It's a funny thing: A lot of people on Steemit — from newly minted Redfish to seasoned Orcas — seem to freak out with worry over how well their next post is going to do... or not.
I have only one thing to say to that: "give yourself a BREAK! Don't bother."
The Averaging Effect
As some of you are no doubt aware, one of my "Day Jobs" is is selling various stuff on auction/ecommerce giant eBay. Over the 20+ years I have been there, I have sold a wide range of antiques, stamps for collectors, jewelry supplies, art and other things.
Signs of spring!
The single most important lesson I have taken with me — which I now apply to Steemit — is to not tie your expectations, hopes and dreams to any one thing.
In the early days, I used to worry myself into a frenzy over whether or not any one particular piece of vintage pottery or a rare old stamp would sell "for the right price."
Frankly, if you're doing something — anything — on a large scale, it's a "loser's game."
Why? Most things in life don't turn out as expected, because at any given moment we are dealing with a bajillion variables, all of which have an impact on the final outcome.
What I learned about eBay was that the only way to stop worrying and sleep well at night was to simply "play the averages."
In an "open auction" market, some items are going to sell for way more than you ever hoped for; some will sell for "somewhat more;" many will sell for "about what you figured," some will sell for less than expected and a few will sell for practically nothing and be a loss.
Why am I OK with making some losses?
Because on average I'm doing OK!
Let's Apply This to Steemit
A peaceful place
In the past 12 months, I've had posts that earned $0.00 and I have had posts that earned almost $300.00. If I were to lose sleep and worry about every low-paying post I created... I'd be a serious insomniac by now.
So I create posts. And then stop worrying about them. It's just that simple.
Once I hit "Post," I stop worrying about it.
That's not to say that I am not always trying my best to create "a potential $300 post," it just means I have no attachment to what any "next post" might do.
At the point of posting, my only "job" is to reply to any relevant comments I get on that post. Sometimes that goes well, sometimes it doesn't.
Doing Your Best
The thing is, all I am really trying to do is "my best" with each post. Since rewards ultimately depend on other people — not myself — I have very little control over the eventual outcome.
Blooming lavender
Pretending that I DO simply adds stress to the equation, and I don't want that-- I'm mostly here to enjoy myself!
"But you could market the post, or buy some upvotes, or....."
I could...
... but I don't.
In the 16-odd months I have been a contributor here, one trend I am not so happy about is that a lot of people seem to be getting all knotted up and tense over "the rewards." And they forget their humanity. And they forget what "SOCIAL media" is actually about-- building connections. Even if building those connections is simply part of a greater objective to build "Brand Self."
So by all means do your best! But stop worrying so much about why "this" post made $2.00 and "that" post made $75.00!
How About YOU? Are you a compulsive "post watcher?" Or do you just publish and move on-- take the good with the bad? Or do you already "play the averages?" Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
Animated banner created by @zord189
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 180429 23:47 PDT