Lately it's been getting easier and easier to convince people to sign up for Steemit and given the influx of new users, I'm not the only one finding this to be the case. The problem I've been coming across now is people wondering how to get started generating high quality content. It's for these people that I hope to create a series of posts that will help accelerate their learning curve on this totally unique platform.
Disclaimer: These are my personal opinions and views. They do not represent the official positions of Steemit Inc. or any employees thereof
Limitations
In Robert McKee's seminal work on screenwriting, Story, McKee highlights the importance of genre as a purposeful limitation on one's creativity. The idea is that being able to write about anything can itself be a problem. I remember in school my least favorite assignments were the ones where the teacher effectively said, "Write about anything." Limitations help us organize our thoughts and then being forced to maneuver around those confines is what leads to creativity and innovation.
In a recent talk Simon Sinek (probably one of the greatest presenters in the world right now) makes a similar point. He says, "I firmly believe that innovation is born out of the struggle. Innovation is born out of the resourcefulness that you're forced to figure out because literally, the vision is way beyond your grasp."
Now it might sound like I am making contradictory points here, but I don't think I am. "Vision" and "resources" are two sets of constraints that help you to innovate/create. Steem is a distributed database that can store any content, that enables people to register their rating of it (through an upvote), and allocates rewards to content creators (in STEEM) in direct proportion to the ratings given to their content by the crowd. Steemit.com is intended to be the broadest possible window into that content. It is intentionally without constraints, and so it falls on the content creator to impose constraints on themselves. But what constraints? Should one arbitrarily restrict themselves to one type of content? This is one common assumption. Another common default is to limit oneself to creating content that the creator thinks will be "popular." See posts about crypto doing well? Write about that.
The Dangers of Following
But in my experience, the first constraint (restricting oneself to one type of content) is unnecessarily narrow, while the second constraint is without question the path to hell. Not because you shouldn't try to make content that people like, but because people only get to choose from the content with which they are presented. If, for example, there is a lot of cryptocurrency related content on a particular platform (cough cough) then odds are that some of that content is going to be good and receive a lot of upvotes. But the fact that cryptocurrency related content is top trending absolutely does not mean that any cryptocurrency related content will do well. In fact, quite the opposite.
With so much competition in a genre it may very well be more difficult to achieve success within it, not less. And so if you go this route you may find yourself saying, "I worked really hard on my content, content like mine does really well, in fact, far worse content than mine does well, therefore this platform is unfair and I'm done." And so an opportunity to get paid to write about whatever the hell you want is squandered and with it the opportunity for real personal growth.
The Crowd is a Fickle Mistress
This is why I say that this route is the "path to hell." The only thing worse than pursuing it and not achieving success, is pursuing it and having some success because the crowd is a fickle mistress whose inner workings are a total mystery and if you manage to get in its good graces for a moment, the odds of you staying there are zero if your only guide is your own limited perception of its infinitely complex wants and needs.
The Ultimate Constraint: Your Own Vision
This is why I believe that "Vision" is so important. Of course, I'm not the first to say that but it's not something one can hear often enough. That being said, stressing the importance of vision is often little help at all. It too is infinitely broad. "You need vision." "Ok, what should my vision be?" "Whatever you want it to be." "Thanks for nothing."
What is Vision?
It's a tough question, and so to help you with the answer I will point you to one of today's best thinkers (and tough SOB himself): Professor Jordan B. Peterson. In the following video Peterson does perhaps the best job I've heard yet of explaining what exactly "vision" is in a manner that actually enables a person to develop one for themselves. In it he says, "The way that we're constructed neurophysiologically is that we don't experience any positive emotion unless we have an aim and we can see ourselves progressing towards that aim. It isn't precisely attaining the aim that makes us happy, as you all know if you've ever attained anything because as soon as you attain it, the whole little game ends and then you have to come up with another game. It's Sisyphus. And that's ok, but it does show that the attainment can't be the thing that drives us because it collapses the game."
My Father's Porsche
When we combine Peterson with Sinek what we get is that "Vision" is the thing at which you are aiming that is so big it appears impossible to attain, but that's ok because it's the progress toward the aim that matters. To give you one anecdotal example, my father always dreamed of having a Porsche. That might sound pretty shallow, but he was a poor kid from Brooklyn, the son of immigrants, who grew up with nothing. Besides, he never did wind up getting a Porsche or a Ferrari or anything like that, despite eventually achieving a level of success that gave him the ability to buy many a Porsche. One day I said to him something like, "Dad, you've been working hard for decades. You've provided for me and my brother, plus multiple other families. Get an effing Porsche already!" To which he responded quite matter of factly, "But if I got a Porsche, what would I have to look forward to?"
Service to Others
That never made sense to me until today. Now the truth is my Dad did have a Vision that was much greater than just a car. When he took over the real estate business he started with my grandfather he promised that he would make sure that not a single one of his descendants would ever have to struggle to make ends meet. In other words, his real vision was one in which he was serving others. The Porsche was just the little carrot he gave to himself.
Sinek again explains:
"My aspirations have a lot less to do with me these days which not unsurprisingly has been the greatest asset in my own career. It's not unusual to expect that when you give to others, that others look out for you. The reason to give to others is not so that they will look out for you, it is an unintended byproduct. There has to be sincerity in the giving."
I think the Porsche was just a little prize he wanted to promise himself to keep some skin-in-the-game; a little piece of self-interest. He never did get a Porsche, but when my Mom expressed interest in a Tesla Model S, he got her one of those ... and it's faster than some Porsches :) While he has met with tremendous success, and has provided us all with so much, he is still constantly thinking about what we might need in the future, what negative circumstances could befall us, and what he can do to make sure we have the help we need if and when that day comes. It's an impossible task, quite frankly, which is exactly the point.
Finally, Persistence
"Persistence" is another one of those words you hear bandied about a lot that often provides little practical guidance. "You have to persist!" Grind it out! Why? Succumbing is so easy. Oh, and don't tell me what to do, if I want to quit I will bloody-well quit! And guess what? Sometimes quitting is the right thing to do. Persistence isn't something you should do, it's something you need to do if you want to work toward your vision. It's what you do when you are really and truly pursuing the right vision. Do you think Elon Musk never wanted to give up? Do you think it was his "grit" that kept him going? Or do you think it was the fact that he chose the biggest challenges in the most exciting fields ... for him! People think the fact that he chose two areas that no one thought could be disrupted (automobiles and aerospace) made him crazy, when it really was just a symptom of the fact that he was truly pursuing his own unique vision. That's the kind of thing that allows you to persist through both of your companies nearly going bankrupt.
"Persisting" is not something that you have to do, as much what you do when you choose the right vision. Therefore, if you pick a sufficiently grand vision, that involves service to others, toward which you can persist through success and failure, then you will be able to make progress, which is really what it's all about anyway. Your vision is not the end, it is the means to the end that is "progress."
Jordan Peterson, once again, brings the point home:
"I wanted to talk to you about what you are as a human being and also as an individual, but also what you could become and that's actually the crucial question in the domain of clinical psychology in particular because a lot of what you're doing with people as a clinician is trying to figure out who they could become. You have a problem. Your life isn't what it could be. Fine. Let's see what it could be like if we changed it. We figure out how to change it. But that's gotta be a negotiated dialogue, right, because I don't know what the hell you should do with your life. I could help you figure it out maybe. We can talk about it, but you are the person that has to decide if the things that you are aiming for get you out of bed in the morning because that's at least one of the crucial issues. So you've gotta specify the goal. And then you gotta specify the transformation processes and start practicing them. And you have to understand that you're going to be bad at it, but that doesn't matter because "bad" is fine. Persistent is what you need to be. If you persist -- with tiny improvements -- if you persist, you win."
Aim at something. If that doesn't get you out of bed in the morning, aim at something else that does. Something big. Be of service to others. Be bad at it. If you fail, the people you've sincerely served will have your back. As Hemingway famously said, "The first draft of anything is shit." So make shit, but also make get a little better every time. Make progress, persist, and you win.
Thank you for reading.
Excellently written. I'm a new member here, and original content definitely does not come easy. After a little introspection, I went out on a limb and put out my first article. Well said, @andrarchy.
hahaaa
Impressed with the ways you expressed everything. Thank you so much for the brilliant advice.
Thanks! Though brilliant might be overstating things ... Or not! Just kidding, thanks for the kind words.
You deserve it.
A well thought of article . I'll make sure I share it with the people who are coming on board. I wonder if I could make a sketch of this 🤔🤔 . Thanks for sharing @andrarchy
Go for it! My pleasure, thanks for reading.
Thank you for the advice, I can see the reflection in the work you do, peace !
Great, I hope so! Thanks for reading.
you're welcome
This post is very useful and practical. SImon Senek's views on WHY and Eat Last are impressive.
Keep posting @andrarchy
Agreed!
This is a very detailed post.
Something that will help a lot of people and I think everybody should take note of.
Very useful.
Thanks, glad you think so
wow, this is really a great post with such elegant thinking @andrarchy. I really can't add anything, just praise and respect for this!
Wow thanks! Such kind words!
Good summary! Peterson has a lot of good stuff to say. I've been watching and even rewatching a lot of his videos to really digest the best points. I have even recently bought his Self-Authoring course and plan on posting a little about it in the next week or two if you're interested! @aology
Absolutely, looking forward to hearing about it!
My vision is to get a better life for myself and my family and using this platform, I hope to translate my vision into reality.
This line "See posts about crypto doing well? Write about that."
Loved it and never supported this school of thought.
Write what you want and love to write rather than posting about something you know nothing.
A peaceful mind is far better than earning some pennies, that's what I think!
Good attitude!
This is helpful and I will share it with the new users who ask for my advice. I don't know why they ask me 'cause now I feel like a new user around here, I have not been active for a long time haha :)
They look at reputations and do that, while i look at vesting power/User level and date you joined steemit before i solicit for advice
Yeah, that sounds legit. Don't think that I find it bad or something, on the contrary I give them the best advices that I have. :P At least at writing I hope that I hadn't lost too much of my appeal haha
LOL!...i dont think so, i looked you up and followed to get more update
That's nice! Thanks for following my blog! :)
You are very welcome😊😍
Happy to help :) They must intuit your wisdom ;)
I feel flattered even though I know that's not the case. :D
What a great read, as usual. The advice you give here I'm defygoing to put into practice.
Happy Tuesday!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for the kind words :)
You're welcome! Enjoy your week!
All great points and things that I struggle with constantly myself. Really enjoyed the story of your father - where did his parents emigrated from?
As they say...scarcity it he mother of innovation :)
Great links b t way, will watch them all later.
A constant struggle for myself as well brother!
Russia by way of Poland
THANK YOU!!! This is exactly the type of post I have been looking for! Please write more on this topic! :)
OK! Haha, thanks for the encouragement!
Great article...this is very helpful.
Quality post. Upvoted and resteemed. Thank you for sharing!
There's certainly a flood of new users and some are struggling to create good content. They need to get past 'please like and follow', and stop mis-using popular tags.
Any news on automating account validation? I suspect there are thousands lined up to join us.
It is very easy for Big fishes and whales to pick a topic and it will definitely be acceptable. But for the 2nd waves of users like me who joined early this year, i find it synonymous to Reputation as to how post get recognition.
I have researched on posts for days, and when i post i see few views while someone will just culled a video out of nowhere and get thousands of views.
I think audience are more glued to randomness than looking for actual good post to read.
And to the newbies lacking post to create, i think there orientation about Steemit is misplaced. I have tried to coach some from my minnow's point of view and i hope they improvised.
I have improvised since my 3week on steemit back in March and till now it is still same sobg and dance!
Thanks, this was useful for a newby like me :)
You are welcome
All is well said! However, I prefer to communicate with people here. But I think sooner or later I'll start writing big posts :)
The Vision and the mission is great. Thank you for the tips and advice. Looking forward for more.
I really enjoyed this post, the crowd is a fickle mistress and I find that here at Steemit, not always a discerning mistress because there are such wonderful posts that are overlooked and some posts that are strangely successful. I cannot figure it out.
Nice reading, it can help a lot, thank you.
It's definitely hard to get recognised for new people, especially if they go for the popular content like you've said. But gotta keep trying, hard work will still pay off.
I don't know what to tell people who expect to get something easily aside from, "be careful what you wish for."
...and now I feel motivated. I just need to think of something to write :)
Well what's your vision? What do you want your world to look like in 5, 10, 20 years?
I have a vision and it's in alignment with the alternative economy and the (r)evolution that seems to be occurring right now. OK so I'll write about that tonight ;)
Thanks.
Sounds good to me!
i believe very strongly in services to others, i use this platform to share my art, i have whole philosophy behind it (the laws of the universe, such as the law of thinking) i keep my explanation very simple en let the title of my art and my work speak for themself (and my englisch is not so good yet) i am very Persistence in my style, if you look on my blog you will see and read that i have something to say, and have created my own style. I call my art "connectivisme" through this platform i share my knowledge by art. life is good!
Thanks for that,I understand everything a lot better now I'll definetly be following you in the future,keep up the good work
Great article, and it's so true that once you have reached some sort of goal then you need to set a new goal, we love achieving goals in life
Loved this post!
Thanks Ani!
This is a very interesting way to look at how to be successful. Both on steemit and really in life. I've seen a few articles on how to be successful here and many of them are just articles written with superficial quick fixes on gaining more followers or annoying ways of harassing others for a follow. In looking for something with more substance, this blog really does the trick. Thanks for posting.
"What would you attempt if you knew you would not fail?"
In the case of Steemit, what would you contribute, write, if you could not fail? This for many is a scary option since typically a new endeavor is not embarked upon without knowing the risk rewards prior or a preconceived notion as to what to expect. With this new platform, it is all new and discoveries are being made everyday.
Being new to the worlds of Steemit and Blogging in general, this is a very daunting task for me. I feel fortunate that posts such as this are available for me to explore and digest. With continued support and similar posts, I am optimistically enthusiastic about my future here. I am simply a small spoke in this very large wheel and am excited to have the opportunity to be part of the bigger picture and the greater good. Thank you for taking the time to create this.
Thanks. I'll check this out.
my friend diana suggested me to read this before i even start..looks like i got a good post to carry forward..loved many of the quotes and will incorporate into the practise. thanks for writing this up.!
I enjoyed reading your article. I appreciate how you provided complementary inputs from thought leaders supporting or expanding on the concepts your shared. Nicely done!
Listening to the first video right now and at the beginning when he was describing the terms, I can't help but think about Snapple when Sinek's talking about the arbitrary nature of "being number 1" in an infinite game. Back when they were still independent in the late nineties they ran this commercial that was basically about not competing with the big beverage companies so they could focus on being number one at making Snapple. In the commercial they had Snapple cheerleaders dressed in Pepsi, Coke and Snapple containers chanting "go cola!" It was one of the funniest and most ingenious ad campaigns I've seen and I'll never forget it.
After listening to his explanation about finite vs. infinite , that's the one example of people marketing a product that popped into my head in which they understood the game they were playing. I know I haven't thus far in my professional life, which might explain some of my frustration. As he describes the two terms, I would have to say that I'm suited to an infinite game but I've been pretending (as most others probably are) to be playing a finite game. I've always been trying to make it finite, even though it's not.
Now don't get me wrong, I think I'm very good at the finite game, but now that I've been outside of the workforce for a few years, things kind of look different. There aren't any defined rule sets for how to compete in marketplaces. Knowing that opens up a lot of doors for me, mentally speaking. I think I may be more successful when I go back to work having that insight in my back pocket.
http://adage.com/article/news/snapple-shoots-3/18175/ I was wrong, they were all apparently dressed in Snapple container costumes.
Hi @andrarchy - I'm sorry there is no other way to contact you about this other than through a comment. I'm trying to start a contest for people that promo the Steemit network. I'd love your support if you think the contest will work. If not, no worries. Maybe I'll run it once a week? https://steemit.com/steemit/@trevorlyman/daily-facebook-bomb-mass-promotion-steem-giveaway
Great article.
I like your points about straying from the pack and following your own vision. Better to write in a way you enjoy that try to pander to a crowd and be something your not! If the content is good someone will take notice. Lets be ourselves.