@mtgmisfit, this blog came to me at the most opportune time and opened my eyes, wide and clear.
I am a newbie here, 2 weeks old and have out about 8-10 posts, 50% of which are random photos that do not count as blogs per-se.
Well, Just a couple of hours back, I put up a blog on "Happiness " and my Happiness was gone after watching the blog sink into oblivion without a trace. I put in many hours of work, creating diagrams, collecting info from net and felt that the blog really created some value for the readers. But the truth turned out there was none. And I really sulked a bit.
Random thoughts crossed my mind.i was thinking if I should continue or concentrate my energies elsewhere. Whether I should spend the time developing my business or just relax doing nothing in my free time.
I genuinely felt my blog was better than many other blogs which did way better than mine and I was left wondering what happened.
I just shut down my laptop and started reading one of my half read books as they are one of my passions.
And then I casually opened steemians on my mob and lazily drifted to your page and then some stars flashed in my brain.
I have not invested a single $ in steemit, but still richer by a few hundred $ in last 2 weeks. The blogs which I thought would tank did a triple digit payout, the blog which I had high hopes did not generate a single $. But all these while, I have learnt, made friends, had a great time here.
I now understand the whales better. As you said they have invested $ here which they could have invested elsewhere. So they have all the right to get a decent return for their $ parked here. They have reason to use their votes carefully and to their advantage.
I have never complained on the platform in this regard, but had expressed my views when whales self voted their own blogs. Now I understand better. They have all the right to do it to safe guard their investment as we do with ours.
I guess I have a shift in my mind now. Going forward, I am going to simply enjoy my time here. I mean comment more, make friends, participate, engage more and stuff like that and think less of payouts and competition. I will just get myself a bit relaxed and chilled out and just be myself and have some fun instead.
The way I look at steemit has changed thanks to your few lines in this blog. We did not invest any $ here. May be we put in some effort in blogging. But that's the time I would have anyway wasted in front of idiot box. So everything is a bonus here actually. Every comment, every chat, every blog is just adding more value to my life whereas earlier there were none.
Thanks. I am going to have more fun here now on 😊👍