It's a bit misleading.

In July of last year I was browsing around the crypto world when I came across a podcast with Dan Larimer. The host of the podcast introduced @Dan alongside some of the projects he had successfully launched. This was the first time I heard about the steem blockchain and the social media platform steemit.

After the podcast was over I immediately went to steemit to create an account so that I could explore everything it had to offer. I always wanted to start a blog and the steemit platform sounded like the place for me. After clicking around for a while I felt motivated to try and write my first post. I clicked on the editor to find out you needed to use HTML in order to format a successful post. This is when my enthusiasm hit a brick wall leading me to logout of my account and not return for 10 months.

I know it sounds a bit dramatic. Was the built in editor that difficult to use? Probably not, but I perceived it to be and like they say perception is reality. In a world where most people are using simple tools in Microsoft Word to format papers the HTML editor seemed like a mountain to climb. I could go into further detail why this may still be an issue when on boarding new users, but I will save that for another post.

That perceived barrier combined with my life getting extremely busy at the time lead me to forget about steemit until about three months ago when I decided to log back in and see what updates had been made. This time around I forced myself to start writing immediately and I've been enjoying every minute of it. I can officially say without a doubt I am here to stay.

The value of goal setting.

My journey over the past couple of months on steemit has been a positive one. From rebooting the creative side of my personality in attempt to produce quality content to joining some great communities full of good people. Some would look back and kick themselves over this missed opportunities from not logging in for 10 months, but I'm only looking forward at what is to come.

When pursuing something in life it's important to set goals or checkpoints along the way. They provide an indication of whether or not you are on the right path. Conventional wisdom would have you believe its good to share those goals with others so that they hold you accountable. Research is showing that is actually false and you are less likely to achieve your goals once you make them public. Below is a quick TED talk that supports this theory.

After hitting on a brilliant new life plan, our first instinct is to tell someone, but Derek Sivers says it's better to keep goals secret. He presents research stretching as far back as the 1920s to show why people who talk about their ambitions may be less likely to achieve them. Derek Sivers

Thus far I have already accomplished a few goals I set for myself here on the platform. I have a running list of steemit goals tucked away from everyones eyes that I intend to accomplish over the coming months and I would encourage you to do the same. Here are a few I've completed so far on my journey:

As you will notice they are all simple goals that most of you will have already accomplished. That is part of the design. Constructing attainable short term goals that will ultimately lead you to your long term goal is vital to your success. The confidence boost you receive from completing the short term goal will help propel you along the path towards your prize in the sky. Even if that prize is a Lambo.

My first year on steemit has gone by in the blink of an eye, but I guess that is what happens when you don't login for 10 months. 🙃