Designed On Canb
Joining Hive was one of the things I took a very long time to consider. My friend 
In those days, Ponzi schemes were flying everywhere. They were popularly called “online investments.” I got scammed around that time in one of the projects, so it became very difficult for me to open up to digital opportunities.
My friend played a very good role by persisting, even when I started a teaching job around 2022, he still didn't give up, but continued suggesting I give Hive a chance.
Eventually, I gave in around May, 2022. One of the reasons why I decided to give it a try was because he said, “there is a niche for writers, and you don't need to be skilled at it, you will learn while you earn.”
That was quite enticing for someone like me who loves to be invincible while I share my thoughts with the world.
To be frank, the beginning was tough, but one thing that helped me survive when I joined Hive Blockchain was the fact that I came to the platform to improve my writing skills and not necessarily to earn.
I was in need of money at that time but my focus was not really on money. Something in me was telling me, “what you have is not yet enough to fetch you money, so focus on learning first.” And I yielded to that inner voice.
My introductory post was voted $10. I was very excited when I saw it. I felt like “yes, I wrote well,” hehehe.
A week later, I wrote motivational fiction. It was not arranged, had no dialogue, and was littered with typos. I submitted it to the OCD community.
Each time I read that post, I feel like hiding my head in the earth. Well, I didn't get any upvotes, and there were no comments either.
Initially, I thought I would get negative feedback with a serious warning to adjust or be thrown out, but nothing came. I was quite scared, but I didn't quit.
It was not long before I was introduced to the Hive learners community, and that was when everything changed.
I met professional writers, people who wrote as if writing was placed in their brains when they were born.
At first, I was demotivated because I compared myself with them and I saw how little I was. But I was determined to learn, so I kept writing.
I struggled with a few things: meeting up with word counts, spelling errors, and the likes but with time i improved.
What helped me the most was the fact that I picked certain authors whose content I like, and dedicated my time to engaging with their content.
Along the line, I realized that I was learning. Their contents became my teacher and took my writing skills to another level.
Although the Hive learners community is strict, it always motivates its members with rewards, even if their content is the least of all.
Imagine you wrote something, feeling inferior, yet the content was still appreciated. What a unique way to encourage learners.
For my first withdrawal, I can't really remember what I did with it, but I know that I bought a phone within three to four months after I started blogging and a larger portion of the money came from Hive.
It might not sound big to you, but at that time, I was someone who could barely afford $2 in a week. But within a small period of time on Hive, I bought a phone worth almost $50.
I started taking certain financial responsibilities at home and I handled all my bills by myself, and all the money came from Hive. That's a breakthrough!
So far, what I can say is that my journey on Hive Blockchain is a wonderful one. I came as a complete novice in writing, but I was transformed not into a pro yet, but into a writer that I am proud of.
I came financially broken, but my financial life was transformed. If I tell you the kind of projects I was able to do with my Hive earnings, you would be amazed.
I made friends, friends who turned into family. They are one of the best things that happened to me on Hive.
And I was empowered with knowledge on cryptocurrency, which I am using even outside the Blockchain.
It was on Hive that I learned about Binance and other trading exchanges. It was on Hive that I learned about stable coins, how to convert tokens, how to buy tokens, and how to stake for more returns.
Although I was not privileged to be part of those who experienced Steemit, I feel very lucky to have joined the train in the days of Hive.