I made this mistake myself, when I first found Steemit I kept on thinking: "How can I make friends with everyone?" . And this questions is not an easy one to answer, or at least is not for me. The truth is that it's almost impossible for any of us come up with a blog or initiative that will be liked by everyone, and that's probably the healthiest way to think about this.

(btw, I know the typo bugs you... it's ok.. let it go)

   I was reminded today by @luzcypher of the 25/25/50 rule, it's been years since I've heard it, but its a common conversation in the world of music, and dominates music business itself as it probably keeps producers and artists mind focused on the task at hand.

• 25% of people will love your work
• 25% of people will hate your work
• 50% of people have no idea you exist

   I found this reminder specially important today, as we had found some let's say "negative" behaviors and comments within our #openmic community. For a minute there, I felt that It was my duty to react, to say some stinging truths to this user, but... after being reminded of this balanced truth, I felt completely OK with letting it slide.

We have to be Ok with those who don't like us

   It's bound to happen, specially if you are making some waves in the ocean. There is going to be someone on this platform who is going to think you are full ot it. There is going to be another user who thinks your ideas are dumb, or that you are being unfair. The important questions becomes:

How do we deal with this? How do we let this just slide?

   I guess for me, specially today, it helped to know that if we are getting some backlash, or some negativity, this is happening because we are making enough noise, and maybe that publicity is a net positive for the community, and it's an indication of its viral growth. I guess we could compare it to the known idea that, there is no such thing as bad press... so maybe I should be celebrating this problems.

   I've had a full day to think about this, almost 14 hours to reflect on what is to come, what we have no seen yet. It's no secret than the open mic contest will continue it's course this year, and that the songwriter's challenge has another round up it's sleeve, so we really have to be ready to deal with it all, the good and the bad.

The sure way to fail

   One of my favorite things to do, is to talk to people that have been on this earth for a lot longer than me. I love the ability to tap into wisdom with a simple conversation, wrapped in smiles and stories. One of my good friends is about to hit the big 80, and a couple of years ago, when I had left my day job and decided to branch out on my own he said to me a piece of advise that I carry like a tattoo in the forefront of my mind.

"I don't really know how you can succeed at being an Entrepreneur, I'm an old man with old ideas... but I do know how you fail, if you think you can appease everyone, make everyone happy, you are sure to crash and burn in months..."

   I for one intend to take the negativity (it's very little) that is sure to come our way as an indication of our growth, and as a sure sign that we must be doing something right in this community. It's my sincere hope that the other judges, the other leaders of the #openmic community do the same as well.

Songwriter's Challenge #2

   We got one more week left, and it's going to over, the guitar will be sent to its new owner, and the final tally of votes will reveal the name, but I feel like we are just getting started. This year, 2018, is going to be a fantastic year for the crypto world, and Steemit is no exception, I fully expect our growth to be exponential and along with that hundreds if not thousands of musicians join our ranks, start their own initiatives, and add to the wealth of this platform.

   In private conversations with the other judges, we are already drawing out some ideas for Challenge #2. Our growth and Steem Valuation is going to allow us to do much more for the contestants, to the point that it might seem too good to be true. We are talking recording packages, recording studio bundles, instruments, so many things have been brought to the table that it feels a bit overwhelming to dream of the possibilities that are ahead.

   I expect to be back on the saddle for the second challenge sometime after the end of January, there is some things I need to attend to with family that might keep me a bit away from Steemit, but just a little bit... However it's very important to me, as it is for the other judges to be able to dedicate my full attention to listening to the entries, reading the lyrics and interacting with the participants, so I want to really focus on the task at hand when the contest restarts.

   In any case my friends, I'm pretty excited for 2018. I believe this is the year, and not in a cliche way people like to talk about, I mean it this time. We are not late to this party, we are right at the beginning, and this is something we can all celebrate with our finest of wines.

I'll sign off for now, got a long day ahead of me tomorrow...

Much love to you all