Hello, Hivers!
I'm joining in this Hi from Hive initiative by because there were occurrences lately that made me think about what Hive means to me so far.
In figuring out how to write my post, I looked into what's Hi from Hive all about. The vision is to put personal stories behind every pin on the map.
Before sharing my story, I have to briefly introduce myself first. My name is Kaycee Ports. I'm from the Philippines, Perlas ng Silanganan (Pearl of the Orient Seas).
What do I do? I write, I travel to places, I talk to people about finances, I seek improvement. For the specifics, you can read my pinned intro post in my blog :)
So anyway. Right. My personal story with Hive.
How I Met Hive
The rescue ride
I joined Hive after being invited by in June 2020, but I only showed up when I posted my intro post in July. But it's not the first time I've heard of Hive. I knew it was associated with Steemit back in 2018 through my friends who kept inviting me.
Join the blog, they said. You'll earn, they said.
I was interested, but it was fleeting. I already do a few freelance writing gigs before, so I know I could write. I just didn't join because it was the hype. I notice I seldom join the bandwagon. I'm that gal who becomes interested when it's stale already. Or maybe I didn't join because I'm scared to be seen.
But when the opportunity knocked on my door again, it was during my solo quarantine days when it dawned on me that I was living a boring life. How did I realize that? Social media.
My best friend is prospering in this pandemic. Posting achievements and initiatives. I felt proud of her but felt sorry for myself. Because she's one of the special people in my life, I was honest and told her I felt envious of her daring. The talk after that was one of the most treasured moments of my life.
Someone else's daring provides an uncomfortable mirror that reflects back our own fears about showing up, creating, and letting ourselves be seen.
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-Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
I'm still at the same company that I promised I would leave already. I'm still reading personal development books--theories that are all in my head, no actual manifestations. I'm still terrified of video/calls. I'm still far from my weight goal. I'm still fucking single 🤣.
I AM STILL. I don't wanna be still anymore. I have to move forward.
So, I started moving. I joined a freelancing course for PHP 6,000. Then, I accepted Kim's invite to this blogging platform; I took it as my rescue ride out of the stillness. For the longest time, I wanted to start a blog. Now, I'm writing about Hive.
And so, Hive has been a part of my milestones this year. I have finally turned the STILL into DOING. Why am I here in Hive? Because I want to blog. I want to write and engage with different kinds of people. I want to have the courage to show up and be seen. Hive is my daring greatly.
That online course and Hive were the sparks to the fire. Now, I have started to take on things that I'm terrified of before. I'm finally moving, and it sucks that I needed the pandemic to take action.
What is HIVE to me
A pool of quality ideas
In my third month of being in this community, I have appreciated the ingenuity of earning through blogging. I knew bloggers could earn through directing traffic to their site or doing affiliate marketing. But here, it's different. It's an avenue for just about anything.
I see people sharing lovely artworks I'm envious of.
I see insights about cryptocurrencies; it still makes me dizzy thinking about it, but I appreciate Hivers explaining the complicated stuff into digestible bits.
I see great writing tips and good habits that I may apply to my own to be better.
I see artists doing lovely song covers and playing instruments.
I see a few motivational/inspiring/self-improvement posts which I'm totally up for. I think Hive could still wield stronger support for this kind of community.
Of course, the Hive travel communities #haveyoubeenhere #travelfeed. Even with this fucking pandemic, I feel like I could travel the world just by looking at 's travel digests.
Most exciting of all, I get to see my Hive username out there when my HBD is converted into PHP through 's initiative! I mean, who would've thought just answering a few questions and posing for a few pictures would earn you money--something they didn't ask for or expected.
So, I'd have to agree with that there is no social media quite like what we have here. I'm lucky to be a part of the Hive community.
What Hive has taught me
To embrace the discomfort for growth
Although I do not fully understand the extent of it, my friends say that my trajectory here in Hive was pleasantly surprising. Which is a lot of pressure. Nobody told me to sustain it, but I'm just always doing my best.
I guess it's because I'm a newbie and I had a lot of help to begin with. I still have more stages to go through. My perspective changes when it comes to rewards. I asked the friends who invited me before why they're not active anymore. The culprit is always the rewards. It was messing with their heads. And it's beginning to mess with mine 😅
Despite me telling myself multiple times that I didn't get onboard Hive just because I wanted to earn, my emotions action signals tell me otherwise. Why am I affected when I'm not only here to earn? Who said I was entitled to the upvotes? Why am I seeking validation from the numbers at the bottom right of every post? Why am I tying my worth to numbers? If you have been doing this for a long while and you somehow skipped this stage of self-doubt, how to be you po? Sana all 😂
A tad bit melodramatic? Overthinking is my favorite pastime. So.
I'm still navigating my thoughts on this. Sometimes I care--that's when I feel I'm disoriented, and sometimes I don't--that's when I feel I'm getting the hang of this. It's an ongoing war in my head. But, I take comfort knowing this:
If you're not uncomfortable, then you're not learning.
Why Am I in Hive?
Hive might be part of my ikigai
I've mentioned that I've invested PHP 6,000 (discounted price) in an online course. In one of its modules, I was introduced to the concept of ikigai (pronounced as ee-kee-gay). For a long time now, I've been meaning to find the right timing to share this. I guess this is the right post.
Ikigai in Japanese means "reason for being". Deep shit, right? Haha! This was the first module of the online course: we must know our ikigai. For me, it applies to life in general. It's your compass to success.
I remember one scene in "Captain America: Civil War" where Iron Man was recruiting Spiderman to his team.
Why are you doing this? I gotta know. What's your MO? What gets you out of that twin bed in the morning?
Tony Stark might've just asked Spiderman what's his ikigai.
I shared this so that we can all find our MO in life. Our modus operandi. Our method of operating.
Discover in yourself what you love, what you are good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs. If you have a recurring answer to all of these questions, that that might be your passion.
What I love: writing
What I'm good at: writing
What you can be paid for: blogging in Hive
What the world needs: Connection and belonging. Achievable through words.
So, why am I in Hive?
Because Hive might be part of my ikigai. It's still early to tell if it's really part of my ikigai. But, I figured it's worth the shot to commit.
To be in it for the long haul.
Only one way to find out. Let's see.
✨ END ✨
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