The musician in me (classical piano, orchestration & composition at university level) has been trained toward harmony - the resolution of dissonance to a satisfying harmonic conclusion. The writer in me loves the political edge of Steemit and the ability to engage with an audience which is edgy and both appreciates and rewards my voice. While the entrepreneurial mom in me is seeking always to reduce interruption, reduce online notifications and cut down idle screen time so I can be more "productive".
And so, as I have been finding my steem-feet, the option of discord came up. Initially I was anti. My phone is already full of apps eating every G of memory, my laptop usually has at least 12 tabs open and I want to interface less with that world, not more. But my good friend 
The arrival of GINAbot into my world was not without incident. Haha. You can read about that here: https://steemit.com/ginabot/@artemislives/who-needs-sex-toys-when-you-have-a-bot-named-gina
But she's here to stay and although she doesn't make coffee, she HAS made my steem experience so much smoother, efficient and, yes, lucrative. Albeit still in a newbie-tiny-pay-out-kinda-way.
And so here we are, also moving house and business this week. Time is being squeezed and a few corners are having to be cut and I simply haven't had time to explore all the little features of what discord can do. And so "the noise" has just stayed on its 'factory setting'.
The first night my daughter looked up. "Mama, what's that noise?" And it was discord, blipping away semi-quietly in the corner of the room. The second and third nights it irritated me, frankly, and I made a mental note to create a window of time to turn off the audible sound. And then a few days passed as we have been packing and running hard, and it didn't happen.
And then last night, the pivot point came.
I was sitting in the living room with my daughter, sorting papers and packing boxes. And it was blipping.
"Hey, mama - it's like an alarm to tell you you made some money!" said my 13 year old daughter, who is preparing to start on steem herself. "Is that $1 every time it blips?"
"Haha no, sweetie... probably half or 1 cent each time you hear it. Mama is still getting her steem mojo happening."
And so we started laughing every time it blipped. 1. 2. no, 3 cents. haha, 4!
As we packed and chuckled and worked companionably, it struck me that the discord 'noise' is like a meditation bell in a world of chaos. While the Messenger, Facebook, Instagram et al notification noises are about not missing out, being endlessly online and being summoned back to the screen to give a little more of yourself away for free, the discord blip is literally gently giving me an affirmation that my time has value and my energy is rewarded.
And so, for now, I have decided to leave the noise on. To focus my attention on that energy of creation being rewarded. Of my time being worth something. When it goes quiet, as it has a bit this evening, I am reminded that it is my active choice to engage which stimulates the responses and rewards. And so after posting this, I will check out my feed to see who's 'out there' posting and giving.
The irritation of the discord notification "blips" has given way to a whole new harmonious appreciation of choosing to ENJOY being reminded that what I am doing is working, that people are reading and commenting and upvoting.
Not using discord or GINAbot yet? Think about it - I have found it a great move. And if I can navigate the technicalities (albeit with a little online hand-holding) and get it happening, anyone can.
Gratitude to our Steemit Mastermind Group, encouraged and led by 
