Earlier today I read this post by 
Oooo... a dichotomy, I love that word 😉
The milestone is silly for the reason that any milestone on steemit really is. In the grand cosmic scale of things what I'm actually doing is marking the virtual birth of a space where I create stories that will remain in peoples minds for an instant or if I'm really lucky a week at most.
But, the celebration of our successes are important, if only to oil the wheels of ambition. To keep that drive going, I'm marking a concept, a celebration of the act of creation in the written word. It is equally true that on steemit, when you stop looking at payout and focus on improving your work, or finding a niche, or any of the other paths that actually lead you to writing a more professional blog, things tend to improve. This feeds into why it can be good to celebrate milestones, as it shifts your focus away from watching and worrying about payouts.
It may seem highhanded to quote Buddah but it is relevant in this context. Approaching steemit with an outward facing focus, looking to improve others experience with votes and comments, building or actively contributing to communities, will all make steemit life a lot more satisfying. This has been my experience anyway. Acceptance is key to a lot of things in life, and by this I don't mean lying down for a beating, I'm talking about internal self acceptance of things that you cannot change. I'm a minnow, I have low steem power. I can not change any of these things. When I first accepted these realities, around 3 months into my steem journey, this is when opportunities started to arise.
The Next Milestone I Plan to Celebrate
I recently entered the steemfestdreams competition to try and win a free ticket to the ultimate steemit week of networking madness. Check out the link to the post above to read more about my project plans and reasons for wanting to attend the conference. To further elaborate on the idea of acceptance of what is, these ambitions very much reflect this ethos. I'm broke, I can't afford to go without selling a bunch of stuff or getting into debt, but all of this doesn't necessarily matter unless I build some type of idea in my head about what/why it is all so unfair. The reality is that it is what it is. I will continue to do what I've been doing on steemit regardless.
It is a strange thing but in accepting the reality of not being able to go in late June when I first considered the trip, a set of circumstances have started that seem to be conspiring to remove many of these barriers. In focusing on building my blog network, staying positive and marking milestones with a little, silly pat on the back, things just seem to be coming together. There is some quote swimming about in my head right now about the path of least resistance but I can't remember it properly. I guess it is more a case of focus and trying to be happy in what you're doing. People can feel this in your writing, even across oceans and through the binary seas of cyberspace. I am staying positive and hope to see you all at steemfest 3 in November 🙏
Here is a poem that I wrote for the steemfest dreams competition that expresses some of what it means to me to be on this road to Krakow. I hope you enjoy.
Steemfest Dreams
Dreaming of steemfest 3,
dreaming mosaic tiled miles
of domed Krakow skyline.
Dreaming our time to shine,
blockchain framed ecosystem,
enflamed binary thoughts,
sublime naughts and ones.
Dreaming of fleeting sunsets
and snowy flowing coats
draped over steeples,
floating flakes in night's
sharp embrace.
Dreaming Krakow lights,
baselines alight in celebration,
staccato flowing pinnacles
laying memories in cessation
of limitations.
Dreaming of steemfest
conversations, building
the building blocks
of our future-proof
blockchain-nation.
Dreaming of planning,
to remove poverty's trappings,
dapp-themed rapping
in decentralized avatars-
dreaming vodka
to warm the cockles,
and the northern star
winking at this
brave new world.
Dreaming of writing
my part in this steem-story,
and watching other's...
journeys unfurl.
Before I get further drawn into this freewrite, I am going to say adiós, auf wiedersehen, vaarwel, addio, au revoir, goodbye and finally do widzenia. It is time for cake and beer, after all it is my birthday 🍻🍰 😉
All images in this post are my own or linked to source beneath the pic (attributions followed). If you have enjoyed this freewrite, you can check out my other work on my homepage 
