Hive Saved My Life!

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(Edited)

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Yesterday was a special little milestone for yours truly...

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4 years...

When I get these reminders every year from @hivebuzz it makes me more and more grateful for Hive and the entire community here on the blockchain.

For those that may not know my story, I thought I'd share a little history and then go into some things I've learned along the way. I hope it inspires people that might be brand new to Hive and encourage them to stick with it....Amazing things can happen :)

In 2017, my life came crashing down. After building businesses successfully online since the early 2000's, I abruptly got the wake up call of all wake up calls.

For almost 17 years, I had been using PayPal as my go to payment processor of choice. I always followed their rules, and even stuck up for them when people's accounts got shut down. I used to stick my nose up and just say 'Well you must have done something wrong, PayPal doesn't just end accounts for no reason'...

April 2017....I got the famous 'Your Account Has Been Banned' emails from PayPal. I decided to give them a call, and get things straightened out, because I hadn't done anything different with my account for 17 years and there had to be an explanation.

Nothing. I could not get my account back, I was banned for life and they offered no explanation other than 'you broke our acceptable use policy'. Of course, little did I know that when you sign up for PayPal they have it in their terms that they can change their AUP whenever they want. So I couldn't do a thing.

Here's how the rest of 2017 went....

Accounts got locked as well as all our business funds. We only used PayPal and had no reason not to. 17 years with one company, you assume things are going to work forever. After the accounts got locked, my bank cut my credit, I had zero income coming in and no way to repay the debt I was incurring now. My old business partners and I decided to split the company and I would be the sole owner of a few of the web properties we owned.

Still, mortgage payments could not be made, as I had no income at all coming in so I was forced to sell my home. I ended up living in the basement of my in-laws for the next 2 years while I tried to figure things out...

Oh by the way, in July of 2017, my second son was born too. So here I am...No job, no income, a brand new baby boy and a wife who is questioning her life decision of marrying me. Just joking on that last part, believe me, my wife has weathered this entire storm right by my side :)

While my business was thriving, we messed with crypto. We got into some early mining and actually accumulated quite a bit of coins and tokens. But we didn't focus on it, just because our focus was on our thriving online businesses. But after it all went south, the 'blockchain' and crypto popped back in my mind as something to look into.

I was NOT going to give up, but with PayPal being no longer an option, I had to find something that would be a much better option to build on and put my life into....

Of course, this was nearing the end of 2017, right during that INSANE bullrun that captured everyone's attention....And while I can't remember exactly how I stumbled upon the blockchain....Here it was, right in front of me!

  1. A payment option, with it's own stable coin.

  2. A thriving community that focused on social media.

  3. The potential of these things called SMTs. With the end goal of tokenizing the web.

I was hooked on day one!

For the first few months, I read the white papers (and blue paper), I learned all I could and didn't try to rock any boats. My goal during those first few months here was...Be a sponge. Soak it all up!

I saw the potential of everything that was being built here and decided this is where I would bring my online businesses to. I just needed a strategy to do that because...Well, even today, blockchains aren't the easiest things to learn. So I partnered with @blainjones and we started building!!!

Our first project was called Bitcoin Bully, the idea was simple. Introduce people that has zero knowledge of crypto, into the wild world of it all. Super simple instructions to get their feet wet and give them a helping hand.

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Next, we wanted to take that same model and focus 100% on the blockchain, so we built SteemSavvy. We used short, easy to follow lessons that took new members from A to Z on getting set up...

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Of course, that has now been updated and rebranded and built to be The Hive Guide. And it's a huge part of our onboarding strategy to bring more and more members to Hive....

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We found a really good formula that worked and we kept doing everything we could to raise awareness about Hive and all it's amazing applications. Since then, we've brought the entire @CTPtalk community over to Hive, we've built the Index Token and HivePay...With HUGE plans in 2022 as well :)

Going back to when I first joined, it's important to note...I had NOTHING.

There was no secret stash of crypto, because in brilliance, we ended up selling all our Bitcoin back in like 2015....I had no big bank account to fund my 'powering up', just small tiny bits at a time. I didn't come here with a huge network of friends or know the secret handshake needed for the old Steem Slack group lol

I just had a burning desire to...Rebuild my business and use the blockchain to make that happen.

I showed up, put in the work and did everything in my power to grow and add value daily. I kept a smile on my face, never whined about being upvoted or not, and even had to beg family members to help pay for my 2 trips to blockchain related conferences in 2018...One in Toronto, the other all the way in Krakow, Poland.

No complaining. Ever. I just KNEW in my heart of hearts, that this was the place to put my entire focus on. And I have never doubted that, for one second. Even with Hive going down to like 8 or 10 cents, I stayed the course....

So 4 years later...Here I am! And here's a few tips that I've learned along the journey, I hope they help you as well:

  • Upvotes may come, and they may not. Regardless, if you show up and add value to the blockchain, you will be rewarded in much more ways then just an upvote.

  • Hive is filled with amazing people. And you'll find people from every walk of life, belief mindset and attitude you could imagine...This is the human experience on blockchain. Embrace it :)

  • Never pay attention to price. Enjoy the journey and then you'll be pleasantly surprised in a few years and take a look at your account!

  • Power up! Make a commitment to power up as much as you can regularly, that doesn't mean you need to drop hundreds of dollars...But as my good friend @nathanmars famously told me back in 2018....Putting some skin in the game makes you a true believer!

  • Tomorrow will be so much better than today....AKA, we came from Steem and have built Hive!!!

  • Never give up! If things don't work out, revisit how you approach it but never STOP!

Thanks for reading my annual War & Peace article. I always try to keep these around 500 words, but this puppy is clocking in at over 1300 now lol. Just let me make this so clear...I appreciate every single one of you SO much!

Hive saved my life.

Hive changed my life.

And if it wasn't for this blockchain and community, who knows where I would be today...

Forever grateful,

Jongo
Professional Hive Shill

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150 comments
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Very inspirational post here. I'd go as far as t say that Hive has changed my life too. I've grown a lot as a person here.

Posted Using LeoFinance Beta

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Appreciate it, thanks for taking the time to read through it lol I usually try to avoid making long posts like this lol But had a lot to say!

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I kept a smile on my face, never whined about being upvoted or not, and even had to beg family members to help pay for my 2 trips to blockchain related conferences in 2018...One in Toronto, the other all the way in Krakow, Poland.

What else can prove the testimony of your attachment with this community and chain - you put passion in it and that is when outcome shows up - it takes time but it definitely shows up.

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thank you sir. yeah it just felt right. even with everything crashing something just kept telling me that hive was the one lol

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Same sentiments with Hive it helped us a lot with our expenses. Truly a life saver. I am not that active compared to what I used to be but for sure I am here for good.

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it really is. my story is not unique at all and that’s why hive is so important for everyone. it can change so much for so many.

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Good read right here, That whole Paypal thing was sooo dumb. The terminations after years and years of working with them with no issues was a clear slap in the face and why I will never support paypal and advocate vs them always. Stripe came in clutch at the time but I too had my heart set on crypto. To me it was the future and I'm glad I dug in as hard as I did when I did. I can't imagine the crap hole I'd be in without crypto honestly lol

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man you know lol it was just dumb. on so many levels. but thankful for this blockchain for sure. made us both focus up i believe.

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It is really great you have overcome that now at no doubt you've also been a wonderful person on the blockchain that most people here also look up to you especially me because I have learnt a lot from you in one way or the other and thanks for making hive a wonderful place to be.

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thanks for the kind words. i just want people to know. you can start here with no huge bank account or blockchain knowledge and build. that’s what is so important for others to know.

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This is an amazing story. I'm looking forward to see what you build next! I wish you continued success!

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thanks man. appreciate the kind words and all the support.

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You are awesome!! Thanks for being here.

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thanks man, thanks for all the support since day one!

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One has just got to put his head in the game. I look forward to writing one of this in ten years time. I want it that long to have just enough madness to pull through. I'm almost a year on Hive and I can say that it's paid my bills all through. I'm a stay at home bitch so you pretty understand what's the basic, maybe in 10 years I'll begin to head out often, but right now, everything I've accomplished has been from the comfort of my home.

Consistency and Determination rings the success bell, glad you stuck around, see you in decades more to come.

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Oh wow, just think....10 years from now....

I'm pretty sure we'll all be so glad we stuck with it here then :)

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(Edited)

You just got a fan.

You become a model for me right now. Sometimes at life looks like nothing is working for us. But look at that! If you persist you will achieve.

I'm glad you are ok now.

And remember a quote that is something like:

Success is move from one failure to another without losing enthusiasm.

Congrats for your success! You made it and deserve. 🎉

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Appreciate the kind words! And I agree, that's a great quote right there :)

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This has to be the second time I'm reading one of this type of articles. I think the first was from @trumpman

Though I've not been the most active here due to some studies eating up my time. However, I won't deny that this space is having an impact on so many lives.

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I guarantee both our stories wont be the last either. This blockchain can help so many people :)

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Didn't save my life but did retire early, largely thanks to it 😍 It's not just the money but also the connections you meet and the information you get 🎉

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(Edited)

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Ahhhh and there's the even stranger part of the story.

We had BIG business with them, so much so we had an account manager plus had lines of business credit with them.

We owed from the lines of credit, so it cleaned us out when they shut us down.

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Just unacceptable.
I hope that someone sue them for this behavior.

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(Edited)

Coming to a country which has crypto illegal,Hive was my only option to get into this space. Which i fact I used to the best, joining most of the projects that almost ended up. I feel with the belief to stick, a new user will fall into the trap of jumping up in coins. Thats a regret. However, coming up to this phase has been a great ride, I still believe things could have been way better if I just had powered up every week/month. I often travel looking to only use Hbd if needed
now.
You put everything thay I feel from now in Right spot. And, can relate more with the possibilities of sticking to "what you believe in". Its never late when eyes are opened, I am way looking forward to making my best "Hive year 2022" bring in the time , effort, and engagement for the community. I felt the whole ride from 2017 after reading it all. Thank you. Wish you the best✨

You have my respect as well for the whole setup you been through and pulled things up. Hive has been a boon for many of us. And, will always be.👏

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I really hope Hive can help you like it did me and so many others. That's what this crypto stuff can do for so many. Hope you have a very prosperous journey here!!

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Sure. Thank you so much. More into how i can pour into hive as well. Way more to explore ahead. Best wishes ✨

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Each words so true...your contribution to the platform is unmatchable. ... this platform have loads of potential for.people who are enthusiast to do well in life....it was an awesome read and somewhat I find in same shoes....what I did I never stopped and keep enjoying my journey....and it's been 4 years...quite an interesting ride but yes a memorable one too.....

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Thanks for the comments and kind words :)

What a journey indeed...I wouldn't change a thing!!

(Except maybe stretch to buy more Hive at 10 cents lol)

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Hahaha.....for sure everyone wants to fill their wallet ..those who missed it at that low

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17 years with Paypal then they cut you off. We really don't understand how centralized companies are and they cut you off whenever they want. I remember all the Youtubers saying how they are always scared because Youtube could always tweak something and cut them off at any point in time. I am glad HIVE doesn't block you off from anything.

Posted Using LeoFinance Beta

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Amen to that! Yeah man, just poof...And they never helped, offered to help or give any explanation. They basically said, tough we dont want you. lol

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Awwwwn, what a way to start the day by reading this motivating and inspiring story of the Hive blockchain. What I've learned from your experiences shared here is consistency, resilient, grit, and perspiration. And also having beautiful person supporting you is a great thing, your wife is amazing, some would leave at that point of struggles. Thanks for sharing how your got to know Hive and the 4 years experience. Great one sir. Hive has helped us a lot too!

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Appreciate that...Yeah if anything, I'm a stubborn SOB lol

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(Edited)

I am also on the Steem/Hive blockchain for more than four years. I registered on it on 2017.05.17.

I am using PayPal since 2014.02.22 without any problems. I really have not had any problems with it so far, but I heard from various people about misteriously locked/banned accounts.

I think that PayPal should properly explain why they banned your account permanently. They should tell you what rule(s) did you broke to get permanently banned. You have the right to know the exact reason(s).

It is a shame that PayPal can ban people's accounts without properly given reason(s) and explanations.

If you asked for a proper explanation, and they still did not tell you, then PayPal should be sued for this. Maybe it would be a good idea to look for banned people, and sue PayPal collectively. They ruined your (and probably many other people's) life after all.

If you get a permanent ban from anywhere, you have the right to exactly know why they gave you a permanent ban.

Giving you a permanent ban by saying that "you broke our acceptable use policy" is like putting you in jail/prison by saying that "you broke the law".

Complete nonsense.

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I looked into it. And what I found was...I agreed to their terms when I signed up. Problem is, in their terms, they clearly state they have an acceptable use policy and they can change it at anytime. If you break their AUP, they can ban your account.

Sucks.

What's the worst of it is, I was using my account there for 17 years, and didn't change a thing...So they are basically saying I was 'breaking' their AUP for 17 years? Just foolishness and I'm glad to be done with them even if they threw my life into turmoil lol

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All I can say right now, is that you have lived earlier than me that you were able to experience those things in your life. It made me wonder; where would I be at if I wasn't discouraged with petty little things and continued doing what I want. (including blogging)

Can't remember how long have I been here since I was coming in and out on occasions. I think I need a reminder from @hivebuzz too. :)

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Oh hey I'm not trying to say that we all wont go through stuff...Heck I know I've got plenty of challenges ahead...But there is something special about sticking to it. It truly is a superpower!

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Yes, I understand you and apologies if my statement was a bit confusing to you at some point. I do understand that consistency plays a big role in achieving anything here in the blogging platform, and I think I lacked that. I was hesitant and doubted a lot of things beforehand and lost the chance to see what I could do. But you know, there's always so much to learn in the process. No matter what it is; good or bad - you can always learn something new. And it's like we're just gaining experience in the process.

So yeah, cheers to your success and I hope others (as well as me) could do the same. 😊

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4 years, 3 months and 20 days 😉

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Where am I at those 4 years, 3 months and 20 days? I can't say that I've achieved so much in blogging already since I know that it's not the truth. But I think I'm grateful to have a platform to go to and express what I have in mind.

Although most of the times, I feel hesitant to share and create, the community has played a big role in the process of knowing my strength and weaknesses. I've done quite a number of article which I never imagined I would before knowing the platform. And I don't think it's a regrettable encounter.

Thank you @hivebuzz for actively providing reminder to users! I really am grateful.

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So sorry to hear about your PayPal experience. I also had a similar one with them… just froze all my funds for no reason. Took months to resolve and get it back but they closed my account anyway. To this day I have no idea what the cause was. It’s scary how they have full control over any funds in their possession and can just keep them from you for any reason they want.

Glad to see you turned lemons into lemonade and got past the PayPal mess! Really enjoy reading your posts here on Hive!

!PIZZA

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It's absolutely terrifying and I see so many entrepreneurs still in love with them. But it's like they say in crypto, not your keys, not your coin lol

Sadly, that's the case with PayPal.

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(Edited)

PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA!

PIZZA Holders sent $PIZZA tips in this post's comments:
ykretz tipped jongolson (x2)
shauner tipped jongolson (x1)
@chaosmagic23(3/8) tipped @jongolson (x1)

Join us in Discord!

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No job, no income, a brand new baby boy and a wife who is questioning her life decision of marrying me.

It was me in 2018 in a brand new country. My wife also has weathered this entire storm right by my side.

When you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about.

So I'm grateful for all the adversity that happened to me and a stronger and wiser person because of it.

Posted Using LeoFinance Beta

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When you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about.

I pray I have grown as a man too. I think I have LOL

I roll with the punches a lot more because of it.

Thanks for believing in my vision for this stuff so many years ago bro.

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Man this is a great read. I still remember reading some of your early days articles. Glad that we are sharing the same 4 years journey here except for the fact that you are a senior to me by a few days.

Wish you many more years on Hive and let's grow together to have a self sustaining passive income. Cheers!

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Thanks for that!

Yeah I had no idea what i was doing back then, but the only thing I was sure of...I wouldn't give up. Never knew how I would make it work, but just kept the head down and moved forward.

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It seems moving away from Paypal paid off but it does took some time like most of the things in life. I too want to be one of those who don't rely or use paypal anymore. I suppose that would require shifting of revenue sources and also shifting the client mindset too. But by the time we hit 2025 that would surely happen globally.

I totally agree with the saying, don't pay much attention to the price if you want to play long term. :)

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It was such a blessing in disguise.

I mean, when it happened...I wanted to hulk smash that company LOL But looking back, if they didn't smack me...I would have never found Hive.

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This is so inspiring. My sports blog ive run since 2017 and monetise ad revenue but the community engagement I get on Hive is unbelievable and I get to interact with like minded people. Just looking through what youve build id absolutely kill to get my blog to a fraction what youve achieved. Youre now my motivation

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Honored to hear that :)

I hate when people say 'just look at me' or 'if I can do it, you can top'...it's so cliche.

But alas...I'm just a dude with passion. No training, no education, nothing but a desire to build on Hive daily :)

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I remember the Pay Pal Slap well. Hit lots of people in that part of the online business world. It's good to see you back on your feet. But you know it's funny when I was reading your post the part where you were talking about your second son being born No job. no income. Sounded very familiar to when your first son was born. Some might call that deja

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LOL Dude, that was what i told myself over and over again in 2017/2018...

I came from the gutter back in 2001 lol I made it through that, I can make it through this. So many similarities...Online business was just starting to blossom back then...And in 2017, crypto was just starting too.

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Nice story. Probably hard, back in 2017 but I can see you full of willingness to learn and move forward while suffering the centralization of Paypal.
Thanks for sharing

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I want to have dedication likes your's. Man that's a long journey

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exactly, I realized this myself lately. We are total slaves to the banking sector with no rights whatsoever. Crypto is our only hope in this regards and there is a huge battle going on about it. With all the draconian legislation coming through currently, Hive will be put to the test... definitely think that they will try to block Hive, but united we stand as a community!

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I think this chain has been through so much, it's resilient as can be :)

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Hey ! I have a question about Hivepay !

I think this is really great to be able to pay with hive but I really don't know where I can do this ! Do you have any list of the merchants using HivePay ? Having this kind of list could be really helpful !
If it is already accessible I probably didn't search enough :') !PIZZA

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We don't have a list but we should get one assembled. Merchants come into our Discord all the time and have it integrated into their sites.

I know platforms like @hashkings have integrated into their game for sure!

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OFC!! we are in love with the service :)

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I think I was member of CTP back in 2015 before the big bang but wasn't much involved. As a user I saw many of the TE's that I was using having troubles and I wondered how everybody was doing that had their business closed down by paypal. I had started my faucetbusiness at that time and I also got kicked out by google ads that was my main income source. Things evolved and I also landed on this blockchain at a later stage. Needless to say that Hive changed my life as well. Ask my wife she will complain about her husband spending the longest part of his free time on the computer lol

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Just a mess of a situation. I'm just thankful it happened when it did so I could focus on this lol

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Hive is changing lives truly, I remember when I join hive in 2018, all I need was just a life because I tried and broken. @sirknight supported me with upvote and that was how I was able to move on and believe in my self again.

Posted Using LeoFinance Beta

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Same story for me too, there was one upvote that changed it all for me. Forever grateful to @singhcapital , I don't know if I've ever shared that story. But it made me believe in what I was creating here :)

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Nice to read your story. Towards the end you said some very inspiring beautiful things.

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Thanks for sharing your story! Your experience is not unlike that of others who have faced hardship but worked hard to overcome them. But to then have achieved such success, well, bravo!

Agreed. Forget the price. Just keep creating and adding value and the rewards will come.

Cheers!

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Thanks!

Yeah it's not a rare story at all. And I hope anyone that reads this, that feels like it might be time to give up...Keep pushing!

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It's been 4 years already? Time flies in this space and it doesn't ssem that long ago since I saw you posting and thought tha this weird guy has some good ideas. 😂

Anybody can do it if the put in the time to learn how it all works.
Anybody can do it if they are willing to put in some money.

Anybody can do it and they don't need permission to be successful.

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Man, it's gone by so quick lol

Feels like just yesterday I was trying to figure out what an upvote even meant LOLOL

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Great story.
It's not the first time I hear that people have trouble with PayPal or their account got even banned for no reason.
!PIZZA

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The worst! Yeah in my industry it was a weekly occurrence of someone being shut down. I said it would never happen to me because I was always playing by their rules. Welp LOL

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Exactly! Most people I know who told me the story went by the rules. I also know a guy who got charged for something he didn't buy, went into a fight with PayPal and got banned. Weird stories...

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Congrats on your special milestone 😍 hive truly is an enjoyable platform because I got to meet people from all walks of life and I got to read their stories, I discovered new places and restaurants to visit, and I also nurtured my knowledge through what others post. True! There may be instances that we get high upvotes and sometimes low upvotes but it's part of the journey, we just have to embrace every part of it 🤗🤗🤗

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Yeah it's all an awesome bonus! You are so right, the people you meet and the stories you read about..Make it all worth it! Plus what you can learn here truly is priceless.

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I know right! 🤗 Hope I can grow more in this platform ☺️

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Happy Anniversary to you and Hive 🎉. It's worth taking time to read this kind of content it made me inspired to engage more in the hive. That's it for now. Congratulations on your milestone in life.

Greetings from Philippines.

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congrats man on completing 4 years.
I am glad i reconnected with clicktrackprofit when it relaunched.
Which introduced me to Hive blockchain and rest is history.
Also now i am getting more and more into crypto. It started as a hobby and intend to make it an income earner
thanks and all the best.

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Yeah it's crazy where all this stuff can begin and what it can eventually build!

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I have Heard about this hive Many times ...
But I see a lot of things when I signed up..
But now I have one question ..how can hive help me? Please 🙏 friends help me out

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Dive into a community, and watch how it can change everything!

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(Edited)

Nice!

I had also very very bad issues with Paypal.....Lost a lot of Money after they locked my account and never reopened it.

My hard earned Steem and Hive saved me from drowning financially during the whole Pandemic, even though I was not active much past 2 years but I build earlier. I just needed a break to take care of my serious health issues.
Slowly I come back .....

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One day at a time :) That's the plan for me and it seems to work :)

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You know, I love reading this kind of personal stories in which you can really tell that Hive has a bright future ahead.

I come from other social blockchains and blogs, so I personally fell in love with Hive from the very first moment... but sometimes you have to think twice if what you're building will be sustainable for quite some time. And that's what I felt when getting to know about you and your experience here. It's great that you were able to build up everything again, congrats on that as it takes a huge effort from your side.

Will check out the Hive Guide now! Lol, still feeling like a newbie in here. I wish I had known Hive quite some time ago :P

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Thanks very much for the comments!

Yeah I jut feel, this is a much better investment in my time, given the experience with a centralized platform lol

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Keep grinding
eventually you will continue to pop.
Great story that deserve everyone attention.

!BEER

Posted Using LeoFinance Beta

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Thanks, hope it helps anyone wondering if they should give up!

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This is an awesome story @jongolson
Very inspiring bro for people coming to Hive
Love what you have done here bro
Look forward to getting to know you more in the future.
You are a genuine dude for that i salute you my friend.
hivecommunitybenthomas.png

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Keep growing man, it's worth every single second you invest into it!

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This is really inspiring and I wish people can read and learn this. Hive also saved my life this year but that will definitely be story for another day. Thanks a lot for sharing

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Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the comments :)

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Honestly "hive saved my life" should be printed on a shirt.

Virtually everything we do on hive is rewarding in some way. I can't even quantify how much hive has contributed to my life and the lives of so many people like us.

Your story is awesome bro and I'm glad it all worked out. Every day is an opportunity to learn, grow, build and be better people.

Congrats to you and yours brother. God bless you.

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Appreciated man, thanks so much!

That's the rabbit hole for sure, once you understand how everything is rewarded in some way, you just wanna spend more and more time here lol

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click baity title is click baity :)))

I'm glad you became one of Hive's success stories it take a lot of mental fortitude to ignore crap prices and tons of drama for years :) You and the master of tasks really deserve to be spokespersons for the Hive community

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This is worth reading. Thank you so much for sharing your story and for inspiring us. I will keep these reminders in mind.

Never pay attention to price. Enjoy the journey and then you'll be pleasantly surprised in a few years and take a look at your account!

Power up! Make a commitment to power up as much as you can regularly, that doesn't mean you need to drop hundreds of dollars...But as my good friend @nathanmars famously told me back in 2018....Putting some skin in the game makes you a true believer!

Never give up! If things don't work out, revisit how you approach it but never STOP!

This post is what I really needed at the moment. I know I still have a lot to explore and things are still very daunting for me but giving up will never be an option. I may slow down but will never stop.

Thank you so much!

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Keep learning every single day , it's worth the effort!

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I will always remember that. Thank you so much!

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Congratulations bro! You're a week or so older than I am on here haha.
Hive has been a game changer for me too. One could also call it a life-changer.

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Crazy how quick those 4 years went by lol

Krakow seems like yesterday lol

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Feels like just a few hours ago were were sitting in that "DTubeDaily mansion". 😅
I should finally open my Steemmonsters cards today. They're still in that yellow tote bag.

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Wow, your story is incredible. As a new user to Hive: thanks for sharing and thanks for helping to grow the platform!

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Glad you enjoyed it, and great to hear that it could potentially help :)

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This is a powerful story. You have accomplished so much in just 4 years. Now look at you, being your own bank looks good on you.
You put in the time and showed up every day, you must have had massive anxiety daily.

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Next challenge, mastering the art of proper spelling when I type in Telegram lol

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Oh my it is hilarious you said that, because lately my typing as become horrible, so many typos some have been embarrassing lol

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Hey Jon, I've followed you on social media for a while. I remember you moving to the east coast but didn't know you did that to stay with family. I didn't realize how bad things were. This is a truly inspiring story. I need to take some time out for my mental health, but I am returning again.

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Yeah I always try to put a smile on the face for sure. Too much negativity in the world, last thing people need to hear about is my struggles lol Much rather talk about the victories and how to march through the tough times :)

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You really are an inspiration @jongolson!

Did my heart good to see this. Congrats on all your success good sir and much more for you I hope! And thank you for introducing me to this awesome place way back then as well.

The old Bitcoin Bully days, that was a blast from the not-so-distant past. Where my crypto journey all started!

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Yeah man, the greatest program that never worked out LOL

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Maybe, but without it, you may have never found Steem and thus Hive etc.

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Thanks for sharing your story Jongo, it's very inspiring 😌

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Your story is an example of life for all of us who live here.

Simply, thank you for sharing it.

Without words @jongolson .

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Appreciate it, thanks for stopping by!

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Congrats and I have three weeks to go and I totally agree that hive is a part that I cannot do without .have great weekend

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Thanks :)

You too and happy Hive anniversary as well!

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I am so happy that you survived the financial storm next to your wife. Often people find it hard to get back up after such a shock. I believe that you are much more in control now than you were back then with Paypal. So everything which seemed bad actually led you to your greatest path. Happy 4th year anniversary!🤗

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Thanks so much! Yeah it was a wake up call for sure, but more secure now than when I was with PayPal. Less stress too lol

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I showed up, put in the work and did everything in my power to grow and add value daily. I kept a smile on my face, never whined about being upvoted or not, and even had to beg family members to help pay for my 2 trips to blockchain related conferences in 2018...One in Toronto, the other all the way in Krakow, Poland.

Your hard work paid off at last. Most times when we look back to little beginnings, we find out that the storm in life never lasts forever so long we have that zeal to keep pushing and moving in the right direction.

Your family is the best because they saw the vision you had and contributed to it. Your wife too is very amazing to have stood by you through thick and thin. I applaud for your wife.

Thank you for sharing this is really a word of encouragement to me.

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Appreciate the kind words and thanks so much for stopping by. Glad to hear the post is encouraging :)

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You are welcome 🙂I’m glad I stopped by.

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I really appreciated your post and especially your positive spirit.
J'ai beaucoup apprécié votre post et surtout votre esprit positif.

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A very good example to follow.
You are lucky to have a wife who has remained supporting you in your difficult times. I know several businessman in a moment of their life have fallen and very often he no longer finds any support.

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This was so encouraging, thanks for sharing I guess am just starting my own journey here too. Let's see how my own four years here will be like.
The only difference is that I didn't have a crash but I have loose a lot of money and I don't have an online business yet...but hope to get one started soon. I don't know but I guess hive is an online business on its own.💁‍♀️

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A fascinating story. So Paypal stole your money in the end. Did you ever get your money back? Had you switched over to BTC, in 2015 you might have had a smoother transition than you did. Although the fees started becoming ridiculous a year or two after that.

CoinPayments is a payment processor which makes it easy but you still have a third party keeping the money for you, so that's not a better outcome than self-custody. If you want to sell things online, contact me, I can help you get HBD as a payment option for your site.

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(Edited)

This is an amazing story. I really appreciate you sharing the ups and downs you have walked through. The story inspires me and also the part about how adding value to the blockchain will get rewarded and we don't need to focus on trying to get upvotes. Great post.

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Rich information & worth reading! 👍

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