A couple of years ago, there was a point where I was struggling in my life where I wanted to find something new to do. So I opened my web browser and searched: "how to make money online". I was looking through all the different sites but they weren't worth doing if I were to try and make a living out of it.
I eventually stumbled across an online blog that mentioned Steemit. I was already familiar with Bitcoin at the time when I was reading the blog, it said that Steemit was a blogging platform that was built on the blockchain. That created a spark in my head so I decided to check it out. It was a bit confusing at first so I searched around and found some helpful articles and there weren't many at the time but I was able to figure things out as I went along.
A year and a half later, here I am still Steemin' on and there have been many positive things that have happened to me since I began on the Steem platform.
Learning
I was never into social media prior to Steem nor was I familiar with coding. When I dug in more deeper I began to learn a whole new ecosystem that was being developed. Blockchain was a concept I was able to grasp but learning to understand it on a technical level open my mind.
There are many times I would hear "Steemit, inc should do this" and I admit, I would say stuff like that all the time when I first started as if I knew how to develop a social media site and a blockchain. As I began to understand the technical part of blockchain technology(still learning), the functions of the platform made more and more sense.
Not only was I learning about blockchain technology and the platform, but also gaining knowledge in all types of categories from user's blogs. Of course, you can get that from blogs that aren't on Steem but there was something that made blogs on Steem stand out in regards to information. A lot of Steem users tend to be crypto savvy and in a lot of other things in life. It is very educational to read many blogs on Steem from the information they provided.
Learning to Code
Learning the technicals sparked my interest into coding. I had almost no coding skills prior to joining Steem and inspired me to take the initiative to learn some coding languages.
I am still early in learning a coding language since I have other priorities at the moment but learning little by little. Some coders have told me to start with learning Python since it was quite easy and one of the most popular coding language but I like to challenge myself so I decided to try and learn Ruby. I know a couple developers that write in Ruby and I liked how well their code runs so that was partly why I went with it.
The People
From the start until now, I have met some really amazing and wonderful people. A lot of the people are the reason I was learning on this platform. I was able to find communities that were forming and building relationships with like-minded people that also believed in the Steem platform and shared a similar vision of where it could go.
I have come across many intelligent people on this platform and I hope to continue to learn from these people. There are a lot of innovators and those that want to see a decentralized financial system rather than the current banking systems we currently have. It's a step forward to making a better change in our society.
There are so many people on this platform that are doing things behind the scenes so that others can earn rewards and are investing their money and time into projects to help this platform grow.
New Opportunities
Since being on Steem for about a year and a half now, there have been more opportunities that opened for myself and others. I have been able to work with others on various projects on the Steem platform. The more I get involved, the more opportunities open up and have been keeping me very busy.
All the things that I have been learning and the people I have met are opening so much more new opportunities and having difficulty deciding which opportunities to choose, which is a good thing.
Closer to Finacial Freedom
As I mentioned in the beginning of this blog, I was struggling just as a lot of others around the world and spending my time on Steem and with crypto-currency has brought me closer to financial freedom. Adding a source of passive income and investments has made things less of a struggle for me thanks to Steem.
Gaining more knowledge on finances whether it be through blogs, or trading the markets has definitely opened my eyes and helped me out of the struggle I was in. Getting out of my comfort zone and diving into something new had me with doubt and some fear but I am glad I did it.
Helping Others
The more I helped myself by gaining more knowledge, the more I've been able to help others on this platform. For me, that's been a reward in itself.
That's one of the amazing things about Steem, it gives people the ability to help others in so many ways and not just financially. People are getting out of their comfort zone and learning a new technology that can help them as it has helped me.
When I first started here, there were those helped me by showing support on my posts with votes, inspiring/motivational comments, and guiding me along the way.
Starting the new year with some positivity and sharing a little that may help those that are new to the platform. I am so grateful for Steem and many of those that have been involved since the beginning. Even though there may be conflicts, that is what helps this ecosystem grow and to become more innovative.