out what the #stewardsofgondor are all about.

So the moral to this chapter is that @goldendawne is an amazing giving talented person that is connected to #stewardsofgondor and she opened my eyes to them with a simple comment in which I was tagged.

Chapter 2

The post I was tagged in by Dawne was from another #stewardsofgondor member @abh12345. At first I just asked him, "what is this organization and if @goldendawne was in it, then it must be good?". He replied with a message telling me where I could learn more from a video. I didn't have time to watch it (as you all know steemit keeps you busy), but I kept it open in a separate browser window for roughly a week because I really did want to know about his organization that seemed to be about "giving".

Well I finally watched that video and was blown away by my discovery that there were steemians that held large amounts of SP and were actively looking to delegate their SP to people that would make steemit a better place to be. They wanted to "give back" by using their massive net worth to help people that were contributing in a positive way to the success of the platform.

So the moral of chapter 2 is #stewardsofgondor is an organization that is guiding the goodness within steemit by using their massive success here to give back and make the community stronger.

ps... I also learned the brainchild of this project and leader is @fulltimegeek and he is truly loved by so many here.

Chapter 3

While communicating with @abh12345 (Asher from here on out), I invited him to check out what we were doing at #newbieresteemday. He said he would be happy to and he actually took the time and did check it out. He then discovered a post by @beeyou where she amazingly chronicled what was happening in her recap called the "Weekly Buzz" (click here). One discussion led to another and he seemed like a very cool guy with a down to earth attitude. I liked him very much, as I too want to be humble. :)

Asher found out in our discussion that I was limited in what I could do for #newbieresteemday and wanted to help with the effort by enabling me to have enough SP to be able to use the slider. So one day I woke up and found a "gift" of 280 SP delegated to me. I didn't ask for it, he just saw a need and gave it. He didn't do it for any purpose for himself, and he actually never mentioned he was going to do it at any time.

So the moral to this chapter is that @abh12345 is a humble and giving steemian that cares about using "his power" to further the "goodness" that #newbieresteem represents. And oh yeah, he is also a member of #stewardsofgondor.

Chapter 4

In the days after the "gift" by Asher, we were able to launch a series of games/contests to add excitement and really help some newbies learn to participate on the platform. We encouraged them to "engage" by making comments and getting to know each other and develop deeper connections. Asher's gift enabled me to offer a "guarantee" of a $0.05 upvote to any newbie participating in the week long event. Its now called the "Newbie Nickle" thanks to @doctorcrypto!

The event ended up with 17 different games created by both veteran gamemakers (@danielsaori and @crowdini) and 11 brand new gamemakers that started their FIRST contest. In addition, we had 145 separate and distinct newbies participate along with hundreds of more minnows too. Our biggest game #steemitcommentchallenge had almost 1000 views.

So the moral of chapter 4 is a nice unsolicited gift of giving by Asher enabled a series of contests because I could now guarantee a small upvote because I now have a slider and the ability to target that "Newbie Nickle". Note: if you want to see for yourself the magic of this event, click here

Chapter 5

Concurrent with this event, another #stewardofgondor member happened to notice what was going on with #newbieresteemday. This new SOG member is a really cool guy that happens to be named @coolguy123. He like Dawne asked if there was anything he could do to help us. (Note: you will learn that I will always find a way if you ask me that ;) ).

After speaking with @coolguy123 several times we discussed the idea of setting up a curation trail through @steemauto so that other steemians could also help the quality newbies we spot by trailing our upvote from a newly created account @newbieresteemday. I'll speak to the many benefits of this in another post later, but suffice it to say that this is a HUGE opportunity to really help the newbies by giving a significant upvote (for them) and also by helping the larger steemians to easier identify great talent by simply going through our feed.

After we got the account set up, with no notice whatsoever, I saw a 200 SP delegation to the account by @coolguy123 himself. On top of that he made a post click here giving @newbieresteemday a #coolstewards award. He then notified his friends and followers about it and now we have 9 people following the curation trail and automatically upvoting every post we upvote. Talk about making an impact!!!

So the moral of chapter 5 is that @coolguy123 is not only a seriously cool guy, but he is also a #stewardsofgondor member who understands how to "give back". He not only delegated 200 SP on an unsolicited basis, he also helped us craft a tool that will be an amazing component to help with our cause of helping the newbie community.

Final Chapter

In the last 30 days, I have met and witnessed 3 acts of kindness from #stewardsofgondor members. Each of the interactions started out independently and with no ideas or agendas by either side in the beginning. All three of these amazing people have one thing in common, they have been shaped by a steemian called @fulltimegeek and his network he set up called #stewardsofgondor.

I have learned that this organization has no rule book. They have no massive bureaucracy telling their members what to do.

What they do have though is a role model in @fulltimegeek that led the way with his example of how to make the whole steemit platform strong. He has encouraged and supported others to do what he has done. By giving and helping in a way that is selfless and humble in its nature, he has encouraged a strong group that has been rocket fuel to me and my efforts. It has truly made a difference in the roughly 30 days since I met my first #stewardsofgondor member, and #newbieresteemday wouldn't be as far along as it is without them.

55 Days And Looking Forward To #56!

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I have spent 55 days learning many aspects of this amazing platform. I have learned so much and loved every minute I've spent here. I stumbled on steemit by accident, but I'm very I happy I found it. :)

To me steemit represents something far more important than money. It represents a new way to help others in the future. In the past I have founded and run a 501c3 foundation called Unleash Power For The People and in that endeavor I learned many things about people and how to get things done. With steemit, there is real hope again that my dreams may come true.

I want to work with others to help make our world a better place that is freer and fairer. Where the chains of enslavement are broken and people are able to live their lives in peace!

Steemit is the platform that gives me hope and the #stewardsofgondor community has been the rocket fuel that enabled me to push harder for my dream. Its amazing how many awesome people that I've connected to and how we have worked together to build something out of nothing. Starting with @mudcat36 and @plushzilla, the #newbieresteemday initiative has blossomed beyond our wildest dreams, and I do indeed have high hopes for the future!

Thank you to every one of my connections in these past 55 days, I sincerely love the enthusiasm, dedication, and selflessness I have witnessed. And thank you @goldendawne @abh12345 @coolguy123 for opening my eyes to what #stewardsofgondor are all about. One day I hope to be a member of your organization, and I also want you to have million more as well. If we all follow the lead of @fulltimegeek, this world would be a wonderful place in no time!

As always, be humble and...

(source: my friend @keeperofthewoods)