I had no idea this place was going to be this influential on me when I joined in mid-July 2016. Not so much in recent weeks/months, but on the majority over the past 2 years in total I give it credit for a large portion of the things I've done.
It allowed me to take off nearly an entire year from work, which couldn't have been timed better considering some of the things that happened during that time, such as losing mom. I don't think I could've worked during that time since most places only let you take off a week to grieve. A week wouldn't have been enough.
Steem allowed me to take time to learn more about the cryptosphere in general, which I find to be powerful knowledge. It also allowed me to expand my creative side a bit with podcasts and art/video/audio projects, etc.
It allowed me to be me.
I haven't been terribly active for the past few months since I started going to work again, but I believe I may be better for it for the time being. My presence, activity, and availability may be sparse for now, but I'm never too far away. I do plan on coming back on a more regular basis, and when I do I plan to really invest in Steem (and other coins) rather than simply posting to earn and then withdraw.
Yes, I am currently powering down, unfortunately. But this is currently by necessity. I don't want to power down, and I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't need it. That's my own fault. I put myself in the position to have to need it. The good news is that it's temporary, and when I invest it'll be to power back up. I once was at a Steem Power level of between 8k and 9k. Compared to many that doesn't seem like much, but that was my peak. I hope to deeply bury that figure by this time next year.
It'll be interesting to see where this platform is by then.