Let Me Tell You Something...
During my years as a freelancer, marketer and brand builder I have built huge followings several times. I've built many Instagram, YouTube, Twitter And Facebook accounts for both myself but also for my clients. I have successfully helped various marketplaces to build their brands and I have built personal accounts too. And to tell you the truth, it's a long time since I felt truly proud over achievements like these.
Along with passing 2500 followers, I have also reached more than 4700 posts in total. Most of these comments are according to myself well-written and have added something of value in some way. Either by thanking someone deeply for their thoughtful comments, ideas or contributions or by adding something additional to the articles itself. And that my dear readers, is what social media is about. I have also reached a reputation score of 66.88 and I'm looking forward to climb the lasts steps that will take me to the new plateau of 67.
"I Thought About Giving Up."
Lately I've been thinking back on my journey and I can easily tell you that I almost gave up a long time ago. I have been here for 21 months in total and during that time, I have definitely seen everything you can imagine. From Scammers and Fraudsters to successful Charity events. From Homeless people to successful, wealthy and famous people. I have witnessed whale wars, circle jerk, the "inner circle" who never gave a shit about anyone else besides themselves and people next to them. I have seen talented people fade away and I have seen Steem and SBD at cents. Along with that, I have also seen greatness. Amazing initiatives and people who've given literally everything they've got to help others. I have seen this site you call Steemit go from being a "random money making" site, to a fully blown community with tons of heart and willingness.
I have been here to witness all of that and more than that. I have been successful. I have earned enough to make my life easier at times and I consider myself to be lucky. But during my time on Steemit, I also managed to minimize the amount of luck needed by adding effort, time and consistency to create a better recipe for myself to use.
I am not famous and I am far from being a Steemian who'll always be on the trending pages. Truth to be told, I haven't been on the trending pages in 19 months or so, but more importantly, I have never aimed for that and I am grateful for the opportunity I have been given on Steemit. No matter the cash reward. I almost gave up on Steemit back in the days due to the atmosphere I felt was pressuring me. I quickly tried to do everything I could to earn money when I joined, and that is also why I can easily relate with newcomers who's disappointed in the "system".
I have never been fond in the way people advertise Steemit as I personally believe it will yield poor results. However, I can understand why people have been advertising Steemit like an ATM, as it's also how Steemit inc have been advertising themselves. "Money Talks" and that entire message brings money seekers and "Get Rich Quick Attitude".
That being said, I joined Steemit due to the insane amount of money people earned from the contributions. I quickly had great results and earned hundreds of dollars and it truly felt like that I for once in my life had stumbled across something that would be life changing for me. With high hopes of making bank and to be able to quit my freelancing job to travel the world and drinking cocktails on a daily basis... My dreams were shattered due to the loss of whale support and due to the growth of Steemit as a platform.
With more people came more competition and I was never fortunate enough to grab my piece of continous whale support, even though I was lucky enough to receive upvotes from both @dan (the Co-Founder of Steemit) and a handful of still active whales a bunch of times. From at least one or two whale upvotes each week to zero whale votes per month. That's my reality.
I became obsessed with the rewards because of the success I had when I first joined Steemit. That's the truth of today. Steemit turned me from being a non-blogger into an addicted blogger. All due to money, the rewards I recieved and due to the advertisment techniques they used. Once I got the first whale upvote it was like a door to my dreams.
Suddenly, they vanished and I stood there all alone again. With little to none rewards, more anxiety building up, tears and devastation. Demotivated is just the forename for what I felt. I was angry for the success I had... Because I have never been given anything for free. And Steemit felt like an "all you can eat" buffet as soon as I joined.
- Talk about surreal.
Once I truly realized what Steemit is all about, money quickly became the last thing I thought about. I started to socialize on a different level. I wanted to be a part of the community. I stopped thinking about rewards and how or what I should do to squeeze out as many upvotes I could. All of those feelings and thoughts disappeared.
Listen, I obviously care about the rewards, because honestly, who doesn't? However, I don't do the things I do for the rewards. The whole money aspect of Steemit has become a huge bonus for me and truth to be told, it's an amazing feeling of relief and gratitude.
Instead of crying to "only" get an upvote worth $5 from a person who I know can easily give me $50, like I actually did in the past, I am nowadays genuinely grateful for each cent I make. And that makes everything so much easier and fun altogether. Steemit is and have been a huge part of my life for a long time and I have had my fair share of ups and downs. Almost as much of a down so I decided to quit... But I never gave up because that's a word I am not familiar with.
All of this, and more to it, is also the reason for me to create the @asapers. To ease some of the pain for the newcomers. I want to motivate others. I want to inspire and encourage others... And with @asapers, I am able to do all of that. I am able to pave the way for others and support them. That is my welcome gift for newcomers and minnows on Steemit.
I strive to educate people so they don't fall into the same pit I once were. And I also believe that @asapers is unique in that sense. Because other Curation teams out there are initiated or supported by dolphins and whales meanwhile I am the benefactor of @asapers. Me. Just a rather humble, random guy from Sweden with intentions to improve the overall experience on Steemit. In the long haul.
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That is super great man. Talk about a respectable number for sure. I will be so stoked when I eventually get that many.
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Thank you & yeah, it feels really awesome. I love the support! :)
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Hi @hitmeasap! Thank you once again for sharing that it is inevitable to have ups and downs in the way to success.
Some people would find it hard to admit that at some point, they felt discouraged or felt so little. You sharing this gives us more hope that however down we might feel, it is part of the process.
I hope you never get tired inspiring us!
All the best to you and to @asapers!❤👊
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P.S. I like the part about getting addicted to earning rewards. Let's admit, we were all here in the beginning for the money. I guess somtimes the frustration comes from when we aren't earning what we were expecting. So maybe we just need to start thinking more about what we can give than what we can get. Easier said than done, but maybe we can start doing just that.
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This is the reason I delegate Steem Power. Inspired by @fulltimegeek and his amazing delegations, I decided to delegate Steem Power too. Obviously a very tiny amount compared to FTG, but still enough to make a difference. And by doing that, I will get back much more in the long run. At least that's what I believe and hope for. :)
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Wow the content of this post was totally different from what I expected. There is a strong sense of humility. Honestly I didn't know who you were so I expected this to be a bragging post. There was only one clue that it wasn't. It was @asapers which is a cool effort. Your post gives me a lot of hope to keep going regardless of whatever else happens.
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Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm glad you liked it. :)
I'm not the "bragging" type of person. Far from it actually. But I can also see why the title of this post can make you feel that way. However, whenever I share reports from the past week or my results in upvotes, comments and things like that, it's always "for myself" and to let my readers know what I've been doing. I want to be transparent. Details like such also helps me to get an even better understanding of my approach. If or when I need to change something, or if I should continue in the same direction as before. It's never about "bragging". :)
Thanks for your awesome comment, I appreciate it!
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Congratulations! I think you have a tremendous experience at Steemit, this is a good example for every newbie. It is a success story that consists of work and frustration. I'm glad you didn't give up! I wish you continued success!
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Thank you very much, I appreciate it. :)
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@hitmeasap, I've been following your story since beginning. it's awesome of how you've accomplished things and still stay till today.
Not being on the trending page doesn't mean you don't have loyal followers.I believe there are others who read your posts from time to time. like I do lol.
As you mentioned about @asapers, I'll be checking about that curation project of yours. Hats off to what you're trying to do with the community.
Cheers!
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To reach the trending pages should be, in my opinion, just an amazing achievement. But the trending pages shouldn't consist of the same authors on a daily basis which it does today. More or less at least. However the trending pages are also basically the first things newcomers see when they visit Steemit, and that's why money is such an important factor on Steemit... But I also feel that it's misleading.
I know I have a bunch of loyal followers and I've had loyal followers since the early days too. With or without being on the trending pages. With or without $100+ articles or $1. That's also why I am truly grateful for the support I have. :)
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I enjoyed reading about your journey. I was actually thinking about the psychological effect of getting huge upvotes early. I have yet to receive a huge payout, but my sister did on her first post when she was upvoted by Blocktrades. Boy, was that exciting. That was, until her posts went back to making a couple cents each. It completely killed her motivation to continue.
I have yet to receive that kind of upvote, but maybe thats for the best. I feel so motivated right now and while the initial excitement of seeing a huge upvote would be great, id rather see some small growth over the long term from people who might actually want to read what I have to say.
Congrats on your success, I hope to be where you are at someday :)
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Exactly. Whale upvotes and amazing payouts could definitely be a double edged sword. It can either make or break you. I hope your sister will find her roots again and find the initial motivation she had.
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Yeah i felt the same way after being curried huge payout for me ended up being like $180 but 0% of that turned into engagement not one comment and maybe one new follower
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Congrats on the milestone :)
b.a.
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Thank you very much b.a! :)
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I agree that at least most people think about the rewards. However, since everyone can earn them, I think it's a bit of a respect thing. Like, "we are both here to make money, so let's talk."
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It can definitely be like that. No question about it. I mean, many Steemians are cashing out from Steemit just to prove a point to their family members and friends for instance. And these people probably "compete" with each other when they've signed up.
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That's interesting, because my friend and I don't compete. I can see though were people would compete to see who's the best. I have thought about cashing out a bit just to prove a point, but I don't want to mess with my SP, so I keep deciding against it.
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CONGRATULATIONS @hitmeasap. You deserve more.
"The day we look beyond the monetary gains on this platform, that day we begin to add value and when we add value, the money comes in return."
I have been a beneficiary of your benevolence and once again, Congratulations
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Thank you very much for your comment, I appreciate it and I definitely agree with your statement. :)
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Congratulations @hitmeasap. You deserve more. And you're a good inspiration for me as a newbie
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Congratulations on your achievements
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Keep the spirit
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Tolong resteem blog saya
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Nice thinking
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You're probably the fastest reader in the world. Congratulations.
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