It Started At Zero

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it started at...zero!.png

December 7th, 2017...

I joined the blockchain.

I had no idea what this stuff was. I knew about Bitcoin and Litecoin, but Steem (Hive) was something completely foreign to me.

But I dug in...

I read the white paper. And the blue paper. Read about SMT's...And I was hooked.

One problem...When I joined the price of the token was approaching all time highs and at that time in my life, I was basically a few bucks away from being on the streets. My life was crumbling all around me but...I believed in this blockchain. I saw something that keep tugging at me....And it was saying 'this is what the world needs...'

Even more so in 2021 ;)

Still...I had absolutely NOTHING to invest into buying tokens...But what was so cool, is that I could earn them...Just by being active and engaging.

I was sold...And thus began the journey from zero.

To all those that are just beginning their journey here, you have SO much to offer this community.

From the hustle you put into building your account, to the investments you will eventually bring in. To the people you will introduce to the chain and all the amazing people you will meet...You can start at zero, just like me, and build.

Today, I hit a milestone I never thought in a million years I would accomplish...

100kn.png

I have this image printed out and laminated to remind myself...What happens when you keep your head down, ignore the noise and just...Build!

I know how frustrating it can get...

You put your heart and soul into your content. You show up every day and engage with others. You play by the 'rules' but for whatever reason...You just don't seem to generate the attention...Or the upvotes :(

Believe me, I know the feeling. But people do start to notice....

And then when you aren't looking for 'rewards' and are more interested in what this blockchain represents, the journey becomes that much sweeter!

I know this is old news if you have been following me for any amount of time, but I think it's so important when you are starting out with this blockchain.

It's my good ol' 5-500-5000 formula.

  1. 5 Engagements / Day

  2. Leading to 500 followers

  3. Generating 5000 Hive / LEO Power

And then...Stay the course!

Keep showing up, keep stacking, keep building and magical things happen.

This blockchain took a broke and broken entrepreneur that somehow was stubborn enough to hit 100,000 Hive Power....A little over 3 years since he joined.

This sounds SO corny, cliche almost...But if it happened for me, it can happen for you.

I'm no one special, just a guy who loves what he does...And the journey he is on.

Thankful for every single one of you that have added to this adventure :)

A few nuggets that I've learned in my journey to accumulate 100k HP:

  • Never expect an upvote. Be grateful for them but never expect them!
  • Build your circle! This only happens when you plug into a tribe or community and add value to it!
  • Dollar cost averaging is awesome, put some skin the game...Bit by bit!
  • Always be learning. Follow some of the thought leaders on the blockchain and LEARN from them!
  • Don't be afraid to ask questions. The members of this blockchain are some of the most helpful people online!
  • Don't pay attention to the drama (or the price of the token lolol)
  • Show up. Every. Single. Day!!!!
  • And finally, be a product of your product. USE THE AMAZING APPLICATIONS DAILY!!!!

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investing ctp entrepreneurship archon blockchain leofinance neoxian
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71 comments
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Way to go @jongolson on making 100,000 Hive power that fast. Showing up every day is a key to making it for sure. You are a the leader of CTP and showing others how they can make it as well. Keep up the great work.

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Appreciate the kind words man. CTP is the community for sure. It's a privilege to work with you guys every day!

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This is a really inspiring story. Just like anything in life worth having takes hard work.

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You deserve to achieve every goal man. I appreciate your systematic working discipline 😏

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Very nice. I agree with your last point. The applications built on the block chain are constantly improving and interacting with them is very nice. If you are willing to spend time, you will definitely earn some tokens.

I will take my time trying to get to 5k HP and LP. I only reached 100HP (without delegations) yesterday so I am slowly growing my account. As for LP, I am slowly staking my LEO tokens now that LBI prices have changed.

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It happens really quickly...As long as you are dollar cost averaging and showing up everyday, it really starts to stack!!

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It's always amazing to see success stories, the before and after, the sad start with a happy ending!
But it has always a tendency to put aside the most vital part of the story: the part in between!
Because it takes effort, sweat, tears, and even blood, and of course is not sexy to tell that part of the story!
But it shouldn't be hidden! And you, my friend, never hide anything!
Always here every single day with your sleeves rolled and show how it's done!
And you kept swimming!
I'm really proud and happy for you!
Forever grateful and forever bugging you ahaha
On to Road to 200K!!!

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LOL Thanks Eliana!

This never happens without CTP and awesome people like you.

Without the community, this never gets off the ground.

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HIVE DADDY HIVE DADDY HIVE DADDY. WOOOOOOOOO

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Great advice, I just completed my 1st week here. I limit myself to 90 minutes per day on all Social Media sites. So I am evaluating where my time is best spent. I still get a lot from Twitter but Instagram and Linkedin are usually very quick checks and then I'm off. I have a feeling more and more of my time will be spent exploring everything Hive has to offer. I think it's important to not get sucked into spending too much time online so I've been very good at keeping to my strict time limits on Social Media. In any event great achievements and I hope you continued success and great fulfillment from your activities here on the Blockchain !

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Oh absolutely. I'm rarely on traditional social media now, and all my time here is spent building :)

But I completely understand your point!

Sending ya a tip to welcome you to the blockchain :)

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Not bad at all. Well on your way to hitting those 2021 goals and you've done a great deal last month. Weird thinking we are already into the 2nd month of this year already! But goals are looking good and achievable.

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Oh man, I may actually hit 150k this year after all LOLOL

Fingers crossed.

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Thank you for sharing your story and your wisdom. Passing along your ups and downs IS value. Letting other people see that it's not easy, but it's simple is so important. Your insight is appreciated and your leadership is inspiring. Congratulations on reaching this monumental milestone. Still looking for 150K by year's end. You can make it!

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Appreciate the kind words man, thanks so much!

Yeah I might even surprise myself this year LOL

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Congrats Jon for this awesome achievement of 100k Hp.
The few points that you mentioned in the post are so true and every newcomer should follow.
Like- Show up every day and don't expect to vote but stay grateful. Always eager to learn and ask questions etc.. I have been following these all and this all worked for me as well to grow here on the platform.
You are an inspiration for many on hive. have a great day

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Thanks man...I;m so grateful for every vote. Even plankton that are just getting their legs here on Hive, the fact they took the time to vote and engage with my content...Makes my day.

Don't get me wrong, I love the whale votes :) But the votes no matter what level they are on, are so appreciated. Never taken for granted or expected...Grateful tho!

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proof that crypto has and can add value to life. Thanks.

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It's so true...Literally, changed my life!

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Congratulations on the 100K milestone! 🎊🎉 This is inspiring! A lot of us started with zero, a lot also gave up after a few bumps along the way. We really gotta have that passion to keep going!

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It's almost like I wanna tell every single person just starting out...It's going to suck for a while LOL There will be much more hurdles to conquer than wins...But they start adding up!!

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You are an inspiration . It is because of you I started to write down my goals and I recently posted my goals here too . I will hop on everyday , engage with others and will just forget about rewards for sometime.

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Appreciate you man!

Thanks so much for the kind words...And for that little app you built today..WOW!!!

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Insane Hive power from starting with zero. Congrats on your grit!

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Appreciate that :)

Not sure how quick I'll get to the next goal, but I'm too stubborn to stop now LOLOL

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congrats man really really good job! i said it multiple times that you are a hard-working person and hard works always pay off at the end of the day!

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It really does. You need to step outside your comfort zone, but literally show up every day and putting in the effort...Pays off :)

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Congratulations @jongolson. I am inspired by you.

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Thanks for that :) You guys, every single member of Hive, inspires me more ;)

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Congrats on a huge milestone. 100k is massive and hopefully in time will become a sustainable source of income.
Even better is that the people who are reaching these numbers now are the ones working towards the long term growth of hive itself. The stake is going to be in the hands of people who add to the chain and not take away from it. That is a very positive step.

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Oh man, that's the goal right....Putting in the work now, so it becomes a full time living down the road :)

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That is the dream. I'm hoping that if hive can keep developing and gains some adoption that between that and some of the other tokens it will be possible to ear 2k a month just from staying active. That's why i love seeing people like yourself get into good positions as i have the hard work go in to reach it.

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Bro...It's been a struggle for sure lol Quite the adventure but it's all working out now :)

I hope LOLOL

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Man what you have reached is totally amazing! To get 100'000 Hive Power is an amazing achievement. I would like to point out something that is only indirectly translated by this number and it's the number of people that you have influenced, motivated and helped to grow on this blockchain. In my eyes this is even the bigger achievement!

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That is so cool for you to say man, thank you.

I just 'see' something in this blockchain, that can change the world...And people's lives. I owe it to them to share it with them...

And drag them here whether they hate me for it or not LOLOL

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First of all; congratulations on your awesome achievement! Well done!!

Secondly, thanks for sharing your journey with us in this post! It is truly an inspiring post.

I am going to print it out and keep it handy where I can often look at it and read it...for information, tips, and guidance...and just to get some inspiration when I need it!

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That's awesome man, honored to be 'printed' ;)

Thanks so much for the comments!

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Congrats Jon - I've watched your journey and no one deserves it more than you.

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Hey man, great to hear from ya....Hope you are doing well!

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Congrats Jon, that's an awesome achievement... and beyond that, it's also a prime example that you don't "have to be a big investor" to turn your efforts into something of substance!

You joined at the top, and stuck with it... which says a lot for your strength of character, as well.

I got here in January 2017, and got to watch (then) Steem slowly slide downhill to under 7 cents, while wondering if this place was just another venue that was long on promises and short on execution. Turns out it wasn't, and here we are!

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Thanks so much for the kind words!

Yeah it wasn't easy to stay the course and I'm sure there will be many new challenges ahead. But the people here, when you really dive in, are the best...I think that's what has kept me for sure!

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You said, "I had no idea what this stuff was. I knew about Bitcoin and Litecoin, but Steem (Hive) was something completely foreign to me." That is exactly where I am today only I know just a tiny glimmer about Bitcoin. Your post gives me hope. Thanks.

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So awesome to hear that, thanks so much for the comments.

Yeah stick with it...It seems like it's a never ending lesson in computer science LOL But it does get easier :)

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lol I hope I don't look to much like a dork during the learning process. Do you have a tip on the upvoting thing?

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Congratulation Jon.
Working up daily towards the goal is key. On the side note earning Hive has become lot more easier then it used to be in steem days, So anyone who is trying today going to get fantastic results.

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Hear hear! Nice to read your story. A true example. Finally invested in CTP today. Am curious what the future will bring.

Keep up the good work. I aim to finally became an orca this year and I have been pretty active since late 2017 ( after creating an account late June that year ).

Cheers!

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Thanks so much for stopping by :)

Appreciate the kind words and welcome to CTP!!

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