I've had plenty of huge milestones to celebrate as of recent, like my new shiny reputation that I've dreamt about acquiring since last summer, and my upvote exceeding the $1 mark thanks to @full-measure's very generous delegation! Everything seems to be flowing full steam ahead, but looking back on my 8 month journey, it wasn't always like this.
I've been fortunate enough to have failed in every way possible here on Steemit. From spamming comments trying to gain followers, to participating in vote for vote communities where I spent hour of my free time curating articles I didn't care much about, I quickly burned myself out and quit Steemit for about two months.
I use the word fortunate not in a sarcastic way, but rather with 100% sincerity because every time I pulled myself back up, I found a deeper appreciation for this community, as well as a clearer focus of who I wanted to become on this blockchain.
If You Learn From Your L's, You Can Never Lose!
I realized that I let too much external noise distract me from truly understanding and enjoying my Steemit experience. What do I mean by external noise? It could be anything from
- Scrolling down the the trending page, allowing myself to set unrealistic expectations for future post payouts..
- Obsessing over longterm goals like a high reputation, or gaining hundreds of followers.
- Supporting others, with no reciprocation in sight.
Did you notice a trend here?
In each instance my goals were externally motivated, which lead to periods of anger and frustration when I didn't achieve them. Even when I might have caught a break and received a high payout, or made a new friend, I never stoped to appreciate to moment because I always wanted more.
What's The One Reason Why Most New Users Fail On Steemit?
The main reason why so many new minnows fail in the early stages of their journey isn't because they've set lofty goals, but simply because their motivation to succeed was external (Money, Reputation, Prestige), which strongly correlated to their expectation of Instant Gratification!
So many of us expect to log onto Steemit and start receiving high payouts, followers, and respect for the 10 hours we've spent on our thesis of the Cold War, but end up frustrated when we aren't immediately recognized for our talent and effort. And this mindset simply needs to change, if we are every going to retain a large amount of our new users.
In my case when I wasn't immediately rewarded, which lead me to eventually giving up, even though I managed to gain some really great friends, as well as some momentum!
If I was able to go back and start my journey all over again, I wouldn't focus on the amount of my payouts or followers, but simply what I liked to blog about and supporting those that I vibed with! I wouldn't expect anything in return for my efforts, and would've enjoyed every positive moment, whether if it was gaining one follower, or coming across a really cool article and learned something new!
Growing On Steemit Is Like Tending To A Farm
One of my good friends @overkillcoin explained this to me perfectly by comparing his Steemit experience with managing a farm. Every time he wrote a post, or joined a community, he was in a way planting a seed that if taken care of properly, would eventually grow into a bountiful harvest!
Farmers don't expect to grow a whole acre of corn in a day, so you shouldn't expect to become a highly paid blogger in a few months! I'm not saying that it can't happen, but you will have a way better experience if you stop focusing on the uncontrollable and patiently tend to your farm!
This happens to be my favorite infographic from @overkillcoin because it shows how it get's easier to eat on Steemit as you continue to acquire more resources.
In this example he traded out farming for fishing, but you still get the gist! Please go check out @overkillcoin's page when you get a chance, because he has a ton of helpful, easy to digest, infographics that are sure to grant clarity and in my case, inspiration!
Hope you all got something positive out of this post! Look forward to another curation post later today, as I continue my journey to becoming a blockchain hero! This has been a friendly message from your friendly neighborhood #spiderblogger!
I totally agree with this post,
of course you want to get paid for your hard work... thats a given.
But I joined this platform not knowing what to expect, I didn't even know how much people were making or how much I would be earning.
But even if I had a means to grab more peoples attention, I was happy.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Haha luckily this post apply a little to you and Spencer’s because your both already stars in my opinion 😂
One of my buddies delegated me 1500sp the other day so I’m looking to promote as many minnows and my friends as I can so lmk if you ever have a post that didn’t do so hot and I’ll see what I can do 😁
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Thanks for featuring me bro! I always like having a re-run of that squid getting his comeuppance! ☺
Patience is hard to have, esp. after putting hours into a post... It takes almost a type of courage to carve hours out of the day for an article or drawing and have it voted on by whoever just happens to stop by at a particular moment☺
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Oh no, Thank you for letting me use your info graphic and droppin that knowledge on me haha! The manmouth with Gatling guns is still one of my favorite comments I’ve received on here 😂
And that’s very true! Nothing worse than planting a magic bean and it not turning into a bean stock smh
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Haha take pictures, beat chest, drink beer. Doesnt sound like a bad gig 😌
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Bro I can’t wait to ditch the fishing haha
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Nailed it bro. Great insight that many new steemians will value hearing. Money is the main lure of the steemit platform and it yields good sign up rate.
I have wondered recently what the drop off rate is in relation. It may be good to hide the post rewards from anyone but the author. That may slow down signups but if the retention skyrockets that seems better for the long term.
Any way, keep up the great content and I am looking forward to getting to know you more as we progress together on this amazing platform.
J. R.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Yeah the trending page being the first thing new users see, might set them up for a few months of agony before they figure this lesson out!
Definitely looking forward to getting to know you too bro! Let's talk on discord soon!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
I agree and yes I'll shoot you a message. I think you will be a great addition to the new team I am starting up. :D
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Good thoughts brother, the lure of instant gratification is definitely a key reason why newcomers fail on Steemit.
Fuck the external stuff and let your internal goals and values guide you 🙏🏼
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Exactly bro! It's all about keeping your head down, and grinding on the daily haha
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
exactly what I'm feeling right now.. this is a really helpful post to me. Thank u @waphilip, I'm following u and @overkillcoin.. Your tips can make a difference to newbies like me..
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Happy I was able to help! Yeah overkill is a great person to follow! I get a lot of my inspiration to post everyday from him!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
As someone who's just starting out (just published my 2nd post), I can see why so many people find it frustrating. Especially if you choose not to use promotion/upvote bots.
I signed up because I enjoy writing and getting my ideas out. If someone likes them, well, that's great! If someone likes them enough to support it financially, that's even cooler!
Think marathons. Sprinting won't get you anywhere.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
That's a great mindset to have sek3!!! As long as you keep staying in your own lane and keep leaving thoughtful comments, and posting quality content, the right people will begin to gravitate towards you :)
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
just found your blog @waphilip, sounds like you have some experience we can all learn from. I suppose to summarized, patience and learning from others is a key asset of for any Steemian, especially since the Rome blockchain isn't build in 1 day. Keep up the good work, and I appreciate the knowledge sharing.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
oh yeah.....following you now :D
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Aye appreciate the support bro! And that's very true haha Keeping your head down and appreciating the small victories is the best way to get through those first few months!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Really well explained.
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
Hey thank you! Hopefully it was helpful in some way!
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit
I have idea now, thank you for the blog
Downvoting a post can decrease pending rewards and make it less visible. Common reasons:
Submit