My steem journey has been remarkable, in that it has hot-housed three HUGE issues in my life which I have grappled with. Each one of these issues has been brought to me by a special steem-teacher-mentor and I would like to appreciate these three leaders, and the learnings they have brought along with their juicy upvotes, tech-nerd advice and endless encouragement.
I have learned the most about judgement, or the lack thereof, from the person who onboarded me to steem: @kenistyles. I remember his many long responses to me when I self-righteously declared another person's post to be worthless and beneath my time to comment. He spoke to me of everybody's right to be where they're at, and for my need to suspend ego and to find that something in their post worth commenting on, or enjoying. I think he has helped shape me to be a better curator, and a better human. I may not like or agree with what you write, but I can appreciate and reward you for your effort in saying it. In our diversity, we are richer and stronger.
The freedom to step up has been embodied for me in @richardcrill. His creation of @freedomtribe with it's elasticity and generosity of spirit is everything I have wanted and needed. He invited me to step up, and I did. No rules, no prescriptive "do this, must comment 2 times on that, must be on Sundays"... and in that complete free place I am learning more about responsibility, true freedom and the delightful choice I make to empower others when I step up. He has my back, and I know that. As an enabler of the first order, he waits for people to volunteer. And then helps them to shine. The purity of intention and the complete freedom to explore what I want to give, and how-when I do that, has been an astounding gift.
Steem is full of wanna-bes. People steeming on their lunch breaks during their unexciting jobs, posting about all manner of things they're not quite brave enough to do. Someone who has stood out for me by lightyears is @eco-alex. He isn't waiting for 8 weeks of long service leave from some dreary job somewhere to have his eco-travel-experience - he's LIVING it. Now. Already. Powered by steem and crypto and generously helping others to cross that bridge. Manifesting the steem dream. He has cut ties with the government-driven mothership and is enabling others to join him in the manifestation of something even bigger than what he has already created: a steem eco-village. Steem is the beginning of true freedom, if we choose to take it past being keyboard warriors and see it for the manifestation tool it truly is.
Mostly steem helps me to clarify who I want and choose to be. The reflections of people and communities are helpful, but ultimately I decide what matters. Truly that is the heart of a decentralized platform, no? That we each find our truer, higher selves in relationship with, and in contrast to, a diverse web and community of others?
Tonight I'm feeling blessed and grateful to Keni, Richard and Alex. For their guidance and support and for being enablers.
Grateful beyond measure.
This is my response to @ecotrain's question of the week:Share About Something or Someone on the Steem Blockchain Who Has Inpsired You or Taught You.
