I spent today browsing around the #introduceyourself page and realize I’ve been neglecting my duties as a steem senpai. Its not really something I feel I have to do but I want to see the whole community succeed and so I’m going to try and reach out to new users a bit more.

There are tons of posts giving advice on how to succeed as a steemian, but as with most things I have my unique (and awesome (and currently tipsy)) perspective.

After the honeymoon is the hardest part

You may get a big upvote on your introduction post if it’s good enough. You may win someone’s favor at some point early on, but eventually you realize, this place is a grind. People who support you have other people they want to support. They are busy. They forget you sometimes. It’s a natural part of the hyper connected world we live in.

It will be a while before your posts get consistent payout or consistent feedback. This is not a one night stand or a get rich quick scheme.

If your primary purpose is the money, you won’t last long

Getting paid to post is awesome, but the ironic thing is that the more you think about it, the more frustrating this place will be. Just relax and enjoy the fact that you can easily make awesome friends from around the world and do what you feel passionate about, the money will come.

Don’t expect to be a celebrity

This is a community. The people who interact get more attention than the people who just expect others to pay attention to them.

We’ve had all kinds of amazing people here. Check out @ammonite for example, fucking sandcastles as beautiful as the Mona Lisa! Chances are you aren’t as talented as him, at least not yet (keep at it!). That’s ok though, you can be a valuable member of the community anyway. Just think about how to make other people’s day, about what this place needs, about how to make our feeds and comment sections more comfortable and interesting. If you don’t check out other peoples posts and care about what they are doing, the chances they do the same for you are pretty slim. Decentralize fame!

Take advantage of the communities and different front-ends

I was using steemit.com for the longest time until two months ago I finally check out steempeak.com again and had my mind blown. The “tribes” are where it’s at. Discord chat rooms are where it’s at. It’s not all about posts with payout. There is a learning curve but there is no hurry, learn at your own pace, it’s not that complicated.

I hang out at naturalmedicine.io and the be awesome discord chat (I’ll send you a link if you are interested) and a few other places. Find your niche

Don’t write articles for some lame SEO site

Share what you are passionate about. Be Real. We’ve spent all been targeted enough that we are numb. Authenticity along with interaction gets you further than anything.

Find your rhythm

Don’t burn out, and don’t forget about us either. Everyone has to find their steem/life balance. Don't put more time and energy than you are willing to give here. If you give more than you want to because you expect some certain result, you will become disappointed and resent this place. Also remember that your connection to others needs nourishment.

Stick with it!

If you stick around and really connect, steem will change your life for the better, I believe all of us who have stuck it out here feel that way. Scroll back 2-3 weeks to find my article on how it changed my life or check #posh and read other people’s stories.

Steem is always improving

We’ve had so many problems that made me want to quit. Every single time the community has addressed them. It takes time and sometimes it looks like everyone is on the wrong side. There are detours. But somehow it’s just kept improving on all fronts. Be patient. Building a new world takes time.

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Check out my songs and stories at I+Everything

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