HIVE HAS BEEN A BLESSING - Celebrating a milestone in my hive journey ( one year anniversary)

Good day lovely hivers. Guess what?! I am officially a year old in this platform, hurray!!!
Yes! this month makes me a year old in this platform and I am super excited. It's really been an amazing experience so far and I must say that I have never for once regretted joining the platform

Indeed time waits for no one, although it's been 12 months now, it still feels like yesterday. I still remember how I joined, how it took months with lots of encouragements and pushs before I could even make my first post here.

I joined in the month of October but I think I did my first post in the month of December after several pushs, encouragements and criticism. I was even given a delegation 3 times.
I was really scared and nervous . I was scared about the outcome of my post, whether people would love it and if it'll be appreciated in the platform. I also didn't believe so much in this platform and in everything I saw here as it looked too good to be true.

The fear of not doing well drove me into reading and researching about so much . I researched about the aims, principles and ideals of the platform. I researched about alot, I researched about how I could have a great start on hive, what newbies should do in their first week in the platform, about the criteria for quality posts and how curators make their selections and about so many other things. I learnt a lot and in course of this research and subsequently I will be sharing in detail some of the things I had learnt in my research. I was also determined to put everything I had learnt to work and that was what I did and it paid off.

I made my first post after writing and rewriting several times. It was a very lengthy post and I was quite scared it would bore people out because of its lengthiness. Hours after my first post, I was so overwhelmed by the massive support I got. I really didn't see it coming, it nearly made me cry.
I was then strengthened and motivated to do more and better. I had quite a lot in my head and didn't know the niche to channel my energy. I first began writing and posting in different communities and as time went on, I began to streamline and channel my energy and potentials to few areas where I had come to love.

BENEFITS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

In my one year stay in this platform, I can boast of quite a lot of achievements, both palpable and unapparent. This platform has made me grow in several areas, even my lifestyle changed for better. Here are some of the ways this platform has helped me

• IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE
  Through this platform, I have learnt quite a lot. I have come to learn a few things about cryptocurrency and blockchain, I have learnt alot about music , I have also learnt many new teaching strategies, methods and ideas, and through this platform I have become a better teacher.

• IMPROVED WRITING SKILLS
  Through this platform, I have improved my writing skills - This is one of my biggest achievements here and I am so proud of it. This platform has helped improve my writing. This platform encourages and rewards quality writings and because of this fact, I had to learn how to write better. I remember when I started, I joined the inkwell community and we were always given prompts and different challenges to work on. It helped expand my knowledge in literature and writing too.

• HIVE GAVE ME PURPOSE
  Hive has also given me a sense of responsibility and purpose. It has helped shaped my life and has gave it a direction. I remember how I would always waste hours of my time everyday pressing my phone, surfing the internet aimlessly and doing unproductive things. I remember how I would always gallivant with friends aimlessly and sometimes ended up hurting myself. I always felt bad for myself even my parents hated it too.
  I always wished I could do something productive with my time. Although I loved to always have my phones and gadgets with me, I always wished I wasn't pressing my phone unpurposefully and idly. I wish it yielded something. I wish I could boast of something reasonable and palpable that I benefitted from it.
  Hive is a dream come true. It's an answer to my prayers. Now I don't have time to gallivant aimlessly, My time and energy are put into very good use. I have channeled my energy and time into something productive . I am so proud of myself and this has made me so happy. Thanks to hive.

• IMPROVED SOCIAL LIFE
  This platform has helped my social life. In this platform, I have met and interacted with great people from different places, different backgrounds and of different cultures. I have made a lot of friends and have learnt about different places, cultures, foods and so much more. I have learnt quite a lot and I must say that it has also helped the way I think. It helped my ability to look at things from different perspectives and have made me more accommodating to different peoples and differing ideas. I have been exposed to priceless knowledge and counsel. The love here is just so massive and I'm grateful for it.

• HIVE IMPROVED MY FINANCES
  Lastly and very importantly. Hive has helped improve my finances. In my one year stay in this platform, I have earned a few bucks for myself and I am so happy and grateful for this. I am so happy my little efforts paid off and at least I have something to show for all the time I spend pressing my phones.
  My siblings and parents are so proud of me.

MY ADVICE TO NEWBIES AND OTHER HIVERS

Firstly, I want to advise all hivers both newbies and oldies to trust and continue to trust in this blockchain. Trusting in this platform has a way of influencing the quality of work we put in this platform. Hive has proven to be reliable and viable and I urge everyone to trust more in the system.

I want to also advise hivers especially newbies to remain committed, consistent and diligent. We need to keep on pushing. We need to continue to add value, Make quality post, adhere to instructions/ guidelines and make sure to engage people and show them love. It's not easy but it's simple. Things may not be so wonderful at first but I assure you that with time you will be visible and will surely be recognized and rewarded adequately.

lastly I want to give hivers especially newbies same advise I was given some days back by a friend @whangster79, he said to me "find what you love and do it because no one ever beats anyone that does what he loves". Yes ! we need to do what we love. Hive has quite a variety of communities, there is always a community that would align with what you love and find interesting, to do great here, I advise that you find that thing you love and focus most of your energy there.

Doing what we love helps us have the right mindset and if we approach this with the right mindset we would enjoy every bit of our time here and not feel heartbroken or weary if things do not go as we envisaged.

With the right mindset, we would see hive as a platform to express ourselves and showcase our talents, a place to share ideas, interact with people of similar interest, have fun and be happy.

when we do what we love, we are bound to do great, add value, make impacts in the lives of people, attract more engagements and ultimately get good rewards.

SHOUT-OUT AND APPRECIATION

This is actually a milestone. It's an exciting and a remarkable time in my journey here in this platform. A lot of people have helped me and shown me love in one way or the other, directly and indirectly and I want to cease this opportunity to salute all my friends and thank everyone that has impacted my life in one way or the other in course of this journey.

I want to thank my good friend @brunokema, I want to also thank my friend from turkey @incublus. I want to thank @derangedvisions - this guy has a good heart although he doesn't take shit, he pushed me into making my first(intro) post and I am so grateful for everything. I want to give a shout-out to @mipiano for all the sincere advise and corrections. I want also thank @pusen - he is a great guy and is always ready and available to help out whenever you need his advice. A big shout-out to @acidyo - for tolerating my excesses in the discord group and also for her delegation at my beginning.

I want to also thank some people whose posts has helped me in course of this journey and I want to use this medium to recommend their post to other newbies. firstly, I want to give a shout-out to @livinguktaiwan. Her post 3 things newbies should do in their first week on hive was really helpful. I was a bit confused when I came onboard. I didn't know where to start from and what I needed to do. This most solved all that and it gave me a direction.

I want to also give a shout-out to @crosheille. His post what's the criteria for quality post, how curators make their selection . This is one of the most impactful post I've read. It's one of the reasons I got a huge support in my first(intro) post. Every newbie needs to read it.

and lastly I want to give a shout-out to @castleberry. his post how to have a great start on hive was another very helpful post and is another post I recommend to newbies.

You would definitely do great if you read and follow the instructions in these posts. I tried it and it worked.

So far, I have had some achievements and achievements, although not so great, I'm happy I have come this far ;

I have attained reputation 64
I have more earned some hive and hive power.

Special thanks to everyone for stopping by and celebrating with me. I'm so grateful and I pray you all find reasons to celebrate too.

Thanks once again and God bless you all