Sometimes it feels like Hive is lifting you up, other times it feels like you are the one doing all the lifting just to stay afloat, For me, this year makes it four years on Hive, Four solid years of writing, learning, engaging, sometimes disappearing, then coming back again like nothing happened, and if I am being very honest, I can not even summarize everything Hive has done for me in one neat sentence, because it has been a mix of things I can see clearly, and things I only realize much later when I look back.
When I first joined Hive, the feeling was different, there was this excitement that comes with discovering a new space where your thoughts actually matter, you write something, and people read it, you comment, and someone responds like you actually exist in their world, there was joy in just participating, no pressure, no calculations in your head, no “I must post today or I’m falling behind” It was just pure curiosity and creativity.
But now, I won’t lie, things feel a bit more complex, sometimes you start feeling like you’re running a race you didn’t fully sign up for, uou see others posting consistently, growing, getting more engagement, and without even realizing it, you start comparing,and comparison is dangerous like that, it slowly eats into your confidence without making noise.
There are days you want to write just because you feel like writing, but another part of your mind is calculating, “Will this post do well? Will I earn anything? Is this even worth it?” and that’s where the pressure can creep in, for some people, Hive starts to feel like a routine or even a responsibility instead of a passion.
But then again, there is the other side, side that reminds me why I’m still here after four years, Hive has helped me grow in ways I didn’t expect at all, my writing has improved, my consistency has improved, even the way I think about storytelling and expressing myself has changed, I havee learned patience. I’ve learned how to show up even when I don’t feel like it, I have learned how to engage with people from different places and perspectives, and that alone is something I don’t take lightly.
And the connections too, they matter more than we sometimes admit, the people you meet, the conversations you have, even the random encouragement from someone you have never met physically but somehow feels familiar, those small things add up.
So when I ask myself, “Is Hive helping or draining me?” the honest answer is… it’s both, It depends on how I’m showing up,It depends on my mindset, when I let comparison take the front seat, it drains me, when I return to why I started, it helps me grow again, at the end of the day, Hive is like a tool, It can build you or pressure you, depending on how you use it and how you choose to see it.
For me though, despite everything, I still lean more on the side of growth, because even with the ups and downs, I can clearly see that I am not the same writer who joined four years ago.
Image is Generated With Chatgpt
