HOW STEEM IMPACTED MY LIFE - A @theycallmedan Initiative.

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Before I get stuck into this post, I just wanted to thank @theycallmedan for extending this initiative because I had every intention of jumping on board originally, but sadly I missed the first boat… so was thrilled to see the extension. There are so MANY ways in which Steem has impacted my life – knowledge, friendships, lifestyle, personal growth, experience and so much more! It would have been a true pity to miss the opportunity to share this with all of you and to those beyond the blockchain so that they can see why they should be here instead of there. For those of you that have not jumped onto this initiative yet… you can find details HERE

DISCOVERING STEEM & IT’S PEOPLE

I have three older brothers, all of which are into crypto – but none so much as my eldest brother in London who was the one who introduced all of us as a family to blockchain technology. Sadly he ended up in ICU over this last festive season with code blue bacterial meningitis and spent the good part of a month in an induced coma. His case was so severe and unique that they are actually going to do a white paper on it… (and it is only thanks to Steem that I even know what a white paper is lol) He has thankfully made a good recovery and after a month in hospital – is now back at home and “spamming” all of us with crypto links to read and watch. It is amazing how you suddenly appreciate little things like that a whole lot more after an incident like the above.

Why am I mentioning this? Because it was one of his random link drops to me back at the beginning of 2017 that directed me to the Steemit platform. ”Jaynie – I think this platform would be perfect for your blog content! It seems to have a really active community and from what I can tell you get rewarded in crypto for your posts and engagement depending on how much people like it. Your content is really good and I am sure you would do well!” Well, I did not take heed of that little link drop, nor his personal encouragement straight away… in fact it was approx. six months later in June 2017 that I decided to take a “peek”… and I can honestly say that I have never looked back!

At the time I was running my design and print business full time, so I began by blogging when I had a gap at the office or during the evenings. I very quickly discovered just how different this new (to me) platform was and how much I had to learn about its operations. Much like most newcomers I was completely and utterly overwhelmed by it all – but that did not deter me from moving forwards. In fact, by comparison to most other social media platforms the one thing that smacked me in the face from the get go was just how well connected and HELPFUL people were!

If you have spent any relative time on other social media platforms you will quickly discover that your lack of knowledge or experience in ANY arena is far more likely to get you belittled, ridiculed or have some random meme made about you than to actually have a whole lot of people guiding and assisting you… and that in itself set Steem apart right from the start. Approaching my three year mark as a member of this platform, I stand by that sentiment now more than ever before! There is not another online community ANYWHERE that compares to this one right here!

Speaking of helpful people – I found very soon after I started sharing my content on the Steem network that I was getting far more engaging interaction on my posts than I had EVER had in all the years that I had been writing and blogging. It was a wonderfully refreshing change and it motivated me to write more! I started to connect and build friendships with people from all over the world who genuinely enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) my content. Much like my design work - blogging was and still is a passion of mine and something that I had long since wanted to get involved in more seriously - Steem was unquestionably the catalyst for that change and it transformed my life forever because it inspired and moved me to take what was probably the biggest leap of faith I ever have.

When I look back at it all, from the start of the journey to now – it evokes so much emotion within me and as I sit here now writing this, I am filled with gratitude for being afforded a “forced” opportunity to get out of a career that was literally killing me from the inside out to spending my days doing something that makes me truly happy and positively impacts the lives of so many others around me. Yes, it comes with it’s own set of challenges – as everything in life does… but irrespective, I would not change it for the world!

MY STEEM JOURNEY & ITS IMPACT ON MY LIFE

January 2018 marked the beginning of my journey as a full time blogger and Steem member as well as the end of my journey in the RAT RACE! It was the start of a lifestyle that I will forever cherish. Suddenly I was able to dedicate my hours to something that I have been passionate about for a very long time! From the time I started blogging I had the intention of trying to help others through the sharing of my own life experiences and challenges but I was terribly weary of “opening up” completely to the so often cruel internet world, so on my personal domain and other platforms I stuck mostly to blogging about food and lifestyle.

I eventually decided to test the deep waters of my mind and heart on Steem and I was more than pleasantly surprised. People were honest, not only with me – but with themselves. My content resonated with them and more and more I had people sharing their own similar personal experiences with me – this eventually became a process of “rotating motivation” for both me as the writer and for those reading and engaging with my posts. As time went on, my “fear” of public scrutiny completely disappeared and I shared facets of my life candidly and openly. Steem literally catapulted a personal healing process as well as my growth as a writer. I am by no means any kind of expert in this field but I know how far I have come and Steem helped me to cultivate that confidence.

I have since tried to do the same on my own personal domain as well as other platforms but you know what… it simply lacked depth of ANY kind and trying to get any sort of constructive engagement or feedback was like trying to juice water out of a rock. I persisted with all of them for years now but late last year I made the decision to stop bothering. The only place that makes me feel at home as a blogger is the Steem network – so I cancelled my personal domain, stopped publishing to other sites and put my focus solely here. I have NO regrets about that decision – not one!

Passion has been the one thing that has fuelled me my entire life – again and again I have tread water for lengths of time that as I look back, seem impossible to have maintained - but passion is an incredible thing really… especially if you truly delve into the energetics of it – but even having said that – passion too can dwindle when not nourished. Shifting my focus completely toward the Steem blockchain and abandoning the avenues that left me feeling depleted has allowed me to channel that passion much more constructively and this has done wonders for my personal growth and confidence as an individual as well as a blogger. Had I not discovered Steem, I would never have found the courage to throw caution to the wind and I would still be stuck in an online space that left me feeling like I had no voice of value.

I often contemplated my own journey here on Steem and whilst I know everybody’s path is unique… I figured that there must be others out there who have had a similar experience or shared similar sentiment and because there were so many people who lent me a helping hand when I started out… I decided that I wanted to do something similar here too… I wanted to create a space for the people here that love what they do and are passionate about this network. That was one of the reasons why I decided to create the Power House Creatives Discord Community in October 2017.

The creation of our now well established and constantly flourishing community was probably the one thing that has had the largest impact on me here, because whilst we “gather” on discord… we are all total Steem enthusiasts and having that complete sense of community has seen us all through some rather trying times here on the blockchain. When the bear market hit and many people waved their white flags – we joined hands and have stuck it out with enthusiasm and dedication in tact. It is amazing how much power and impact there is when you are surrounded by people who lift you up and collectively motivate one another – especially when you need it most, be it online or offline related.

The people of Steem have taught me that online connections and friendships do not need to be flippant, shallow and meaningless – in fact I have now learnt that they can be the complete opposite. We have laughed together, cried together, pushed each other across thresholds we thought impossible and most of all we have helped one another along our Steem journey and our personal life journeys. Whenever you need something… there is this band of people ready to help and they do it with the greatest of love in their hearts. These people have become like my family and reflecting back, there were many moments in my physical life that I would not have managed to get through without them, never mind the fact that my “every day” would be so hollow without them! I have never experienced anything like this anywhere else online and the value of that will always be pivotal to me! However, having said that – I will add, that this sort of selfless dedication to one another is woven deeply into the Steem network as a whole – not just within our community… but it does have its benefits to be that much “closer” to one another.

Having this level of consistent support and encouragement is what has enabled me and so many others to persevere and it is one of the reasons why I was able to have faith enough in my ability to take on the challenge of managing an additional project which whilst still in infancy at the moment… won’t be for much longer and that is DEFINITELY going to impact my life… that being the launch of @steemsouthafrica! I am VERY excited to start actively and physically promoting this amazing network to the beautifully colourful people of my country South Africa now that the ground work has been done! 2020 is going to be GRAND for #steemsa! – and I have Steem and its people to thank for that new found confidence.

In reality, Steem did not “impact” my life – it completely TRANSFORMED it and ALL for the better!

My “hobby” turned into a daily passion and has remained so ever since! From the time I wake up in the morning, to the time I go to bed at night – whether I am operating from my desk or on my mobile whilst out and about, I NEVER stop working for this space and the people within it… constantly thinking about how I can better support those within our community as well as on Steem as a whole and it is SO wonderful to actually grow wings on your passion instead of having them clipped by the stress and monotony of being stuck on a hamster wheel.

I have met hundreds of amazing people over the last two years and have formed many great friendships through those meetings. Some of those friendships have remained strong and others have turned into “life lessons”. I have, over time – discovered my voice within the Steem network and have acknowledged and accepted the fact that I have earned the right to have one. I have locked horns with some and simply walked away from others. Some people love me, others loathe me, several have just used me for as long as it was convenient and beneficial and plenty have tried to kick me down along the way, but Steem has taught me to keep my resilience alive!

The Steem network has done so much for me as an individual. It has reminded me to stand up for myself, believe in myself and my capabilities - It has shown me that I can overcome my fears and it has taught me to exercise attributes of my personality that probably needed a little dusting off! My life is filled with beautiful people, I spend my days doing things I love for people I adore and who appreciate and respect me in return. I wake up in the morning looking FORWARD to the pending agenda and when I go to bed at night, I am excited to contemplate the next day. I went from a constant state of anxiety and stress, having frequent panic attacks and sleepless nights to the complete opposite... a life I only dreamed of just over two years ago is now my everyday reality! There is no amount of words that could possibly express my eternal gratitude for this space and the people within it.

Ok, so I have waffled on and on about the people of Steem and how amazing they are… big deal! - Well, actually yes it REALLY is a BIG deal because let’s face it - aside from the technology of it all, what would set it apart from any other blockchain if there were no people?! No matter which way you swing or slice it – everything that is special about Steem starts with the PEOPLE! Yes, there are plenty other ways in which Steem has impacted my life, but they all pale by comparison…

Being a creative by nature I still find facets of blockchain technology a little overwhelming and many still talk way over my head - but had it not been for the “social nature” of Steem – I would probably NEVER have touched the crypto world AT ALL. This is such a critical slice of the Steem pie! Having that social gateway into the world of crypto and access to genuine and honest people who were willing to share their knowledge with me is the only reason I was trusting and confident enough to explore additional blockchain technology further, and I am ever grateful for that.

Having been in the field of graphic design for close to 20 years, I would consider myself an advanced computer user, but daaamn did Steem push those boundaries hahahaha!!! With having to learn markdown to make anything at all look even remotely aesthetically pleasing… which as you have no doubt gathered by now is of paramount importance to me was so tedious in the beginning… but now it is old hat! - An additional skill that I would never have learnt had I not arrived here.

See – as wonderful as those things are, they don’t even come close to the magnificence of the community we have here and nothing you say will convince me otherwise haha!

Watch out world... the STEEM WAVE is growing and there is absolutely NOTHING in this world that can compete with a blockchain driven by a community fueled by passion!

❤❤❤

Until next time...
Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx
Jaynielea

FOUNDER OF THE POWERHOUSE CREATIVES & STEEM SOUTH AFRICA

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A community of individuals who are dedicated to producing quality content
which adds value to the Steem network and beyond.

JOIN US HERE

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such a rich post, thanks for sharing! Really great to see how Steem has made your creativity explode, something that I can attest to! Keep going :))

By the way, which channel in discord is being used to share ideas etc.? Do I need special access?

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Thank you for the kind words @tobetada - they are always greatly appreciated! Steem certainly has stretched my creative boundaries and I love it!

As for the server - you can find a link in the footer of any one of my posts :) Once you land in the server there are instructions as to what you need to do from there on...

Have a super week and thanks again for stopping by and taking the time to read my blog :)

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To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.

Brought to you by @tts. If you find it useful please consider upvoting this reply.

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Thank you. Your words are very inspiring. I do try to make steem a priority in my life. But I am definitely a bit cautious with what I write. I haven't really been able to be as open as one day i would like to be. I am glad your brother is feeling better. Thanks again.

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And thank you too @bethvalverde for taking the time to read them.

As for your writing... if and when the time is right, you will know - until then just trust that everything is exactly as it should be.

!giphy virtual+hug

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If you have shared this post on Twitter, could you drop the link in the comment section of your post please?
Cheers.

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It has been quite the road mi lady! I'm really glad your brother is better. Your presence on Steemit is always making a positive impact. It's an honor to share the same battlefield.

Cheeeers!

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What a compliment, thank you! Yes, we are ALL glad he is doing so much better!!!

Thanks for the positive input xxx

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Your style is good impression and your presence in this community is a great motive for continue impulsing jobs and post like this. I'm glad of can read it. Thanks for share it.

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So glad your brother is out of the hospital now and relaxing at home, and feeling well enough to be "spamming!" Your steemit journey story is certainly an interesting and inspiring one, and your accomplishments here are quite impressive.

PHC is an awesome, active, helpful and friendly community to be a part of, and you created that! You manage it very well also.

Your brother's message to you about checking out steemit, should be considered a valuable artifact which represents the beginning of your steemit life! Maybe an engraved plaque to hang on your office wall? ;)

Well done!

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Oh yes! We all are, thank you @free-reign!

It has realy been an amazing road so far and I am looking forward to what is in store ahead of me and ALL of us here! Thank you for the lovely compliment re. PHC - it really means the world to me to hear things like that!

Your brother's message to you about checking out steemit, should be considered a valuable artifact which represents the beginning of your steemit life! Maybe an engraved plaque to hang on your office wall? ;)

hahaha not a bad idea :D

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Today I came to know more about you and your journey.. Excellent journey and Really all I can say every steemian has such a beautiful inspiring story..Thanks for sharing with us.

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A road well travelled, your footprints are fresh in this ecosystem and there is still a long way to go. You're valuable, @jaynie! You are Steem!

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Oh thank you sweetie! Much love to you!

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Lovely reading about the positive off spins of your Steem journey @jaynie! I share the same sentiments, am so thankful for the wonderful people I've met here on this platform and also been amazed at the number of people who lend a helping hand here, a rare attribute in today's world! Very proud of my fellow South African :)

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Thank you hon! And I really enjoyed writing it. and YES, YES, YES - this place has oodles of amazing people... and I am REALLY looking forward to seeing more fellow South Africans here too!

Lots of love and thanks for the wonderful comment xxx

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This is my home too.. Many of your sentiments also mine. You are such an asset to Steem.. I have never been part of Steem bloggers as I have been too busy with own projects here but have immense respect for you and everything u do xx

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WOW @riverflows what a beautiful comment! Thank you! Really special to me!

Perhaps one day (soon) you won't be too busy... and you can come and join us... I promise it isn't boot camp - despite what many may say ;) haha!

Thank you again for you very kind words.

xxx

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I opened the PC this morning and was so pleased to see one of our top supporters at the top of the trending page. One can feel your heart in the post and it embellishes what we all have to go through on this steemit journey.
Well done and we are all proud of you and #powerhousecreatives
Blessings!

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You know @papilloncharity... when I opened my feed on my phone this morning, I thought there was something wrong hahahahaha!!! What a wonderful surprise it was and a fantastic way to kick off the new week!

Thank you for your love and support with everything!

Lots of love!

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I am absolutely serious when I say that I was so glad to see you up there Jaynie. Well written a la Jaynie style and a just reward for all of your hard work, worries and strife.
Life can be cruel my dear friend, but then again, life can also be very kind!
Really very happy for you!
Love and blessings!

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I really enjoyed reading this, @jaynie. You are a beautiful person and a true inspiration. It's wonderful that you have found a place here, found your voice, and believe that you have the right to have one. Thanks for all you do for the community.

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What a lovely thing to say @jayna - Thank you!! That really means so much to me!

I do indeed love it here and as for the community... always and only my pleasure

!giphy hug

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Very good small post :) ... I was like this to read :)
And steem have help here lot users... it also was help me too last 4 years a lot :)

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hahaha... yes it was a VERY "small" post lol! ;)

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Big or small.. but I was like it 🤗👌

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Nice post, and your rewards speak for themselves.
I hope you encourage a lot more people to join this wonderful blockchain :)

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Thank you :) and I certainly hope so too!

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It's funny how many of us have similar stories about our introduction and journey through Steem land, and this is irrespective of where we find ourselves/from.
I also got introduced to this platform by my younger brother and all he said was "guy, join Steem, you can make money with your blogs and long posts you're wasting on Facebook". I didn't take him serious but at that point, I had nothing to lose and joined. I probably would have been reluctant to join if he said I should pay 1 cent to join lol.

Steem introduced most of us writers to cryptocurrency and there are many things I still don't get till now, phrases like FUD, long & short, etc still fly over my head but I try not to be bothered by them. I'm just glad I have a platform to express myself and meet other amazing people.

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Yes it is pretty awesome how we all share certain parallels but each with it's own unique twist :)

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T'is like a Magic Carpet Ride, swooped up, still enjoying the friendship and momentum found is invigorating Jaynie.

Good to hear your badgering brother is in top form again, reminding you of the many new things to test, brothers do push us girls, they learn how to from young!

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hahaha oh yes they certainly do hey @joanstewart... but at the same time, they are a part of what shaped me into who I am so for that I am grateful :D ( It is a love / hate thing... haha just kidding!)

And yes, it sure has been a journey of note! :)

Thank you for your lovely words xxx

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(Edited)

You're very motivating and very inspiring! Your words are full of energy and passion. Thank you for sharing this experience!
I've said in my post that everyone finds their way on this platform and you have undoubtedly found yours. Greetings from Venezuela

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(Edited)

@jaynie lovely post, inspiring too. love your passion and drive and yes, the steemit community do give a sense of hope for social platform positivity. Resteemed :-)

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It really does! It truly is unlike any other social platform - thankfully haha! Thank you for the lovely message @michaeljn - much appreciated! And thank you for the resteem too xxx

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Wow! What an inspirational blog! 😍 I have been down these past few days because I saw friends that left the platform permanently. 😢 And I have set it as a goal to interact with my fellow steemians, know them more, and forge friendship. Perhaps that way it would prevent them from leaving. But yours was a different post. With all honesty, I was uplifted. There's hope. With people who are passionate as you in the community, things will be better. Thank you so, so much for this post. It means a lot. 😍

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Wow @gingbabida! What a lovely message, thank you! I am so glad that my post helped to uplift and motivate you! Objective achieved!!! yay! :) Your comment means a lot to me!!! I hope you manage to convince at least some of your friends not to give up! Perseverance is key! All the best to you.

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Yours is an excellent post and written so very well. I found your inspirations to be inspiring, and so I shall continue my writings and posts to Steemit, specifically, how to raise of Steem

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@jaynie Hey such a nice and informative post!!!! Love to go through such posts. Really interesting!!!!
Keep up the good work!!!!
Wish you luck =)
Keep going✌
Good luck for your future articles!!! Keep steeming and one last thing that I would really appreciate and feel good if you go through my content and give your review!!! Thanks 😊@jaynie

Posted using Partiko Android

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Thank you Jaynie for re-igniting some passion into me. I too, joined steem through a family member - my 43 year old son - and I joined at the same time as you. I remember connecting with you long ago and have been on Whaleshares a lot more but somehow I've missed Steem and started posting here again. Thank you for your wonderful blog. I am an ex-South African - living in Cyprus now

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I am so happy that this piece had such a positive impact on you @pandamama! Thank you for your wonderfully positive input and I hope we see more of you around here now too.

Yes I recall connecting with you a long time back... was not aware that you were South African though :)

You know... you should join us in our PHC server... you may find that this will spur a little more Steem inspiration :) If you are keen you will find a link at the foot of this post xxx

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Thank you @jaynie - will do - Yes, I lived in SAfrica all my life. Turning 70 this year and been out of the country for about 4 years now

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Hey love, I see you hopped on and sent me a DM. Let me know if you need anything xxx

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Steemwaves and life lessons and all in between i say amen, and Thank you girlfriend

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MWAH and a very big thank you to you too love.

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Thanks for the great, intimate account of your experiences.

In lak'ech, JaiChai

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Of course, the thing I wanted to say the whole time I was reading this is that I am so glad things turned out well for your brother! I worried about him and I know you were on the edge until he was out of the woods.

Your journey into the Steem World is one of courage and tenacity and I know you have a pocketful of them. You use them well, waving off the naysayers and people who do not have your best interests in mind.

Good luck in all you do and even though it has more to do with how its done, not luck, I still wish you luck and give you lots of love to take with you. You deserve every accolade you get, you have earned them all.

Have a great day!

!tip .20

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What a beautiful comment! Thank you @dswigle! You are such an angel! So much love for you beautiful lady!

!giphy hug

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Yay @jaynie this is what I want to see on the trending page. It's people like you who keep this community together and keep me sticking around

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Hey @balticbadger!... THANK YOU! What a lovely compliment! You put a huge smile on my dial! MWAH!

!giphy virtual+hug

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I'm happy to hear things are working out for you. That was a great outline. Happy Tuesday Jaynie.

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Thank you :) and I am glad you enjoyed it :)

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I feel honesty and passion in your words, congratulations, great article!
You have inspired me a lot and I will participate to this initiative!😀✌️

Posted using Partiko Android

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What a lovely story of how Steem transformed your life!
It truly is beautiful to see such an abundance of passionate, caring, supportive people coming together, making their communities on a technical blockchain!
So happy we have connected here through #PowerHouseCreatives - thank-you for starting that up and thank-you for sharing your story! So inspiring!
Here's to a great Steem future!

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To a great Steem future indeed!!! Thank you so much for your kind words @porters xxx Also so happy to have you with us for the journey :)

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