If you're about to give up on steemit, let me offer a different perspective through an analogy. It's a personal experience, that way I can give you visual evidence of progress. (and show off a little)
Almost 2 years ago, I decided that I wanted do the cool arm balances and inversions the cool kids were doing.
So I got on the floor, set up my arms like my teacher told me to and then dumped my weight on them. And I was incredibly surprised at my lack of success. I felt like a sack of potatoes.
Incidentally, that is exactly how I felt my first week on steemit!
What did I do? I accepted my status as a beginner. So I continued taking classes, slowly getting stronger in my core, in my arms, working on trusting myself and ignoring my ego when I fell on my face.
One day I was able to lift my legs enough to change my center of gravity. And I was so excited I took a picture and bombarded my friends on social media. And I kept it up. Marveling at every little achievement, asking questions to my teachers, learning from others instead of comparing myself.
And one day boom! My legs floated so high I think I giggled for 5 minutes straight!
And it only took a year!
Similarly on Steemit, there is a lot of "behind the courtains" work to be done before we see rewards.
I showed one of my Steemit posts to a friend and she was surprised that "only members can vote"
Well, yes. Maybe as newbies we haven't yet realized that community is what backs up this project. And think about it, in your communities you don't just show up and call the shots. You get to know people, you earn their trust, you bring something that adds value to the relationship, and then one day you realize how happy it makes you to contribute to something that provides you happiness, security and safety. (or whatever your community provides for you)
So, with that in mind, here are 3 habits I learned are absolutely basic if you want to succeed at anything:
Patience Remember when people would tell you to enjoy Highschool because you'd never get those days back? Same thing. Progress has stages, and you can enjoy every single one of them. You'll get to the next stage with:
Consistency Most of us had a dusty guitar we would pick up once in a blue moon and get irritated that still couldn't play that Slash solo.... Be consistent! Create a habit! Every day, or twice a week, whatever works for you. Devote a slot of time to work on developing your skill, writing a post, reading blogs, making noise.
Networking Find a mentor, or two! Ask questions, create a relationship, initiate conversation, how do you get to know your friends? Talk talk talk! share your common interests, listen to understand and talk to offer your perspective.
Well, I am taking my own advice, and I would love to hear what else you think is helpful!
Bottom line...
There is no instant gratification, if you want to have a shot at success.... Britney says it best,
