Just Do It, Now.
Easier said than done. You see life has a tipping point, a place where you've pushed so far it has no choice but to react. That's right, life will respond to you when you become assertive and focused. You won't always know what to do, that is fine, keep failing forward.
"I post daily but don't get noticed or rewarded" - This type of mindset will never get one ahead. The truth is life is not fair, it's a capitalistic setup, the flower that grows the highest receives the sunlight, the rest can die in darkness for all nature cares. I shifted my focus long ago from what I got out of something to what I can put into something.
You see, when I first started producing content, when it went unnoticed I didn't quit. I harnessed whatever emotion I had to make stronger material. This was my conveyor belt to success, no money needed, only recycled emotion and a will to not settle for being average.
I'm the type to keep punching the wall until it breaks or I break, either way, something is going to give. Life simply can't stop us, we have infinite awareness and the ability to bring out our natural superhero. The power of consistency, the skill of showing up, the mentality of "bring it on." Enjoying the process, not worried what the house will eventually look like, but appreciating every wall built.
Be what you want to see in the world. Do what you want to be done by others. Be the light when everything else is dark. The butter to Steem's toast is content creators. Not everyone has an awareness of persistence, some hit the wall once, feel some pain, and stay trapped forever within those walls. People sometimes just need a door installed and shown the way out. - I don't ask why others do this or that, I fucking step up, and I show up.
There is no reason why every badass "introduce yourself" post shouldn't have at least a few bucks in upvotes. For every new person with a good experience is a trail of hundreds. It starts with the roots, the good experiences.
Our innate nature to survive, to cling. We must understand giving is receiving. The more you give, the more you get in return. Nowhere in this world do we have the power to give without actually having to lose, except here. It's interesting to see human nature, and how some hoard, some abuse, but then some empower, some give more then they receive. I am no saint and would want to be the last person to give anyone advice on anything. I'm speaking my mind, and for those that can relate, cool beans.
We have to have a bit of backbone and keep on walking even when it's challenging. Monopolies are forming all around us, and people tend to think freedom is something that is a guaranteed right. Wake up! There're powers out there that don't have our best interest in mind; this isn't about your bloody self-upvote mates, this is about the future of humanity!
The centralization of power has never been higher, we thought the internet would free us, but it has only allowed big corporations to monopolize every aspect of our daily lives. Love him or hate him but @Dan built a safe haven, and although it isn't perfect, it's what we have. If you think breaking Steem down and redoing it will change anything, no, it won't.
For the most part, humans are pretty fucking greedy, scared of pain, afraid to speak up for what they believe in. We'll always see whales that only upvote themselves, people selling bids on the open market, downvote wars, and piss fights.
We will always have sheep that follow the wolves to slaughter. Steemit is just another example of human nature. But guess what? You can't silence me on here, you can't ban my account. Downvote me to hell, I don't care.
People that want to read my writing or watch my videos will come to find me wherever it is. Uncollapsing an answer isn't hard, but banning my account, now that is the dagger in the heart. When you censor people by banning them, it's game over.
The point I am trying to make is, this isn't a time to take things for granted, get lackadaisical and sit back until it feels convenient. Steem is ahead of the game, in before anyone else, the Facebook and Youtube's of the world. We have a fighting chance to come together as a community and really make a difference. Remember, giving is better than receiving. Go upvote some new content, give to an upvote bot that really cares about our platform and performs rigorous whitelisting to assure great content is being seen and appreciated. We all don't have time to effectively use our steempower to ensure it goes to good and not bad (sitting on the sidelines is as good as bad). We just need to make sure these powerful upvote bots are helping find deserving content, this is a massive win for everyone.
I don't know about you, but this is a website I take pride in, a place I can hang my hat and call home. I plan to bring many projects to SMT's and helping spread awareness to more prominent investors. This is a living ecosystem, and passive investors that lock up a lot of Steem in steempower can really help stabilize the economy, it's just up to us as a community to make sure the ones that wield the most influence are being held accountable. Having a ton of steempower is one thing, but reputation is long lasting, and no amount of money can buy one's respect.
I know many have put in years of work for this platform. Given way more then they have received. To those people, I say thank you. I show my appreciation with my vote if you're a witness, or my upvote if you're a content producer.
To bring this to a close. Give more then you receive. Be grateful every day. Awareness is power. Compassion is a strength. It's not what you do when the sun shines that matters, but what value you can provide during harsh times. Reap what you sow; we have a real chance here to change the world. What are you going to do about it?
