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Yesterday, I read a My Hive Story... What's Yours? from @acesontop and commented on his post. When I was reading the post I was thinking to myself that I could actually write a book about my Hive and Steem journey. This morning I woke up a comment from @snook asking me to participate. So I'm writing this post straight after responding to her comment because this initiative is worth it. So let me start.

From what I read on the post of Adrian and the comments, it seems that @snook, @shadowspub and @whatsup are "the trend leaders" so I'll say a big thank you to them for making this happen.

This was probably the pivotal moment of my journey with our community. I was happily developing a community called DtubeFamily777 with Dtube voluntarily. Steemit inc laying off 70% of the workforce made me pivot what I was doing with Steem. I even offered to work for Ned for free to help Steemit.inc and I got no response. So started #Seven77 challenge on Twitter to hunt investors and partnership for Steem. However, during this Twitter movement, I completely got burned out and I even forget the main reason we started this challenge in the first place.

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.

1. How long have you been on the Blockchain?

First signed up to Steem in June 2017 and add Steem to my investment portfolio. Only in January 2018 started writing blogs with steemit as a hobby. So the answer is 4 plus years ago.

2. What was your background in cryptocurrency when you first came to the Blockchain?

I went all-in with Crypto in early 2017 as a long term investor. So since starting my Steem hobby, I was travelling full time while educating myself about the fundamentals of cryptocurrency. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to teach/explain to most of the people I met during my solo backpacking. I even gifted free $BTC and $ETH for a few people, so they can get started with crypto. So I would say when I started with Steem, My plan was to continue learning crypto through reading.

3. What was your background in writing when you first came to the Blockchain?

I had never blogged prior to joining Steem, However, I had vlogging some experience with YouTube. I never liked writing since I was a kid and I always loved maths and problem-solving. English not being my first language, made it even more challenging, Thanks to Hive and my writing skills have become much much better. I want to say my creativity has improved a lot because of Hive.

4. How many people did you know when you first came to the Blockchain?

Absolutely no one. I earned my place and name by contributing to others and different projects within our community.

5. How did you meet people when you first came to the Blockchain?

Of course, by engaging on-chain and building genuine relationships. Watching vlogs of people made it easier to connect with them.

6. Who did you look up to when you first came to the Blockchain?

Almost everyone in our community.

7. How would you describe your first three months on the Blockchain?

The first three months were so slow, I almost don't remember that much. However, I wrote a few blogs and engaged with others' content. Even got into some arguments with people who used bid bots to comment. Gradually I was able to connect with a few people via upvotes and comments.

8. Has being a part of the Blockchain changed you in any way for the good?

Hell yes. I have experienced some extreme challenges because I took extreme ownership. I would say I become stronger and wiser because of Hive. I certainly feel rich being part of our creative community. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to empower fellow creators.

9. What is your favorite memory from your time on the Blockchain?

Of course, It will be steem festival 3 in Poland!

Nothing can replace meeting people in real life. Can't wait for the next real-life Hive Festival.

10. If you could advise a new person signing up to Hive, what would it be?

Start slow and gradually find your way into your tribe. Be consistent. Create consistently. Engage and build relationships with others. Always be yourself and find a way to add value to the Hive network.

Saying hello doesn't have an ROI. It's about building relationships.

That was about it. What's your story?

Thank you for reading.

Hive: leofinance.io/@nathanmars
Twitter: Twitter.com/NathanMars7
Telegram: nathanmars7

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