About two weeks ago, I wrote a post about my usual quarterly stocktake, where I would reflect on some of my activities and achievements in the past quarter, and then check out the numbers in Hive wallet. It was just another day, and after I published my post, I got a notification from @hivebuzz. I didn't think too much as it's quite normal to get notifications from @hivebuzz on the number of likes and comments and other stuff, but when I clicked to take a look, I got a pleasant surprise!
I am officially a Dolphin on Hive!
It took me a while for the news to sink in, and later on I reflected and realised how much I have achieved over the past 3 years on Hive. I started writing on Hive, not knowing what Hive really was, but I was playing Splinterlands and wanted to earn some SPT tokens. But over the past 3 years, bit by bit, I found myself being on Hive almost every single day (my friends on Hive can confirm this, haha!).
Hive re-ignited my hobby of writing and allowed me to share some of my thoughts, my stories, my hobbies, and I don't get judged for who I am, what I like or what I dislike. Even if my grammar isn't correct sometimes. During my schooling days, I used to have a English teacher who said my writing was the worst in her class, and it was very discouraging for me and affected my confidence. But on Hive, most people are so welcoming and we even have many people whose first language is not English as well, and yet you see them trying to write. It's all a way of expressing ourselves, and as long as we understand the message, we can communicate.
Hive has been a great support for mental well-being too. Back in 2021, the pandemic was still ongoing and there were restrictions and lockdowns on and off as the cases fluctuated. Within my little room, I was able to connect with people from all over the world. Even though I couldn't travel, it was nice to people sharing stuff on Pinmapple (now it's Worldmappin) and it's as though I was on a virtual tour.
Hive has been very educational for me as well. One thing which I would often tell people is that within Hive, there are a lot of passionate people who have their own goals and ambitions. We have so many projects, tokens, initiatives on the Hive blockchain, and even though many have failed (it's never easy), there are always people who keep trying, and continue to reinvent stuff. I don't have that entrepreneurial or creative spirit, so I found myself playing the supporting role in some of these projects which I liked. Big shoutout to @liotes where I am 6th on the Liotes Ranking, a shoutout to @sbtofficial where I am one of the top few holders of the SBT token, and finally the last shoutout goes to @thgaming where I am also the top 20 holders of the THGAMING token! I have learnt so much from all these talented individuals on how tokenomics works, what liquidity pools are, and most of all, the generosity in always sharing knowledge, and helping others do better.
It's really amazing and totally unbelievable that I started out from nothing 3 years ago, and now, I have over 6k Hive Power and my Hive Wallet is close to 2k USD. I mean, it's probably still much lower than most of the people here (who probably have been on Hive for much longer periods), but I am on my own journey and there's no need to compare, because it was never about the monetary gains. (If I just wanted 2k USD, it would be easier and faster to find a part time job, instead of spending hours on Hive almost everyday for 3 years. Lol!)
So, if you are someone new to Hive, I hope my sharing gives you a rough idea on what a Hivian's journey is like, but of course, everyone's experience is different so this is just one of the many reference points.
So what's next for me after reaching the status of a Dolphin? Nothing changed actually. I still enjoy myself writing posts like this, reading and voting posts from others, and interacting with people from all walks of life! Big thanks to all those who have welcomed me with open arms into Hive and their communities (you know who you are!), as well those who have taken valuable time to read, comment and vote my posts! You all have made a difference to my life and my Hive journey, and finally to @hivebuzz, thanks for making my day with that notification!