When we look at those who find success, one of the main ingredients is a rugged determination to succeed where others would have given up. Often the path to get there is long and tortuous with many setbacks along the way, but it's those that rise to the challenge that reach the summit of their achievements, and are able to plant the flag of victory.
As I've shared before, I was born with a speech deficit that is passed down mostly through the males in our family. I had a stutter so bad that my mother was embarrassed by it and forbid me to say more than my first name and age in public (or else face violent repercussions from her).
Often, if someone tried to ask me more than that, my older sister would protectively move in front of me and answer for me. She knew that if I stumbled while speaking in public, that a vicious beating awaited me when we got home.
Yes, my mother was that ignorant.
However, a trip to a speech pathologist changed my life. He taught me breathing exercises and gave me a huge encyclopedia with instructions to practice learning a new word every day and using it in a simple sentence. Thus began a 10-year journey to do something most people take for granted; to speak normally.
I was shunned by the entire neighborhood who didn't seem to know what to do with me. Unable to interact with any more than just a couple of sympathetic students, I retreated into the world of books which allowed my imagination to soar beyond the confines of the tiny little prison I lived in.
So day after day, I locked myself into either the bathroom or my bedroom, and went to work. Flipping to a random page, I'd find today's word. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I'd begin. So while everyone else was playing different sports, socializing and partaking of a world that I was excluded from, I was inside learning to speak.
It was the hardest thing that I've ever done, but it worked. Day after week after month after year, I continued chipping away at that handicap. The very kind and wise speech pathologist had also given me another book about famous people who'd surmounted enormous odds by doing exactly that, Getting Better, bit by bit.
I was always a huge fan of The Beatles (especially their "late period") beginning with the acclaimed albums Rubber Soul and Revolver, then ending with what I consider to be their very best work: Abbey Road.
Reading about how they struggled in the early days before making it big, was both eye-opening, and inspiring. I read how they had so little money, that they had to sleep two to a bed in a tiny room while playing 8-hour-long sets just to survive.
But what did this do? At first they played cover songs, but 8-hours of that would wear anybody's ears out. So they had to improvise and ended up writing their own songs in order to keep the crowd coming back.
Thus when they made their big debut at the Ed Sullivan show in February, 1964, they were a tight band of polished seasoned professionals who blew the socks off a nation still recovering from the assassination of President Kennedy less than 90-days prior.
Thomas Edison was yet another one mentioned in that book who failed miserably hundreds and hundreds of times trying to perfect the filament for the electric light bulb. How many people would have long before said "screw it" and given up? But not him, he pressed ahead while learning from his mistakes, and eventually cracked the code and found success.
Alexander Graham Bell, Michael Jordan (who'd make thousands of free throws after everyone else had gone home). Mark Cuban who ate mustard and ketchup sandwiches to get by while he built his business.
Sir Edmund Hillary along with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who in 1953, were the first to reach the summit of the tallest mountain in the world; Mount Everest, back when many thought it was impossible.
Marques Brownlee (better known as MKBHD), who is today, the #1 YouTube tech reviewer, who filmed over 100 videos (that almost no one saw), before he started gaining traction. These and many more had one thing in common: They kept at it, learning and tweaking things and they never gave up. All of them made it.
So ten years after I began, I stood in front of that mirror one last time. The doctor told me I'd "graduated" and could now join the community of speakers. I used my word of the day and put the encyclopedia back into general usage.
Today, I can hold a normal conversation with just the odd slip-up every now and then which is the last vestige of my once all-encompassing handicap.
You have no idea the relief that gave me, and how it empowered a sense of purpose in my life to help others facing similarly insurmountable challenges. Every day is a new opportunity to do good and make a positive contribution to the world.
I'm going to tie this to Hive by saying to those of you, old and new, to just keep plugging away. As a blogger, the best way to become a better writer is to keep on writing.
Consistency plays a big part between those who gain traction here and those who don't. Read articles on how to become a better blogger, and study the best times of the day and days of the week in which the most successful bloggers publish their blog posts to optimize and reach the widest audience.
Believe it or not, their are both benefits to posting during the busy hours (a larger potential audience), and drawbacks (fighting to stand out from the crowd). Posting during the slow periods are both good (less competition for those eyeballs), and bad (a much smaller audience, and less eyeballs to go around in general).
I also think its important to build a quality body of work, irregardless of upvotes and other forms of support. Ask yourself: What's your raison d'etre on Hive?
I consider myself an Ambassador for Hive, as my work will be seen on Google and other places outside the platform. This is why I always try to put my best foot forward and continue growing as a writer while creating my own original content.
Networking, getting out and engaging with others, all play an important part in building a good reputation here on Hive.
At the dawn of bitcoin back in 2009/10, I wondered if someone would ever find a way to combine blogging and crypto. Here on Hive, we've done exactly that. Opening up new possibilities and breaking the shackles of legacy social media. Take back ownership of your content. Act like an owner. Blog on Hive.
If you found this post informative or inspiring, please leave an upvote, comment and reblog. And if you haven't already: Join Hive! :)
Image Credit: [1] @EverNoticeThat Created using Canva.
