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Giving up is too easy! The hard thing is to put in a bit of effort to achieve your goals. Frustrations and challenges are part of our development in all phases of our lives. It is up to you to prove to YOURSELF that you are capable of sticking your head up and pushing through the struggles and the pain and come through the other end a stronger person.
Did I forget to wish you all a Merry Christmas…
Before we go any further, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas holiday like I did. Four days in the rurals without a decent internet connection ensured that I evaded the online community and joined the humans down on earth.
I can’t complain though.
Those were the best four days of internet detox that I have ever had except for that one day I mixed too many types of meals and I was confined to the toilet for a good 30 minutes.
It was definitely worth it!
I am now back to the capital, Nairobi. Back to the grind and back on Steemit. I love it here.
Let’s get back into it – The Steemit Dip!
What is ‘The Dip’?
Most of us who started out on Steemit with nothing in investments have probably experienced this or are still experiencing this.
The Dip is hostile. It is painful. It is brutal. It is that prolonged period of time where you are earning almost nothing or nothing at all right after you were claiming some good rewards on your posts.
This is probably the only thing most of us on Steemit have in common.
The Dip hits hard especially for someone who joins Steemit and only sees it as a place to make money fast.
Unfortunately, the highest number of people that join Steemit fall in this category and therefore, that means that most wallets that are created are normally left dormant when they eventually say,”F*** it!” They pull the plug and run off to put all their money on Bitcoin.
Coincidentally, this is also a major advantage. A simple illustration would be Bitcoin and what happened in the so-called ‘crash’.
The price pushed up so far up and was visibly straddled on fragile stilts. When the price experienced a bit of a jolt those stilts broke as fickle trades pulled out their money. [I don't blame them] Most were looking for a quick profit in the hype leaving most of the speculators who got in when the price was high with a devalued investment.
The Dip, in this case, acts like a sieve. Those who do not really believe in the Steem dream and what we can achieve with such an amazing blockchain will quickly fall off on the wayside while those who believe and are strong-willed will push through this low and earn the rewards that lie ahead.
A Case Study of My Own Experience
Introductory post
What attracted me to Steemit was the opportunity to make money. I was part of that school of thought. The massive amounts on most of the posts I saw assured me that I would never have to work very hard again. Never!
Ridiculous, right?
When I made my introductory post that is when reality hit me. I made about a dollar and even less once I claimed the rewards after the seven days. Nevertheless, I did not give up. I thought that I could do better.
Quite discouraging earning nothing.
The next posts after that literally earned ZERO! It was so frustrating. I thought speaking about what was happening in my country would appeal to most people but the truth is nobody could really relate. Probably more like, nobody was really interested in the politics in my country and I don't blame them.
Most people do not even know what is happening in their own country so why should they be bothered with what happens in mine?
Genuinely trying to raise some money for a good cause. Ended up using money from some freelance work I did here on Steemit.
People want to be able to relate to what you post.
This is something I figured out much later after I had taken a bit of a hiatus away from Steemit.
I was looking for a way I could make more money online and I figured that Steemit could not offer me that, at least at the moment.
It was around this time that I decided to get back and try my luck again. I had just watched a video by @JerryBanfield and I felt convinced that I was letting go of a very good opportunity.
Started seeing some growth. Interacting with people in the community and providing value has been the key for me
My thinking changed completely and I starting viewing Steemit as a community. An investment in something that could change lives all over the world in the USA, Europe and especially in Africa.
It became a learning environment for me that has helped expand not only the way I think but has also challenged me to explore further into programming and building applications on the Steem Blockchain by collaborating and learning from my betters like I am doing right now.
My Challenge to You! What is your Steemit goal?
Yes! You definitely want to make money and you probably need that money.
However, if the Steemit community implodes in the near future [God forbid] what value will you have drawn from it?
Can you confidently say that you have expanded your horizons? Have you learned something new? Have you acquired a new skill?
Money does not last forever! You know that. Knowledge, however, lasts forever!
Think about it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and I hope you pulled some value from it.
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