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| comment | | "parent_author":"",<br>"parent_permlink":"steemitultimatechallenge",<br>"author":"dop-dop",<br>"permlink":"steemit-ultimate-challenge-8-weeks-week-5",<br>"title":"Steemit Ultimate Challenge 8 Weeks - Week #5",<br>"body":"First of all,<br> I want to thank @clixmoney for sending me a link to this amazing challenge organized by @dobartim . And I must really commend @dobartim for organising the contest,<br> I've personally learnt a lot from the stories I've read so far.\n\nHere goes my steemit story...\n\nhttps:\/\/s10.postimg.org\/hsbqpbehl\/enstyle1483249519833.jpg\n\nMy name is Dop,<br> I live in Uyo,<br> Nigeria. I studied at the University of Uyo,<br> Nigeria,<br> where I obtained a degree in Architecture. I completed my B.Sc program early last year,<br> and I've since been waiting to be mobilized for the compulsory 1 year National Youth Service. In Nigeria,<br> if you are below 30 yrs of age,<br> on completion of your university education you are expected to embark on a compulsory 1 yr 'service to the Nation'. On completion of this,<br> a certificate is issued,<br> and for some reason,<br> this certificate is the minimum requirement for employment in Nigeria. You can't even further your education without this certificate. People like @fidelmboro and @majorsteemian can relate to this. Somehow this is what validates one's degree.\n\nThe mobilization is done once in about 6-8 months. So you can imagine how I felt when I missed out on my mobilization,<br> Simply because someone neglected his duty and didn't process my documents on time! The thought of waiting for another 8 months was sickening. I couldn't imagine staying at home that long without doing something meaningful and progressive with my life. To me,<br> my life was in a pause. It was in a freeze it. Then came steemit to unfreeze it! \nTo keep myself busy while waiting to be mobilized,<br> I had attached myself to an architectural firm to at least do something productive for the main time. The pay wasn't good,<br> but I didn't really mind. All I wanted was to keep busy and maybe gather some working experience while waiting. I got to do a couple of building designs and was on site during their construction.\nhttps:\/\/s10.postimg.org\/ihuj1shmx\/IMG_20150724_112729.jpg\nIt felt good to be doing something that I loved,<br> especially the part of witnessing the actualization of my designs. \n\nhttps:\/\/s17.postimg.org\/x3oss3xnz\/3_D_View_2iiyuyg.jpgf.jpg\n\nAt a point,<br> I felt like my efforts were underappreciated. They knew that I was doing a great job,<br> if I wasn't going to be well paid,<br> at least I deserved some appreciation. They took me for granted,<br> so I quit!\n\nI don't think that steemit could've come to me at a better time than this. When I saw the satisfaction and opportunities I could get from steemit,<br> I embraced it with my whole being. Steemit was not just something that I could use to kill time while waiting on my mobilization,<br> because I already had that with facebook,<br> movies and the part-time job I had. Here was something that I could invest in,<br> that I'll definitely get to benefit from in the future. For me,<br> steemit is not just for the 'now' only,<br> but for the future also. So the feeling of doing something that will ensure a better future for me has made me realise that these months have not been a waste of time,<br> that it might even be a blessing. Steemit is not just unfreezing my time,<br> it is catapulting me into the future...sort of.\n\nTo be very frank,<br> I hadn't heard of steemit until the second week of January of this year. I was just talking on phone with friend @slimseries as we normally do,<br> then towards the end of our gist,<br> she said something about an online platform that people got paid from the posts they put up. She didn't mention it again that night. Two days later (we talk virtually everyday on phone),<br> she mentioned it again,<br> and that's when I the name Steemit really registered in my head for the first time. This time around,<br> she sounded very excited about it,<br> she was pretty sure that this was something I should do,<br> instead of wasting all my time on facebook and twitter,<br> when I could be earning reward for my contents. That's all she talked about the whole evening. She was like a marketer trying to sell a product to a new client. Lol. Funny thing,<br> she was still awaiting her confirmation though. I pretended to be interested just to get her off my back.\n\nLater that night,<br> I got online to check things out for myself. And what I saw was mind-blowing! Here was a world that I had no idea existed,<br> yet so many people were here,<br> interacting and making the most out of it. The contents were wow,<br> the financial rewards were crazy! I couldn't believe that I was missing out on something this beautiful. There and then,<br> I knew that I had to be part of this,<br> a part of this experience.\n\nI signed up and waited impatiently for my account to be approved. Unlike @slimseries who waited for over a week,<br> luckily my account was confirmed within three days,<br> and I was ready to go.\nMy account was approved on the 23rd of January,<br> and I jumped into the world of steemit. \n\nI was surprised by the quality of posts I saw on steemit. They were very educative and inspiring. People didn't just come up with flimsy posts like is common with most other platforms. Here people took time to publish posts with great and insightful contents. The contents were on a different level,<br> a much better level. I'm a great admirer of @felander especially his posts about his New Zealand trip. I find the photos really fascinating. He informed me the he'll be touring Iceland soon,<br> and I can't wait for that!\nI'm not much of a writer (I'm pretty sure that you must've figured that out by now...lol),<br> but after reading posts from the likes of @jwolf and especially @vcelier there is nowhere I can surpress the urge to write. Thanks to guys like that on steemit,<br> they've been massive improvement in my writing,<br> even to my surprise!\n\nOver the last couple of weeks,<br> thanks to steemit i've come to meet and interact with entirely brand new set of people. People I probably wouldn't have met but for steemit. Immediately my account was confirmed,<br> @clixmoney suggested that I joined his Facebook steemit group,<br> which I did immediately. In the group I got to meet and interact with fellow steemians,<br> some were newbies like me. Through them I got to join several other steemit groups on Facebook,<br> which really helped me understand the platform more. \nOn these groups were thousands of people who didn't really share anything in common,<br> but took it upon themselves to help each other daily. I guess I was (I still am) surprised at the level of kindness and assistance that is shown in these groups. People were always on hand to offer solutions at anytime. As a newbie,<br> I was really touched by the warmth and acceptance I received from the older members. When I saw this,<br> i knew that I wasn't going anywhere.\n\nCurrently I'm on a number working facebook steemit groups,<br> and whatsapp groups. On discord,<br> I've been able to exchange ideas with fellow steemians like @fidelmboro @felander @the01crow @jeffjagoe @majorsteemian @staceyjean etc.\nI'm yet to meet physically with the people I've met here,<br> except for @slimseries of course. I mostly chat online with them and exchange ideas. That is about to change though,<br> as we are currently planning a little meet-and-greet gathering for steemians around where I stay. This should hold later this month,<br> and I'm pretty excited about meeting the guys physically.\n\nFinancially,<br> I wouldn't say that I have made so much on steemit for now. Then again,<br> I have only been on steemit a little over a month,<br> and the rewards are slowly adding up day by the day. Judging from the fact that I haven't invested my personal money into it like most people do,<br> I wouldn't say that I'm doing very badly. At times I get discouraged by the low rewards I get from my posts,<br> but when I see what others get from theirs,<br> I get encouraged. I tell myself that those people started from the scratch like me,<br> if they could get to where they are,<br> then I too surely can! I'm already seeing the result of my persistence! Up until last weeks,<br> the most I got from my post was about 30 cents,<br>but just last weekend,<br> I got up to $12 from my post. So signs like this tells me that it can only get better!\n\nTo me,<br> steemit is more of a long term investment for me. The main plan I have for my earnings from steemit,<br> is to further my education. Immediately I'm done with my one-year Youth Service,<br> I plan on enrolling in a postgraduate school to study for my M.Sc in Architecture. I wouldn't want to be a burden on my parents or anyone else,<br> and I believe that within a year,<br> that'll be able to make enough money for this course from steemit. It seems like a tall dream,<br> but I believe that I can get there.\n\nOne might ask about the part that I'm playing in the development of steemit? \n\nI didn't introduce anybody to steemit until last week. The reason being that I wanted to get a hold of how things work on the platform before asking anybody to join,<br> so that when called upon for assistance or explanations,<br> I would be able to give the right guidance and suggestions.\n\nLast week,<br> I visited the university where I studied twice,<br> my department to be precise,<br> to preach the steemit gospel...lol. I had planned to reach out to larger groups,<br>but it was impossible as they were writing their semester exams at the moment.So I had to stick to smaller groups of three or four people,<br>and discussed to them the concept and benefits of steemit.\nhttps:\/\/s13.postimg.org\/toarwb3iv\/IMG_20170928_120717.jpg\n\nhttps:\/\/s17.postimg.org\/suk2pvwyn\/IMG_20160907_161048.jpg\n\n Just like I was when I first found out,<br> they were surprised at what they heard and saw. Almost everybody I talked to indicated interest and registered. Thanks to my visit,<br> once the semester exams is over,<br> steemit will have at least 15 new members (that is me being modest),<br> sharing benefiting contents on steemit.\n\nOn facebook,<br> I have also introduced the platform to several friends,<br> and 8 of them have already registered,<br> awaiting approval. And I'm looking at getting more to register this week.\n\nIn Nigeria,<br> I believe that steemians are facing two major challenges,<br> which are the unavailability of constant electricity and that of data subscription. It is pretty embarrassing to say this,<br> but in my country getting your phone,<br> laptop and other gadgets charged is a big problem. I literally walk about with my phone charger everywhere I go,<br> with the hope of finding power. While I can't buy generators for people,<br> I can try to provide data services for a number of people at least.\nWhenever I start getting better rewards,<br> not necessarily the big payouts,<br> I plan on using part of it to further the steemit course. In Nigeria,<br> internet data rates are pretty expensive and it's kinda hard to keep spending data on steemit,<br> when you're not yet getting reasonable reward. This is from my personal experience. My plan is to try and subscribe for data services for as many minnows as possible. This may not seem much but I believe that it's a form of encouragement that goes a long way.\n\nI won't limit my assistance to fellow steemians only. I'll go ahead and follow the steps of steemians that I have seen,<br> who are giving part of their earnings from steemit for various charitable courses.\n\nMy hope is that me being on steemit does not just enrich my life only,<br> but I hope to add value to as many lives as possible. \n\n\nWhen I joined steemit,<br> I was really hoping to...\nsee something different.\nfeel something different.\ngive something different.\nexperience something different.\n\nAnd in the past couple of weeks,<br> that's exactly what i've gotten from steemit. There is no possible way that I can fully express the void that steemit has filled in my life. It is hard to put it into words.\n\nMost people focus more on the financial gains that steemit brings,<br> and I don't blame them in any way. I won't fool myself,<br> because I don't think that they could be any bigger motivation than that. That is what first brought me to steemit,<br> the thought of making money from my post was special. For me though,<br> steemit is much more than an avenue of making money,<br> it really goes beyond that. Money is like the bait,<br> a bait to the entire steemit experience,<br> which is what really counts for me. Getting to live other people's life through their writings,<br> stories,<br> photos,<br> music,<br> videos etc,<br> is the best gain i've gotten from steemit. What has kept me on steemit are the beautiful photos i see everyday. Reading about other people's culture. Learning from other people's experiences. The new cooking recipes I see everyday. Things like this is what has made the whole steemit experience wonderful for me. Definitely not just the money! \n\nFor this reason,<br> I'll always be grateful to @slimseries for introducing me to the wonderful world of steemit,<br> and making me...\n see something different.\n feel something different.\n give something different.\n experience something different.\n\nAnd to her sister @wakkylyon for being the fore-runner for us. Always sourcing for information,<br> looking for ways to better our experience on steemit. I hope we finally get to meet one of these days,<br> so I could say thank you in person.\n\n@felander thanks for being patient and all the important suggestions you've given me for the past couple of weeks. You may think that it was nothing,<br> but believe me when I tell you that it went a long way.\n\nNot forgetting @clixmoney who asides from being the person that suggested that I joined the contest in the first place,<br> was also the first person to follow me. \n\nFinally,<br> i would like to thank @dobartim for organising this contest,<br> and giving people the oppurtunity to tell their story. For the past week,<br> I've read a number of touching and motivating stories thanks to this platform,<br> and I'm just glad that I finally get to share mine. \n\nWhen @clixmoney told me about this contest,<br> being a minnow and not earning much,<br> I was really excited about the pricetag,<br> but I must confess that halfway through this writing,<br> I totally forgot about the price money. Once again,<br> the reward proved to be a bait,<br> this time a bait for me to reflect on the effect of steemit in my life. Right now,<br> I am just interested in sharing my story and hoping that this post makes a meaning to at least one person out there. If this post gets to motivate one person,<br> I'll gladly take that as my reward.\n\nYou too can join this challenge and share your steemit story with the rest of us. \n\nTo join,<br> follow the link https:\/\/steemit.com\/steemitultimatechallenge\/@dobartim\/43ejey-steemit-ultimate-challenge-8-weeks-prize-fund-2000-sbd-week-5-registration-is-in-progress\n\nhttps:\/\/s17.postimg.org\/41aipco9r\/JPEG_20180127_235528.jpg\nThank you so much for reading my story till the end.",<br>"json_metadata":" \"tags\":[\"steemitultimatechallenge\",<br>\"motivation\",<br>\"steemit\",<br>\"writing\",<br>\"steemitpowerupph\" ,<br>\"users\":[\"clixmoney\",<br>\"dobartim\",<br>\"fidelmboro\",<br>\"majorsteemian\",<br>\"slimseries\",<br>\"felander\",<br>\"jwolf\",<br>\"vcelier\",<br>\"the01crow\",<br>\"jeffjagoe\",<br>\"staceyjean\",<br>\"wakkylyon\" ,<br>\"image\":[\"https:\/\/s10.postimg.org\/hsbqpbehl\/enstyle1483249519833.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/s10.postimg.org\/ihuj1shmx\/IMG_20150724_112729.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/s17.postimg.org\/x3oss3xnz\/3_D_View_2iiyuyg.jpgf.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/s13.postimg.org\/toarwb3iv\/IMG_20170928_120717.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/s17.postimg.org\/suk2pvwyn\/IMG_20160907_161048.jpg\",<br>\"https:\/\/s17.postimg.org\/41aipco9r\/JPEG_20180127_235528.jpg\" ,<br>\"links\":[\"https:\/\/steemit.com\/steemitultimatechallenge\/@dobartim\/43ejey-steemit-ultimate-challenge-8-weeks-prize-fund-2000-sbd-week-5-registration-is-in-progress\" ,<br>\"app\":\"steemit\/0.1\",<br>\"format\":\"markdown\" " | | vote | "voter":"dop-dop",
"author":"dop-dop",
"permlink":"steemit-ultimate-challenge-8-weeks-week-5",
"weight":10000 |
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