_{Today is a big day for STEEM, Steemit, and everything else that runs on this blockchain.}

My introduction post earned me a nice, fat $0.00.

I worked on one post, everyday, for eighteen consecutive days after. I earned $0.10 in rewards for that effort.

Yes, I was still learning. Those posts were not great, they're weren't even good, but that didn't mean they were bad, and I knew that.

Then it hit me.

I already knew I was taking an unconventional approach to blogging. My skills had improved, I was feeling more confident rather than less after so much of what some might call defeat, so I decided to turn up the heat.

Boom!

^{Guts everywhere.}

A solid team of curators known as Curie noticed my blog once I started to produce the now defunct Haffanower series.

Those rewards weren't just money to me though. I experienced a rewarding feeling. A rush. Then it was time to make a decision.

Do I buy new shoes with this money, or should I wait, invest, and attempt to prove a point?

Point Proven

^{Bonus points, for style.}

Majority of my posts were still earning under $1.00 after I finally got a taste of what some may call, success.

It didn't matter to me. I decided to continue travelling down the road I was paving for myself one brick and one day at a time.

I was having fun. People were finally noticing how I wasn't being serious in majority of my posts. That was a huge step up because at the time I felt like a dandelion in the middle of that lawn where the guy comes out every morning to mow it with scissors.

The point I wanted to prove to everyone was how anyone can come here, start at the bottom, do their own thing their way, and succeed without taking shortcuts.

Why is this important to everyone and everything?

^Because

I read Ned Scott's(and team) message.

The focus now seems to be more about development. Developers are being encouraged to create more content in the form of applications. Fantastic, and yes, we all see how the developers can gain a lot of attention and support from the community. That can be observed on the trending page nearly every single day.

Here is a quote from the post linked above:

We have seen massive growth in the number of third-party applications built on top of the Steem blockchain that are now flourishing. This includes Busy, DLive, DMania, DSound, DTube, Utopian.io, Vessel, and many more! We are very excited to see the innovation coming from our developer community, and we are looking forward to seeing a lot of new applications in the coming year.

It's true, we need roads, and I can certainly respect those who build them. I see why they're important.

What are roads without the cars though?

I'm a car, travelling along, one of many. Without us, these roads are useless.

Without the people contributing content to prove the concepts, all of those applications just end up being dandelions growing through the cracks of an abandoned parking lot, withering away in the sun.

I've been paying attention.

If it wasn't for those of us who came here to Steemit early to blog to our heart's content, there wouldn't be a demand for those applications now, or new ones in the future.

Thousands of us, myself included, helped pave the roads for the developers. Many who started on Steemit now utilize these other apps, because they asked for them.

Because the focus has shifted, this does not mean we should stop checking our mirrors.

The upcoming communities feature to be implemented will not function properly without content producers willing to test them out and be rewarded for their time.

Many people see these new apps pop up, they use them, they love them. Steemit.com is loved by many as well but at times it seems like it's turning into a toll road full of potholes. Not because of bad design, I'm proof that it works just fine.

People think they have to pay to have what I earned. They're being forced to purchase votes with the hopes of getting attention. They're being forced to pay to be robbed of the opportunities I had when I started here. Some of that money is going to developers and witnesses instead of the people those developers and witnesses depend on in order to be able to succeed.

I've Come This Far

^{And now all I'd like to do is make a simple request.}

Rather than making people pay for attention, let's go back to paying attention to them.

Thank You

^Everyone.

Credits: _{All art and images seen here were produced digitally, by me. "Have a nice day." [email protected]}

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