Keep Moving
When I stumbled upon the Hive blockchain I was flabbergasted. I've always wanted to be in an online space where writers get instant, monetizing rewards for their articles. By then I've perused Read.Cash and wasn't too keen on the activities and rewards. Other micro-blogging sites have given me a glimpse of what I wanted or expected, but I believed something better lies out there. And, yes, in the form of the Hive blockchain, something better did lay in wait for me.
As I've once mentioned before, I got to Hive while trying to read an article via a link posted on one of the blogging sites I frequented. After reading the article I chose to peruse the site. There and then, I couldn't believe what I saw. The articles displayed on the Ecency frontage had varying rewards, but about three of them had over $30 as upvotes. I said to myself, "dude, you're joining this place."
Registering wasn't fun but it eventually happened. To maximize the seemingly new found opportunity, I wasted no time in dropping a short post about the Women Euro 2022 Final. Guess what? I got one upvote - and that was from me. Why? I posted the article directly on my blog despite having zero followers. I guess I was the only one staring at the unfortunate post. After waiting for three days expecting a surge in upvotes that never happened, I felt lost.
I spent the next few days trying to improve my knowledge of the blockchain. Then, I tried to test the newly acquired knowledge with another article. After posting in a sports community, I was checking every five minutes for activities. This time, I got five upvotes and some comments on the article. However, my reward stayed at $0.0. I felt bad, but was encouraged by the response. It was from the comment section someone advised me to go introduce myself properly. That singular advice changed everything.
For minutes, I stood still trying to think about the best way to introduce myself. I've checked some introduction posts and saw them getting some serious upvotes and rewards. I told myself I had to maximize this opportunity; I had to deliver a top notch article. Finally, something formed in my head and I started writing.
The first time I checked the posted article some hours after submission, I was overjoyed. 25 upvotes, a couple comments and, most importantly, about $2.5 in rewards. I was in dreamland. I thought, "Finally, I've gotten the hang of things around here." While I was still basking in the euphoria of finally getting some reward, my next article shattered the ceilings. With about 100 upvotes and $20 in reward, I celebrated wildly. With this, I concluded I've conquered Hive. That is it, right?
The next day, I sat down, drafted another article, posted it with little anxiety and a very high dose of pride. Hours later, with the arrogance that can only be rivalled by the cockiest of animals, I checked my article expecting bloggers to be stepping upon each other just to upvote this wonderfully crafted piece of art. Guess what? My pride was ruthlessly checked. 25 upvotes, $0.26 reward. I felt the world was ending. What did I do wrong? How did I swing from $20 to $0.26 in the space of two days?
Right there and then, I realized getting upvotes wasn't my entitlement, it's just a privilege that I have to work very hard for. Since then, I've packed my lorry load of pride into the waste bin and worked hard. Despite that, about 50% of my articles have less than $1 in reward. But I never let that deter me. There will be good days, there will be bad ones. Celebrating the good ones and drawing strength from the bad ones as life goes on is what encourages growth.
This vital lesson I learnt on Hive has been generously applied in my dealings ever since. I no longer "over-punish" myself for disappointing results - it's inevitable. Instead, I draw strength from it to do better. Above all, keep moving.
Thank you, Hive.