How Hive Helps

Ecency is currently running a contest asking about how Hive/Ecency has changed your life - and while I don't use Ecency, I do have some thoughts about this and thought I'd talk about my own journey as this is something that has been on my mind even prior to seeing the contest.

I joined that other chain in Dec of 2019, on the advice of my cousin who was at that time really enjoying blogging and photography. He knew I loved to write, and suggested that if I was going to write anyhow I should put my focus on something better than a Wordpress blog lost in a sea of disconnected websites that nearly nobody visits. So, I took a look, signed up... and basically did nothing the first while.

Here I was, looking at a community built on web3 with crazy talented folks who were passionate about their subjects and showed that passion in what they made. I was a mostly-failed writer who hadn't even thought to touch writing in nearly a decade, a dabbling programmer that was so-so at best, basically just bouncing from one paycheque to the next without much focus. I hadn't invested anything anywhere ever in the 34 years I'd been alive so far, and I was pretty skeptical that crypto was anything more than a passing fad.

But, I stuck around... I read a lot, talked to some folks in Discord, and began making a few posts now and then. I think mostly freewrites at that time, which were welcomed and supported by a few folks early on that drove me to continue making my little bits of fiction, discussing my programming learning, and all that fun stuff. Things didn't really pick up for me here until around the time the hostile takeover happened. Like most of the folks who were here then, I had become passionate about this little corner of the internet that we called home and I was sure as heck not going to let some wannabe bigshot walk in like we owed him for buying the brand. I got more involved in the site, met more likeminded folks, and poured more time into it.

It's been just about 3 years since that point and I've created a small but passionate writing community, have written over a thousand posts (between my main account and the prompts I make daily on @worldbuilder), and have re-found my love of writing... even if it's not the highest quality writing ever. I'm getting better just by continuing to do it.

I broke out of my comfort zone with videos on 3speak and youtube - something I would have never even considered before joining Hive. Were it not for the support and encouragement of folks here, I'd probably have stayed away from putting myself out onto the internet so publicly... but, I have! And that's not all! I've grown my account (largely organically) so I could better support fellow writers and gamers on the chain with a slightly larger vote, and try my best to comment regularly on things people make so they too can feel the value of our community.

Then of course there's the stuff that I've yet to complete - the goals I'm looking at for this year, next year, and ten years down the road. Without Hive, I wouldn't be about to self-publish a book on Amazon/Kindle Direct Publishing... but, here I am - writing the last bits of text for something that will take my name out into the world as a physical thing I did. A goal I'd had since childhood that will (at least partly) be fulfilled. Not exactly in the way I'd expected - I had wanted to be a fantasy/fiction author - but, any start is a start, right?

I've begun actually paying attention to my finances and investing in both Hive and crypto, and the traditional investment avenues (precious metals, stocks, all that fun stuff). It's modest, but I've been doing it with focus for the last year so it's started. Better late than never, eh?

I would be remiss to not talk about my passion for tabletop RPGs too... which is another thing I plan to tackle this year - making a ttrpg, and, publishing an expansion for a ttrpg I'm passionate about. Both things that I'd have never actually considered writing down as real goals to progress towards 5 years ago. Folks who make games and write books are special and talented and not me, is what I would have thought five years ago.

But I've talked to those folks. I've come to know authors on-chain and off-chain. I've seen behind the curtain and realized that these folks aren't special per-say... they're just dedicated. They had an idea and did it. Which is hard! It's easy to think of ideas. It's hard to put those ideas into action. It's hard to deliver. Part of that is fear - what if I fail? - but part of it is a lack of confidence.

Hive shows us all, daily, I think, that we don't need to lack confidence. We're all great at what we do! It shows us that if we just set our minds to something and show up and do the work we don't need to fear failure. Not everything is going to hit, but it doesn't matter. You take what worked, and throw away the rest. You keep trying, and you keep showing up, and you'll succeed.

Which is what I'm going to do. I'm going to keep trying, keep showing up... and as we love to say, we're all gonna make it. I'm going to succeed.

And so are you.


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