The mind of a pure cynic #2 //"How to make it big on Steem" edition//

I did this kind of post few days ago, tackling some of the norms of society in a greatly over-exaggerated way. Basically taking the fears and insecurities people feel deep down, in the smallest of ways, and blowing them out of proportion with unwavering certainty. It was kind of liberating in a weird way when taking into account the pages and pages of motivational posts on Steemit, many of which are completely out of touch with reality.
I found those kinds of posts to be symptomatic of the inherent "fakeness" of interaction on Steem. Not as something that will in any way hurt Steem (actually it could be beneficial for the platform) but as something that could hurt the human aspect of interpersonal relationships online.

We could lose touch with who we really are when interactions across the board are financially incentivized in one direction.

Can you really be open with your feelings and thoughts in different situations when your financial gain might depend on it? Saying yes right away should tell you that you havent thought it through..

So this time im going to look at the "How to make it big on Steem" claims. This is a post that was motivated by @meno and his criticism, and in this case, i wont be playing a ridiculous persona like in the last post (link below). Ill just ramble on a bit.... :D

Beginning:

So what all this is about...
If you ever went on any online site for creators like Steemit, Dtube, Youtube, Wordpress, you must have noticed a myriad of posts and videos claiming to have a fool proof answer to how to make it big on the platform in question. If not to make crazy amounts of money, at least how to make enough that you dont have worry about money no more.

Im here to tell you that all of that is lies.

Im not a motivational speaker, just someone speaking their mind. I will not gain anything by saying it, on the contrary, might even get a flag or two (you can go ahead Swoop, @soundwavesphoton haha) but the truth of the matter is:

We are not all made equal. We are not all equally talented. Not all of us conform to the standards of beauty. Not all of us have the same intellectual capacity. Not all of us have the same background. Not all of us have the same potential. Not all of us have valuable knowledge.

That is a fact. That is the reality. You can try and run from it but you cant escape it.

This post or these claims serve no greater purpose. Holding them brings no long term value to anyone here. I am fully aware of that.

You could say: "How does feeling people bad help anything?"
My answer to that would be simple:

Making a claim, being wrong or right, you believing it fully, should never be restricted by the reaction of those that will come across it.

That is what freedom means. We all know what government is, what repression is, fake news and all those mainstream unpleasantries, but succumbing to societal pressure in a system where your financial gain is dependent on conformity to other platform user expectations, leads to a creation of a illusionary state of being. A state of dishonesty to yourself.

And this is where i get to the topic in question. "How to make it big on Steem?".

Its a question everyone wants to know the answer to and with every answer that comes, most of people will accept the answer that coincides with their personal values the best.

Do you consider yourself a hard working person? Then you will clap for those that claim hard work is the answer.
Do you consider yourself a rich person? Then you will clap for those that claim success through investment.
Do you consider yourself a smart person? Then you will clap for those claiming they managed to find the answer by creating a complex set of actions for various situations.
Do you consider yourself a charismatic person with highly developed social intelligence? Then you will clap for those that claim that a silver tongue is the way to success.

None of that is really true. Although some paths are more virtuous, depending on your own values, none of them, from the least virtuous to the most virtuous can guarantee to have any more success for you then any other.

When success is concerned, hard work doesnt make you a success, nor does having money, nor does being charismatic, smart, good with words....
Someone working in a mine can be hard working. Someone having money can use that money in a wrong way. Being charismatic and good with words means nothing if you dont know how to position yourself.

So you are left here wondering? What exactly can make me a success here? And the answer comes in form of a question.

How valuable are you to the platform?

Or more clearly said.... Can you code? Are you a damn good singer? Guitarist? Can you rally people around you and be a leader? Can you power up and drop 10$ upvotes where it counts, or recognize what projects benefit the platform and thus your own investment? Are you so brilliantly adept at writing that a Pulitzer would be waiting for you had you gone mainstream?

If an answer for that is no... And for most of us it is...

Then you are here my friend, destined for the middle of the board. The only way to gain anything more is if everyone else gains more.

For the person reading this... I know this is far from motivational, but i find it incredibly important for people to realize their limitations. Root them selves in reality.
All of us here have a way to gain something. From those that are destined for "great things" to those that are not.

Having your head in the clouds obfuscates the realistic opportunities that are in front of you.

Being realistic about our own selves shields us from disappointment that leads to either giving up over time or even to negative emotions like anger and frustration.

So my message for you all is:

Support those that spread positivity and try to be uplifting and motivational (not me obviously), not because any of what they say is true necessarily, but rather because reality isnt what brings value, new users or new investment that leads to overall betterment of all involved. Skewed reality does. Skewed towards inciting universally positive emotions that lead to a generally desirable reaction. Motivating posts; providing "reason" within confounds of the platform user expectations; claims from the position of authority gained by one way or the other. The users that offer those things should be supported.

You wanted to know how to succeed?

Bet on the growth of the platform as a whole and support those whose "lies/truths" can reach the most people. The only certainty being: "If the whole Steem ecosystem grows you will gain at least something."

And there you go... I went from pointing out "worthless claims", to claiming they are a necessity and not worthless at all.
A very peculiar thing indeed.

A claim can hold no truth, but still offer value in the end.

Went in a complete circle. haha. Basically, if you didnt know it was all mostly BS and you acted like it was not, now you know its BS but please continue to act like it isnt for the financial betterment of everyone. :D

Ill see you around.. :D

Heres a picture of a cute calf: