How Has Steem Impacted My Life?

Thank you for this great initiative, @theycallmedan. I think it's wonderful, and I'm so thrilled you extended it for another 10 days as I just couldn't squeeze in one more thing during the first round. Now I would really like to go back and read the others for inspiration! I know I will discover many ways to make use of the platform and be a better Steemian as a result, so I am looking forward to it! (For anyone interested in this challenge, you can find it here.)

So, let's see... how has Steem impacted my life?

Image source: Unsplash

A Few Analogies for Steem

Some days I ask myself why I am so passionate about this weird wonderland we call Steem. I'm not an influencer. I'm not destined to make it rich here. Well... if Steem moons... and I believe it is definitely a possibility... then perhaps. But I am very passionate about it, and I think it is because it is the most unique and bizarre thing I have ever been involved in. I am truly shocked at how much of my thinking and life energy are wrapped up in this, and it's completely by choice. I love the ebb and flow of energy here, and the amazing people and how much they bring to this adventure -- how much they are willing to share of themselves. It's brilliant.

Because it is unlike anything, I find myself comparing it to many things. On any given day I have thoughts like this:

• Steem is like a candy store. I can go shopping for any kind of candy I might like. Something sweet, or maybe salty. The choices are endless. I can find whatever I am in the mood for. Or just try a flavor for fun. (In case it's not obvious, by this I mean all of the different types of content.) On to the next analogy.

• Steem is like the ocean. It is very deep and very wide. A person can get a snorkel or a floating tube and spend time in a calm bay just testing the water and checking out the fish in the shallows. But a more adventurous person can get in a boat and sail out to where the whales are spouting. Of course it takes more of an investment of time and money to go hang out with the whales, but if that's what you want, you can get there. Yet another person might want to go deep sea diving and find amazing sea life and treasures. Everyone chooses their own experience.

• Steem is like an ancient land with many fiefdoms. There are white knights and black knights. There are kings and queens, fair maidens and trolls. You can navigate among the fiefdoms as a wandering minstrel and entertain everyone along the way. Or you can be a scribe, a historian, a cook, or a gardener. There are roles for everyone, regardless of interests. Sometimes wars break out between the fiefdoms and it gets ugly, but eventually calm returns.

• Steem is like an entertainment device with access to more channels than you could possibly ever have time for. You could go to a cooking channel, a workout channel, a comedy channel, a history channel, a nature channel, a technology channel or a crypto channel... whatever your heart desires. Perhaps you are a channel surfer. No probs! Jump back and forth between the sports channel and video gaming. Take in a show about art, or an educational podcast.

It goes on like that in my mind. The analogies change, depending upon my mood of the day. It's fascinating to me, and endlessly entertaining.

The People and Communities

People are amazing. When you stop and listen, and really pay attention, you discover that there is so much goodness, so much greatness, in the people around us. It sounds maudlin, I realize. But I am honestly continually in awe of the beauty of the human spirit and how that shines through when you really hang out with people and hear what they have to say. People tell their stories. They share their triumphs and their pain. Most people don't want you to circle the drain with them; they just want to be heard. Literally leaving a three or four sentence comment on someone's heartfelt post can absolutely make their day because someone echoed back some of what they laid out, and they feel like it got through. It really gets at the essence of the human condition. We just want someone to say "yeah, man, I hear you."

In my two and a half years on Steem I have gravitated toward people who are kind and calm, level-headed and giving. And I have had to move away from some who just seem to crave drama, and just couldn't help but write flaming posts and get all up in arms over things that probably would have gone away the next day.

It has been a whirlwind. But here's the thing. We all get to choose our experience here. No one is chained to anything. I find that if I choose to engage and spend time with those who have an overall positive outlook, it's incredibly rewarding.

I am involved in a few different communities, including @steemitbloggers (#powerhousecreatives) and @thealliance, both of which are filled with people who have hearts of gold. People who are funny and creative and dedicated to this Steem adventure, like I am, through thick and thin. I feel so fortunate! I also have a small group of creative writers that started with Steem and mostly connect on Discord. We help each other stay on track with our writing, and provide feedback on one another's work. Isn't that the coolest thing? And I'm an avid @actifit member. I love how it helps me to remember to move every day. I use my #actifit posts for reflection on life, my environment, the silly things my pets do, the beautiful places I visit -- you name it. There are many other communities I love and many I wish I had the time to take part in. For example, I'm forever eyeing the #freewritehouse and am a huge fan of @mariannewest. The people and communities here are truly incredible.

My Own Self-Discovery

Life can be a long road of trial, error, and discovery. Now and then something happens that accelerates that process and helps you to become more you. Steem has been that for me. It all started with my brother-in-law, @preparedwombat, telling me I should have a look at this. He didn't get pushy. He just told me that as a writer I might find it to be a nice outlet -- a place where I could potentially find an audience, have some fun and make a little money. I just made that up. I don't actually remember what he said that sparked my interest. But from the moment I found the Steem blockchain, I was hooked. It became a second home for me.

I have navigated through a lot of different ways of being involved here. They have all been worthwhile. They have all taught me things, and have been great experiences. But at the end of the day, the most amazing thing of all was the discovery that I could blog every single day, and I could keep coming up with things that seem worth sharing, that potentially have some resonance with other people.

That blew my mind.

The thing is, I'm really not all that interesting. Seriously, if you're looking for one of those ultra exciting humans, look elsewhere. Not that much happens in my life other than some family stuff, a lot of jaunts to the dog park and a 60-hour a week job.

But that's almost besides the point. The point is that every single day I find something from my day to share that might possibly be of interest to someone other than me. It's a bit like a journal, but it's not hidden. I don't care who sees it. I'm purposefully sharing what might be funny or weird or interesting or beautiful -- anything that might be worth reflecting upon at the end of the day.

In doing that -- in the process of writing a four or six-paragraph blog post about the things that transpired, the places I visited, the things I took pictures of, the people who were there and some commentary about it all -- I actually frame the experiences of my life in a way that makes them less dull. Or to put a more positive spin -- more shiny. Yes, that's it. My life is more shiny.

And I think that is -- very honestly -- something that could change the world. Think about it -- the mental illness we have come to understand is far more common and pervasive than may have been previously understood. Emotional stress and trauma. A feeling that even with all this social media we are alone. Well, if we can share a little something of ourselves, gain a little following, get a little encouragement, find a little reason to write each day, and gain some meaning from it all in the process, I believe we can all be a little more "well."

Regrets

I have few regrets in life. They really don't do much good. I could say I wish I had taken that job at Google back in 1992 (actually I have said that often), but I didn't and here I am, right? Life is what it is. We can't retrace our steps. We can only go forward. So regrets are not healthy or useful.

But I do have one regret with regard to Steem that I struggle with literally every single day. It's that I don't have more time here. (And by here I mean the various social platforms built on Steem as well as the various Discord channels devoted to communities. A 60-hour a week job doesn't leave a lot of time for exploring social media and hanging out on Discord. I'm kind of in and out these days. It used to be that I ran contests and wrote short stories that I published to Steem. For a very long time I ran the 50-word short story contest. It was a blast and I really loved it. But my busy life precludes being that involved.

So I just hope that being here at the level I can manage is enough. It's all I can do. I'm thankful that I get to be a part of this, incredibly thankful for the @steemitbloggers and @thealliance folks who let me be a part timer and accept me anyway, and my writing group. And I look forward to getting to Steem every day and seeing what people have to say. There's so much wisdom, here, and so much fun. So many great ideas and creative energy.

I do what I can. I look for great content as often as I can. I go through dry spells and then I rev my engine again and really put time and thought into finding content to curate, and try not to beat myself up when I can't. I also wish I had time to market Steem and be a part of the movement to take it to the masses. Maybe when I get to retirement!

Thanks so much for reading my blog, and thanks again, @theycallmedan, for launching this #Steemimpact + #POSH initiative.

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Wait, What Is Steem?

Steem is a social blockchain that grows communities and makes immediate revenue streams possible for users by rewarding them for sharing content. It's currently the only blockchain that can power real applications via social apps like Steemit.