We never really know what we are capable of until we take that leap and actually try certain things. This is especially true for me in many areas of my life that I never imagined I'd pursue. And one of them is Hive, one of the best things that happened to me in 2022.
Growing up, I never saw myself doing certain things. I never saw myself doing music, reading, or even writing. Oh, I do not mean digital writing; I mean handwriting. It was quite a struggle for me to grasp the pen and move on paper like a normal kid. So, yeah, it unequivocally translates to the idea of myself doing digital writing never crossing my mind.
I am not here to talk about digital writing, however. This is more about how an encounter with an environment revealed new aspects of myself and propelled me down what appears to be my path to my unleashing. Oh yes, unleashing, I mean, because I do have something the world needs; we all do.
When I joined Hive in 2022, I didn't think much of this place, as I was sure that writing wasn't for me. But I did start anyway, since I saw I could be incentivized even as I was "trying." And so it started for me.
When I first began writing, I experienced a strange sense of liberation. And it was so because I had expressed myself in a way that I had never done before, and I could revisit and feel the way I felt in the moment I wrote.
In my quest to try out niches, I decided to give music a try. I had had the thought of making music for a very long time, but I never did start until I began feeling the encouragement to try it out when I saw how people were just giving themselves to making music in certain communities. In no time, I jumped in.
It is a fact that what we have here is vastly different from what we have on other social media platforms, which is what makes Hive special. You see, on other platforms—the Web 2 platforms—you don't get to see "engagement" taken as seriously as it is over here. It does feel encouraging to have someone read your content and give interesting feedback and perspectives on it. It goes a long way toward encouraging a creator when they receive legitimately positive feedback. People are deliberate here.
Intentionality
Speaking of being deliberate, content creation here is on another level. People are intentional about growth here, and it's contagious unless one is apathetic about being better.
Apart from the fact that incentives are a major factor in why people stay (albeit a major morale booster), the majority of people here strive to become a better version of themselves with each passing moment they are on (or off) chain.This is something I began to observe early on, and then I started to inculcate the habit of thinking in a similar manner. And this spurred me into seeking to improve things in which I was getting involved.
This new behavior extended from just my online personality to my lifestyle. And, in unexpected ways, I sought to improve in many areas.
The rescue
Now, to speak of the incentivization over here, I cannot help but speak about the high point of 2022—the financial downhill; a time when what I initially didn't think much of became what came through for me.
Around May 2022, things started to go sideways for me. Things just weren't in my favor at that time of the year, and it all became very challenging. And there wasn't anything for me to hold on to other than this one place—Hive.
I was fortunate to have been receiving really good author rewards, especially at that time, mostly because I was in the OCD onboarding program. And for a long time, what I had been gathering on Hive at that time became what I survived on.
If I hadn't been on Hive, I would have still survived, but things would have been different—maybe even much harder—if I had not been on this platform. (Hive). There are more details in this post here: "Thank you, Hive, for being there."
Fast forward many months later, and I have come to find a home in Hive. And because of it, I am becoming a much better person every day.
I learned (and I'm learning) to use Canva because I have come to understand the importance of "having a compelling thumbnail." I learned to type and even hit my ATH of 71 this week, as I have been practicing for months now. Blogging every now and then spurred me into doing that. I have learned a lot about making music simply by showing up every now and then with some covers at Hive Open Mic. I have found a home in certain communities and am building effective relationships with people in them.
ℍ𝕖𝕪, 𝕚𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕖𝕟𝕛𝕠𝕪𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕥, 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕝𝕪 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕒 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥, 𝕣𝕖𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕘, 𝕠𝕣 𝕦𝕡𝕧𝕠𝕥𝕖. 𝕀𝕥'𝕝𝕝 𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕖 𝕓𝕖 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕.