2001 in 565: Meaning to work hard

My feed seems to be stuck in slow motion there are so few posts coming through. Good, more Steem for me ;) Do people actually understand that at the moment, earning Steem on the platform is about the easiest it has been in a year? Everyone looks at the payout figure it seems and forgets that the price of Steem is irrelevant if you are planning to hold. Well, that isn't true.

A low price generally means less posters and less commenters which means less people drawing on the pool so, there is a greater chance of getting larger payouts with additional Steem in the mix. Meh, not many care, that is fine by me but, when Steem is 5, 10, 20, 50 dollars, remember all of the people who said to keep working or buy some with coffee money and, don't expect them to vote for you.

Of course and as I have reiterated in a million different ways: nothing is certain. Never put anything in you aren't willing to lose completely. For m, that is my time, effort and thoughts, which brings me to this silly milestone for today.

@Steemitboard informed my that this will be my 2001th post and as the title suggests, that is in 565 days. This puts my average posting rate at: 3.539 posts per day. I also have:

• 11500+ comments / ~20 per day
• 36500+ manual votes cast / ~65 per day

I have only ever really been able to talk from my experience here and I am one of those people who has consistently said that for most people, it is going to take a lot of work to get anywhere on this platform. Yes, building relationships, quality and engagement are all important but, the work involved is likely out of the reach of most people. It isn't that they couldn't do the work of course, it is just that most people these days do not invest themselves unless there is some guarantee of return. There are no guarantees here, or anywhere in life.

There are many reasons I have thrown myself into this place heavily including my daughter's health needs and the financial burdens my wife and I face for various reasons but, we cope without Steem for now and managed to keep our heads above the rising waters. The main reason is because of my last post about meaning though. People may find this ridiculous but writing here and what I consider working here provides me meaning and purpose as I feel I am working toward something I consider important.

There is the potential for some level of financial freedom that would be gratefully welcomed. I haven't cried for a few decades but if I was able to live somewhat freely of financial hardship, I just might break the drought. However, that is not the only concern I have.

The world is changing, economies are failing, governments are struggling, automation, AI and various other factors are going to take opportunity from those that are unable to make opportunity. Decentralization and platforms like Steem will provide a chance for many to have some additional support, a revenue stream and even a trickle might make a difference, save a life. Idealistic yes but, meaningful for me.

Throw on top of this freedom of Speech, censorship, autonomy and a chance for people to provide for themselves and each other instead of relying solely on authorities to hand over resources at their leisure, and there are more reasons to be a part of this place. I know, profits are everything for many, but not everyone look for profits alone. There are more complexities in life than financial freedom.

I understand people's attitudes to investing here though, I struggle with it too. I am not unaffected by price and the tiny voice of FUD in my head is always saying, "Fly you fool, fly!" But, there is no Balrog, there is just a community of people that have the potential to be part of something great but, many are yet to see what opportunity they actually hold, and most waste, here. Perhaps they are right in the end to not attempt it as after all, it is a pretty big long shot. I am going long. No one else is forced to.

This is the beauty of it isn't it? There are so many opportunities for people to play and try to build yet, most will never make it. It has to be that way really as that is the way of the world. Not everyone can be a NHL, NBA or NFL star, not everyone can put in the work of Ronaldo, become a cricket legend like Bradman. Very few startups survive, very few can be a fortune 500 CEO, president of a country or world changing activist.

No matter what the position, the highest thresholds are generally a process of attrition, who can work and survive the longest and, who's luck holds out the longest to make it through without injury or other calamities. The thing is though that none of the top, athletes, business people, scientists or activists are there on luck alone, as somewhere a long the path they did the work and for the most part, the volume of work they did without guarantee is so high, most cannot even imagine it.

I can't either. The work I do here is nothing compared to what others may do in their lives but, it is also a lot more than others are willing to do and, I am willing to continue to do it until it works or, it is buried. I am not planning to live a life where I will sit back and wonder, what of I had given it my all? Screw that life, I will give it my all and even if I fail miserably, I will know I could do no better than I did.

That is life satisfaction, knowing you did all you could for something you believed as important. It doesn't mean it is an easy or happy path but in my opinion, people put way too much emphasis on easy and happy and much too little on what actually means something to them. So many sit and wait with their eyes closed for life to arrive, while it rushes on silently by.

My feed may be stuck in slow motion but, my mental feet are trying to keep up with the pace of life so I can sink my fingers in and hold on for the ride of a lifetime. If everyone truly worked at what they found meaning and purpose in, this world would be a much, much healthier world for everyone.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]