Steemit Inspiration - Contest Entry for @rodeo670 Crypto Contest

Wow... two back to back contests for me. This seems odd. I haven't entered many contests lately, but when good people run good contests, I guess it draws me out of the woodwork.

For this one Hive account@rodeo670 poses the question, "What Does Steemit Mean To You, and how Crypto Currencies have changed your life."

So I get to cheat a little bit here and copy part of my answer directly from my Humans of Steemit Interview where the question of how I found Steemit came up. Here's my response to that question:

I found Steem, probably the same way a lot of people do. I was researching Crypto. Every search I did kept feeding me these articles that were written on this Steem platform. At the time I was trying to research this junk coin ICO (Plexcoin) that I kept seeing ads for on Facebook. Once I started exploring the platform, it was everything the writer in me was missing. I came for Crypto information, stayed to write fiction, and then somehow wound up a Curator. My mind is pretty adaptable, and I come up with some pretty crazy stuff, so I am very happy that one of the people I found to follow was Hive account@stellabelle. Somehow we connected (through her Facebook chatbot really), and that's been a big blast off point to my Steem existance.

What is Steemit to me? Well let's list the bullet points:

• It is an avenue for my writing, giving me a place to write what I want, when I want.
• It is an educational platform where I can learn about just about any topic I can come up with.
• It is a place where I can meet people from all over the world, without leaving the comforts of home.
• It is a socialization platform for introverts to get out of their comfort zone while still being comfortable.
• And yes, of course, it is a way to make some crypto money.

Steem has been, for me, the entry point into Crypto. I have invested some of my own money in to Steem and a few other crypto, but my Steem Power already exceeds the total value of USD I have put in to my investment. And because of post rewards I have been able to accumulate the following to diversify my holdings:

400 EOS
3600 SMART
1022 NXT
125 VERT
155 BUILDTEAM Tokens (Vested)

I haven't done the figures today, but I believe these plus the dust of other coins I have add up to over $10,000 USD in current holdings. All created from my investment of less that 1/5th of that amount. Not bad for 4 months work huh?

How has it changed my life? Well I am not living off of Steem if that's the question. I don't anticipate living off of my investments any time soon, though I do enjoy the dream of one day doing just that.

Talking to dreamers and idealists about having a debt free life helps me to realize that if we continue to invest in ourselves, and working toward that goal, it can be a reality. Crypto could pay off my mortgage. That, for me, would be the dream come true.

_{Image from Hive account@marty-art}

Without Steem I would not know what a Slothicorn was, let alone be one. Getting to work on a project with a creative mind like Hive account@stellabelle has been nothing short of amazing. She has so many ideas, and so much going on in her head at any given time. Voice recorders were made for this girl ya'll, I feel like she needs to record everything she thinks because you never know when the next great idea is going to come out. She is not afraid of risk or challenge, and is working every day to make the debt free life a reality for all of us.

Without Steem I would not have met and hada working relationship with a guy like Hive account@inquiringtimes. Another amazingly intelligent individual, but if I saw him on the street, I probably would never have spoken to him. We are from two very different walks of life. There's nothing wrong with that, and when it comes right down to it, in public I really kind of avoid everyone, but of the people I have met here, the relationship with IT is probably one of the oddest based on our "Real Life" scenarios.

Without Steem I would not have received Steem Cards from Romania or had one of those cards made in my honor:

Hive account@fishmon is, I believe, more talented than he knows. And a very good guy to boot! He's worth a follow if you haven't seen his Steemit Card series. There's some brilliant work in there!

I also never would have sent postcards to a Mannequin in Switzerland. Or bought Steemit Silver Rounds.

This adventure, I believe, has only just started. Whether my Crypto go up or down, or even if I lose it all, I will have done well in just the adventure and relationships I have created on this platform. This has been one hell of a ride so far, and I don't think we have even gone over the first hill on the roller coaster yet!

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope this Holiday Season finds you well, and on your way to your own happiness! Finding this platform is, I hope, a blessing for all of us that will pay off in the long run. Enjoy it! We're on the path to greatness!

Thanks to Hive account@rodeo670 for holding this contest. There are (as of this writing) a few more hours to get an entry in, so head over to Contest Entry Post and get in on the game. Great prizes to be won!

As always, Thank you to all of my followers who are on this journey with me. Without you putting eyes on my posts, none of this would have any value. You make it worth doing! So Thanks to all of you!!