MY ADVICE TO YOU - IN CASE YOU WANTED TO KNOW

NOTHING IS GUARANTEED, BUT YOU HAVE POTENTIAL

The purpose of this post is simple. It's a pep talk. Maybe it's for you, maybe it's for me. Anyway, I just wanted to help you "get your head right" as you head into this new year. Also, this is a #steemit related post, in case you were wondering.

OVERCOME DISCOURAGEMENT

The very first thing that I'll shout at you time and time again is to overcome discouragement. Many, many people have become disappointed here on steemit and quit. Unfortunately, there are even many wallets with hundreds or thousands of dollars just sitting vacant, since the owners moved on and forgot about steemit, at least for now. It's sad, but true, and it could happen to you. In frustrating times, I have often been asked if I ever felt like quitting. Every time that I have been asked this, I have shared honestly and openly. Has

Hive account@papa-pepper ever thought about quitting steemit? YES. Really? Absolutely. Actually, I used to seriously think about quitting every two or three days.

Sure, we can see that I'm glad I never did quit, but discouragement can tempt any of us. It is also worth mentioning, that MONEY is NOT always what discourages people. Sure, you may spend a long time on a post and get a few views and a few cents while others post a meme and make bank, which can be discouraging, but other discouragement can come too. There has been more than once when I was tempted to quit and leave just because of interactions with others. We are a global community with a lot of different worldviews, faiths, beliefs, opinions, and ideas. Thankfully a lot of the interaction here on steemit has been amazing, but such is not always the case. A few times I've received comments and replies that I'd rather not deal with. These were also discouraging times for me. Again, thank fully I never did quit.

To wrap up this section, I'll share this simple truth. If you quit there is NO CHANCE that you will succeed.

YOU CAN ONLY CONTROL A VERY LITTLE BIT

Remember this above all. You are not even close to being in control of most things. First of all, grasp this concept and understand. Here are a few things that you cannot control.

You cannot control if whales vote for your posts. You can't even control if minnows do. You can't control if anyone sees your post. You can't control who chooses to follow you. You can't control if anyone flags your post. You can't control the value of any crypto including BTC, SBD and STEEM.

Understanding this should help you as you move forward. There are a lot of variables that you cannot control. Now that you understand that, let's talk about what you can control. You can control yourself, and what you do. I've seen a lot of people do a horrible job at this, and they reaped what they sowed. Some have completely destroyed their accounts and sabotaged themselves, effectually committing STEEMICIDE. Their usernames and account are forever tainted because of their previous actions. You can control your actions. You can control what posts you comment on, and what you say in your comments. You can control how you reply to the comments on your posts. You can control what posts you upvote. You can control what you post on, and how you make your posts.

Hopefully, you are beginning to understand a little bit about "your jurisdiction." Basically, you should be under your own control, and choosing wisely what you do, or don't do.

IT'S A BLOCKCHAIN

Please remember that whatever you post here is "forever" recorded in the blockchain. I'd recommend some of the following. If you think about these things ahead of time, it may help you later.

Don't incriminate yourself. This is one of those things that some think should go without saying, but it seems like it still needs to be said. If you are up to illegal things, maybe it's best not to post them on the internet, much less on the blockchain. If you don't want something coming back to haunt you, maybe it would be best not to make it public knowledge. That's just my suggestion; you know best. Watch your interactions. Everyone can get offended, discouraged, or have a bad day. Still, it may be best not to act like a complete jerk-face. Any comment you make will be forever documented. Any angry rant post that you make will also be. I've seen too many choose to act foolishly or even idiotically on the blockchain not to at least mention it here.

PROGRESS

I'll end with this potentially more encouraging bit. You need to measure your own progress to succeed. If you learn anything valid, apply it. If you earn anything for your posts and comments, it'll be more than you started with. If you make a friend, that may be priceless.

Here, we have incredible potential and the opportunity is amazing. Any improvement that you make is progress, so remember that. You may never get rich, but you're most likely at least getting paid. You may never have the most followers but you are most likely making friends. Also, you're still here, which means that you haven't quit... that means that there is still hope for you. Steem on.

Until next time…

Don’t waste your time online, invest it with steemit.com

GIF provided by Hive account@orelmely