Ahhhhhhhh Yes!

Its great to be back!

It feels so good to be back here and feel the thriving energy and enthusiasm for life with all you fellow Steemians!

In my “Hey Im Back” post yesterday, I said I would give a basic recap of my last 8 months traveling and then write an in-depth article on the facets people were most interested in...and while I am still going to do that, I find my self WANTING to just write about how awesome Steemit is! hahahhahahahaha

(speaking to people about steemit at a Steemit Meetup organized in Dallas, sporting epic steemit gear available on PeerHub or by custom order)

One thing I have learned in life is that it is best to do what we feel most inspired by, most motivated to, and what comes easiest (as long as that does not compromise ideals, which I am an extremist in living to). 

So here I am writing now about HOW GREAT IT IS TO BE HERE ON STEEMIT! 

(This photo is from a Steemit meet up I did at a festival, sporting epic steemit gear available on PeerHub or by custom order)

Ever since I first heard about Steemit, I knew the potential was revolutionary. I wrote about it extensively, talked about it, hosted meet ups about it, and made lots of posts. I have seen the ups and downs, not just in the $ value of Steem but also in how happy people are with Steemit. 

It is obvious the attitude of most (not all) Steemians is based on the value of $steem and thus the earnings of their posts. Can't really blame people for that much and it doesn’t surprise me either. 

With that being said, the greatest success I have had in my life has had nothing to do with making money, but striving to live by my ideals of improving this earth for not just humans but all of life itself. 

I have taken that same approach with Steemit. I was sure to post about important topics and put real focus on my posts even when they were not making much $. I also always believed in Steemit and tried to rally everyone to the revolutionary potential of Steemit even when moral and $steem value was low. I helped educate people who had never heard of Steemit or even cryptocurrency. Even when people would try and convince me it was a ponzi scheme or the such, I would reply with “it's paying out usable currency, all the code is on the blockchain, and we can make it into whatever we want…..BAM”. 

I didn’t do this to make money (though I am very grateful for that!). In fact, almost all proceeds from Steemit I have donated to Hive account@gardenofeden because I can’t think of any organization that does more with a few $ than The GOE. 

I have been so enthusiastic about Steemit because of its potential, and because that potential fits into my ideals for shaping a better world.

(Giving away free food, just some of the tens of thousands of free meals we feed every year.)

I have also noticed that many of the most valuable and influential people in this community are also the people who have believed in and dedicated themselves to improving Steemit. They are also people who have given away tickets to SteemFest or donated steem to exceptionally noble causes such as Hive account@gardenofeden or Hive account@curie Hive account@robinhoodwhales etc. 

These people are what kept Steemit going when moral and $steem value was low. They were the ones who picked people up when they were down and who kept focusing on improving rather than complaining. They are the ones who kept talking about the potential benefits, not just what's wrong. 

It's sad to think of all the SP and maybe Steem that is sitting in accounts that are being unused. Or all the people that made some bucks when the payouts were high then cashed out and didn’t return. These people are depleting the value of steem, while the people I mention earlier are the ones adding value. 

These core people are what has made Steemit what it is today. These are the people who we can ALL now THANK for the new found high payouts and thriving economy!

Steemit is also an investment, and like most investments panic sells or escape runs don’t work out to well. So rather than complain every time the value drops, or get scared it's going to fail every time something goes the way u don’t like, REMEMBER what it is that you are working for and double down and refocus. Steemit is still in its beta stages, and we are still experimenting and tweaking. Just remember that WE are the power, and the way we interact, cast our vote, and even the way we feel about this community will shape it to some degree. 

(Playing the didgeridoo on stage at a festival sporting epic steemit gear available on PeerHub or by custom order)

So I guess what I am really saying is that Steemit is like life: You get what you put in. Steemit is what you make of it. If you really want to have success, then you have to have a good cause and you have to be dedicated to that cause. 

The major difference is that with life we have been beaten, punished, locked up, scolded, bribed, taxed, licensed, regulated and basically institutionalized from birth. With Steemit on the other hand we have a clean slate based on a free market economy!

Steemit is RIPE with potential and if we work together for the BIGGER picture we will all be rich typing “LOLZ” in our underwear!

Imagine a PERFECT PICTURE RIGHT HERE

I want to give a shout out of thanks to some people who really deserve credit for being the example of why Steemit is now thriving. I am sure I will leave out PLENTY of people, that of course does not mean anything except for that I left you out haha. Just remember that YOU can do anything, and together we can be revolutionary!

Hive account@joseph is a witness and major supporter of the big picture success of Steemit. Just recently in fact he has donated not one but TWO FULL EXPENSES PAID trips to SteemFestII! WOW OH WOW the proof is in the pudding. Alocating voting $ to help people and to make Steemit a more enjoyable place!

Hive account@cryptogee has been here since the beginning and has been a part of SOO many conversations, groups and proposals it would be hard to keep track of. Not only that but has brought very intelligent and solution-oriented thoughts to thousands of people including the high ups who have had a lot of sway. The contributions to this community are worth SO much and many people have and will make a lot of money because of it. 

Hive account@thecryptofiend has been here for a long time contributing time and valuable content to this community and is STILL here doing it. He knows the real deal when he sees it

Hive account@sirwinchester has been dedicated to quality content, responding to comments and has been about as prolific and successful here on stem as you get. He has always been positive and supportive of Steemit and his fellow Steemians even in the difficult times of the Steemit economy. 

Hive account@donkeypong has been a solid contributor to Steemit for a long time and has been bringing valuable content even in the low times of Steemit. 

Hive account@hilarski is part of the OFFICIAL marketing/PR for Steemit and has helped get exposure to thousands. He is also a great guy who invests a LOT of time into making Steemit a better place for us all!

Hive account@officialfuzzy has been a big player for a very long time and has not only made valuable articles of educational value but been a part of groups, developments and important conversations. 

Hive account@riverhead has been a witness since the beginning and has always been very honorable with his great influence. I don't really know the guy too well, but even so his contributions are vast and more importantly it is obvious that these contributions are in the best interest of steemit. 

Hive account@smooth I am not sure if I have seen anyone make more comments and be a part of more discussions on the inner workings as smooth. Not only is Hive account@smooth a witness since the beginning but has been at the forefront of discussion during all the times of change good times and bad. Even when disagreeing or disliking choices or paths Steemit was taking Hive account@smooth still was involved. 

Hive account@jamesc a major investor in Steemit early on and a huge supporter of alternative, holistic and sustainable content. He has helped many people get noticed and feel the excitement of earning REAL currency rewards for their content. 

Hive account@onceuponatime has written SOO many articles and never wavered in contributing and supporting this Steemit Community. 

Hive account@ants-david started around when I did and we both had to build our presence here without any inside connections. He has been engaged with the steemit community not just with lots of posts, but with comments on others posts, being a part of initiatives, starting steemit related groups/projects and challenging shady activity. He now has over 2,5000 followers because of his keen dedication and has stuck with Steemit even through the hard times. He now has far more more followers and higher rep than I because he has been with it ever since he started holding space for the success we now all reap!

@gtg has welcomed so many people to steemit and helped so many feel welcome and get on their feet. 

@papa-pepper one of the most prolific and helpful Steemians we have EVER had here on Steemit! So many people get real value out of his highly educational and also entertaining posts. He has also run lots of contests bringing people together and donated lots of SP and steam because of his success. 

@theprophet0 the youngest witness to ever be here on Steemit and has contributed lots of Steem to @gardenofeden of which is a truly noble cause feeding tens of thousands of FREE meals a year!

@kevinwong a smart and honest guy who has contributed SOO much to this steemit community an accurate list is almost impossible!

@acidyo someone who I have gotten along with, had some good conversations with and who has made a lot of posts with real value even if controversial, that helps set the standard for what posts of value have here in this community. He has also investigated things that need to be investigated, asked hard questions and brought critical thinking to the community. 

@steemrollin the founder of PeerHub of which has so much potential to not only help the Steemit economy and value of $steem but to shift the economy of the world as a whole. Regardless of if PeerHub is the platform to do it or not the idea is sound and has the potential for  such power.

 @tuck-fheman haven't had many personal conversations with the infamous account but there are very few if any who have stirred things up more here in Steemit and who have a piercing intelligence of which is very difficult to challenge. Not only that but no matter the challenge u have not backed down and even risked flags from whales and even other accounts hating ur account haha. U have been keeping it real since the very beginning. 

@infovore u have helped so many people get exposure and brought the community together while being generous and humble. I know because u have treated me that way and have seen u treat many others this way too. I hope to reconnect with you and help make this Steemit Community better than ever!

@ausbitbank has really been involved in shaping the consensus of Steemit, been a part of the important discussions and thinking outside the box. So many hours spent having conversations about how to improve Steemit and was there when the economy was at its worst.  Hope ur still keeping it real, challenging what needs to be challenging and bring sound logic and research to Steemit! Appreciate so much that u have done for holding high standards for this community. 

@pfunk though u remain infamous your actions have shown how much you care and live to your ideals. Your contributions to the growth and enjoyment of this community is great. You have sponsored so many contests and donated so much $steem and ur not even a whale! Cheers to ya bro!

@benjojo hope ur still making those cool and unique comics and bringing the best out in other artists as well. All those collaborations have helped bring many together. 

@roelandp Thank you SO much for getting the first SteemFest together, I heard it was amazing! Hope To make it this year and experience the awesomeness first hand! SteemFest did a lot of good for Steemit. 

@richardcrill has contributed SO much time to this community. Answering questions, going advise and proposing solutions. Not to mention being a nice a helpful all around guy. 

@saramiller has been rocking Steemit with Epic Steemit Gear, Yoga Wisdom and supporting the expansion and well being of The Garden of Eden here on Steemit for almost a year now! She went to the very first SteemFest, supported it and helped it to be as successful as it was.

@everlove who has contributed so much friendship, joy and creativity to Steemit with all her art collaborations, photography and peaceful healthy wisdom! She is loved by many and uplifts the spirits of this community. 

Hive account@gardenofeden has written hundreds of highly education and valuable articles on health, sustainable living, and the thousands of meals fed for FREE to those in need, greatly increased by the proceeds from Steemit. The GOE invests 100% of all $steem to helping not just people but the eco system of the entire earth. Hive account@gardenofeden has also made hundreds of hand made sustainable Steemit Fashion Items and has the MOST items listed on PeerHub which is a peer to peer no fee no tax not regulated product listing site where u can actually purchase REAL items for $steem! Hive account@gardenofeden has hosted meetups and gotten hundreds to join Steemit.  The GOE has written extensively about how awesome Steemit it and contributed to the never ending debates on how it should work, what the problems are and most IMPORTANTLY what the solutions are. 

OK OK OK, now I feel complete with writing about how awesome Steemit and these Steeminas are, and as I said no disrespect to anyone I forgot as I am just writing all this off the top of my head. YOU can be as big a part of this budding community as YOU embody!