Today marks 365 days on Steem. I cannot believe that an entire year has passed since my account went live. I scrolled through steemd today and looked back at my old posts which got me a bit emotional. Turns out I have 197 pages worth of blockchain activity.
Steem has meant so much to me over this past year. In fact, I've placed my entire life here. I've shared my thoughts, my feelings, my fears. I've taught and educated on topics that I have a passion for. And, I've had so much fun in the process.
I have spent more time on Steem this year than all other social media sites combined. To me, the atmosphere is lighter, the air is cleaner, and the relationships are richer. We truly are family here on Steem and I like that sense of unity we have with one another.
First post
The very first post that I ever created was this one where I taught on the topic of cryptocurrency wallets. You see, back in December of last year, I was pretty darn new in the crypto space after making my first investment into Bitcoin the month prior.
I had no idea that this post was the launchpad into an unforgettable journey. The post wasn't anything special. In fact, I received a single upvote on it by someone named 
Hive account@onejoe. He gave me my very first upvote when I had no idea what I was doing. Thank you for believing in me by the way.
Needless to say, my first post made 0 dollars. My second post made 0 dollars. My third post made a whopping .09 cents. I say this to say that it wasn't the payouts that kept me going. Ever since I started on this platform, I knew there was something special about it. At the time, I couldn't put my finger on it, but I had this feeling that I just had to stick with it. I knew I had to keep publishing and engaging with others.
The very first account that I followed was 
Hive account@hottopic which was clearly a newbie move since it is just a resteem bot account. I voted 
Hive account@yabapmatt for witness on February 2nd, 2018 which was an excellent decision to say the least. During my first 2 months on Steem, I continued to improve and kept meeting new, interesting people.
Turning Point
Everyone has at least one turning point during the course of their lives. For me, it was on February 12th, 2018, when I commented on a post by 
Hive account@steemcafe that was talking about a Steem conference. Feel free to view that post here. Commenting on that post literally changed my life forever. Ok, I'm really getting emotional now.
As I'm writing this I am realizing the difficult task of fitting an entire year's worth of my life into one post. But basically, IJ Hive account@steemcafe gave me a reason to be here. I don't know where I would be right now if it wasn't for him. In fact, I don't know if I'd still be present on Steem if I'm being honest.
After commenting on his post back in February, we started talking over the phone and he invited me to speak at the first Steem Creators conference. I was a bit reluctant at first but IJ was persistent and really wanted me to come to Vegas and hang out. So I did. Going there was one of the best decisions of my life and it catapulted my Steem career by 10 fold.
Impact
A lot has happened over the past year and I'm not going to go into detail on all of it. Please feel free to read through my past blogs to see what I've been up to. What I'd like to do now is honor the people who have made an impact on my life here within the community.
I have the utmost appreciation for all of you and can't thank you enough for helping make my Steem experience special. These names are in no particular order and I am writing them down as they enter my head.
Hive account@chrisrice - I appreciate you posting such beautiful comments so consistently. You are a devoted father to your son and loving husband to your wife. I truly value your friendship.
Hive account@taskmaster4450 - Your posts are of outstanding quality and creativity. I really enjoy reading them each day as they help get my mind focused on the future of blockchain technology.
Hive account@exyle - You are a strong pillar in this community and have impacted my journey in a positive and uplifting manner. I appreciate you for spreading messages of hope. Your daily vlogs are always informative and eye-opening.
Hive account@artbyclark - You are a super talented artist and motivator. I appreciate the kind words that we have exchanged this year. Keep on being you brother, you're doing things right.
Hive account@coruscate - You inspired me to up my game and to continue improving my content. You demonstrate the correct ways to build an audience and you do it with excellence. You are fun to be around and I appreciate you being part of my life.
Hive account@jongolson - You are like a brother to me. It was so cool meeting you in Toronto and seeing you teach up on stage. You really sealed the deal when you suggested I eat buttered chicken at the Indian restaurant. Can I just tell you that I love you?
Hive account@hauptmann - Even though you live in Barcelona which is like a gazillion miles away from me, we still connect on a deep level. Thanks for being such a cool, down-to-earth guy who always has nice things to say about others.
Hive account@theycallmedan - Dan, even though we haven't met in person, I truly appreciate the market knowledge and support you have brought to the community. Thank you for believing so strongly in Steem and in the extreme potential that it has in the near future.
Hive account@captainbob - I feel at peace when I'm around you and I enjoy hearing your stories. The speech you gave in Toronto was incredible and emotionally moving. Your videos are truly powerful, please keep making them! I appreciate you brother. Much love.
Hive account@bimjer - Jerry, I felt connected to you since the moment we started talking at the meet and greet in Toronto. You are like the doctor I never had. Thank you for being so kind and caring towards me and others.
Hive account@freedompoint - You are a blessing to me and to others. I enjoy hearing your Yeti perspectives on different life topics. Thank you for being strong pillar in the homestead community and for spreading the love of Christ everywhere you go. Many blessings to you and 
Hive account@freedomtowrite and may you continue to walk in favor.
Hive account@crypto.talk - You stepped away from your full-time job to pursue 
Hive account@partiko full time. I honor your dedication and commitment to the project and to this community. Thank you for being such a great friend and gifted visionary.
Hive account@joeparys - Joe, you are such a powerful, influential speaker and teacher. I took your Steem video course early on in my journey and it caused a major impact in my method of operation on the platform. I appreciate you and your consistent involvement in the community.
Hive account@larrymorrison - Every time we get together we find ourselves smiling and having a good time. We have that mutual respect for each other that is hard to find elsewhere. Love you brother.
Hive account@ogc - I missed you Carly at the Toronto event, but hope to see you in Austin. We had such a fun time together in Vegas, especially when you took us indoor sky diving. That was an experience like none other and I appreciate having you in my life.
Hive account@blocktrades - I use your platform quite often to trade my LTC for STEEM. You make it so easy for me to grow my account with the website you have created. Thank you for creating such an amazing service that us as Steemians can take advantage of.
Hive account@daveonarrival - Dave, you are a really cool guy and I enjoy following your interesting travel adventures. Meeting you in person in Vegas was a great time and am looking forward to us reuniting once again. I'm giving you a virtual high-five right now.
Hive account@scottshots - Not only are you a talented photographer, but you are an amazing friend. Thank you Scott for your continual support and kind words. It's been a pleasure getting to know you over this past year. Keep doing what you're doing in Lake Tahoe.
Hive account@aggroed - You are a wise, intelligent business leader and community builder. I have learned a lot from you since I first started and have taken your advice to heart. Thank you for pouring your sweat and tears into the Steem community (wait... I think I need a towel now)
Hive account@kpine - You have supported mine and my friend's posts for many months now and I can't thank you enough. Your generosity with your voting power goes a long way and it means the world to me.
Hive account@karenmckersie - Karen, I appreciate all the support you have shown on my posts this year. Your comments are always so thoughtful and you include that cool bitmoji image of yourself at the bottom of each one. You truly care about the people in this community and for that I am grateful.
Hive account@sergiomendes - I love how much personality you have, Sergio. You are always willing to lend a hand to people who need it. Thank you for being present in this community and for providing value with your thoughtful posts and comments.
Hive account@mrchef111 - You are my good friend from afar. I think you said you live in Arizona, right? But man, you keep showing up with your videos and impressing us all with your cooking and dating tips. I know you like Deep Onion, but deep down I think you like Steem the best ;)
Hive account@tanbay - You have been a consistent lighthouse in the community, posting about valuable life lessons you've learned and sharing your thoughts on different topics. I look forward to seeing your content and am happy that you decided to plant your flag in Steem.
Hive account@dtube - You have provided such an incredible platform for us as content creators to flourish. Despite the few minor errors I've ran into over the past year, my experience on your site has been extremely positive. Looking forward to growing alongside your platform as we continually improve ourselves.
Hive account@jumpmaster - We just recently started engaging with each other's content over the past month or so. I connect with your messages on a deep level and look forward to supporting your efforts as you grow and evolve with the platform.
Hive account@eventspeaker 
Hive account@thehoneys - You both rock my world. I love when we meet for the live conferences as you bring me a lot of joy and laughter. Your attitudes are always so positive and it is quite contagious. I'm so glad that we are friends.
Hive account@anomadsoul - I truly enjoyed meeting and hanging out with you in Toronto, Eric. You shared your hitchhiking stories with us which were absolutely captivating. You are a cool, genuine guy and I appreciate having you in my life.
Inspiration
To wrap up this 1 year celebratory post, I want to leave you with a word of inspiration and encouragement.
Anything worth having is going to take work. It's going to take dedication. It's going to take commitment. I look back at my year on Steem and I am amazed at what I've been able to accomplish. You can accomplish great things too. In fact, you were designed for greatness.
You need to take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself what you want your life to look like, 1, 5, 10, 20 years from now. Whatever that vision is that you can see in your mind, take small steps towards it every day. Yes, you will fall down some days, but the key is to keep that vision alive, and find others who are willing to support and uplift you along the way.
Life is a journey. Don't get discouraged if you aren't an overnight success (which does not exist by the way). It is going to take consistent effort over time to achieve the goal or the dream you have set before you.
Just know this... I want to stand by your side in your pursuit of happiness. Cause isn't that what we are all after anyways? Don't we all just want to be happy? I hope you feel at least a little better after reading this post than you did before.
Thank you so much for stopping by. 2019 is going to be an incredible year and I cannot wait to live it and breathe it along with this amazing community. Cheers to all and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
-Ken
