Photo Credit: @michaelnm

Hello steemians, my name is Michael and I love taking risks. Writing this intro post is a big risk for me, cos I might end up breaking the rules and I'll get a kick in the butts..

Any ways, I live by the creed of the organization I work as a volunteer with, Impact Your World Leadership Initiative (IYWLI) which says...

We will make the WORLD a better place against all odds at every level of leadership position we find ourselves. Starting here, starting now, we will always leave behind footprints of lasting IMPACT in our immediate world.

Many thanks to @surpassinggoogle, @nairadaddy, @samstickkz, and @mrfelix for inspiring me to join Steemit.

According to my personal motto, every day is a good day to learn something new and I'm super excited that I have the opportunity to learn about the steem blockchain.

What I currently Do

I'm a digital entrepreneur, crypto enthusiast, writer, innovation management expert and currently the Creative Director of Milestone Media

Photo Credit: @michaelnm
We're into corporate branding, prints, publishing and digital marketing. If a thousand steemians patronize us this weekend, that will be so COOL. Lol

I am also currently involved in life skills training and peer education for Children and Youth in schools.

Photo Credit: @michaelnm

Photo Credit: @michaelnm

A Little Gist About My Background

Photo Credit: @michaelnm
I am Ibibio by tribe but I was born and raised in Lagos Nigeria. Precisely, I grew up in the popular AJ city in Apapa, Lagos.
In case you're hearing about AJ city for the first time, the full meaning is Ajegunle, the ghetto area in Lagos that is famous for raising musical talents in Nigeria.

Going by this antecedents, I became obsessed about becoming a musician from childhood.

Photo Credit: www.unsplash.com

You see, the area where you live has an enormous influence on the career choice of your children, whether directly or indirectly.
I told my parents I wanted to be a musician, but they strongly kicked against it. They wanted all of us (their children) to be lawyers, accountants, medical doctors and engineers.

They succeeded however in making one of my siblings to read accountancy, another to read law but they didn't succeed in making me read engineering.

As a matter of fact, the first day I went to the University of Port Harcourt to sit for admission screening exam in engineering, my brain almost got knocked out.

Out of my frustration, I decided to settle for the social sciences which eventually saw me reading sociology at the University of Uyo, Nigeria.

If my parents had allowed me go for the course I wanted, maybe life would have been a little different.

In any case, I have no regrets for reading sociology.

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I now have a better perspective as to how the society really works.

Discovering Steemit

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I first heard about Steemit during my final year in college. That was in 2016. I didn't join because I felt it was one of those scam sites trying to rip people off. Coming from a place where I had horrible experiences with crypto cloud mining and investment sites, I was a bit skeptical about signing up. Thanks to my friends on Facebook who kept promoting the steem blockchain with their personal testimonials.
They talked me into believing that the platform is not like the many internet scam schemes out there.

It's not my fault that I waited so long to join, actually. I've been a victim of internet scam a couple of times. From fake Bitcoin mining sites that disguised themselves as real; to fake ICOs that vanished after collecting millions dollars from investors...I've had my fair share of the crypto misfortune.

But Steemit is not like that, as I have been made to understand. You don't necessarily have to invest any money to earn, just your time, socializing skills and creativity.

A Unique Platform To Network And Change The World

I love the steem network. The platform is one that can help me expand my network and develop lasting connections and friendships with people around the world who share in my vision of inspiring, empowering, and providing people with valuable information that will help to bridge the knowledge gaps so that they realize their fullest potential.

Photo Credit: @michaelnm

Photo Credit: @michaelnm
Just like what most Steemians are already doing, I want to be able to contribute to the growth of my community in line with the sustainable development goals stated as follows:

• No Poverty
• Zero Hunger
• Good Health and Well-Being
• Quality Education
• Gender Equality
• Clean Water and Sanitation
• Affordable and Clean Energy
• Decent Work and Economic Growth
• Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
• Reduced Inequalities
• Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Responsible Consumption and Production
• Climate Action
• Life Below Water
• Life on Land
• Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Partnership for the Goals

My Steem Role Models

I have been following the activities of @jerrybanfield, @surpassinggoogle, @aggroed, @stellabelle, @simgirl, @samstickkz, @ejamai, @ehiboss, @gbenga, @clixmoney, @good-karma, @destinysaid, @ewuoso, @eurogee, @tojukaka, @michaelcj, @azizbd, @haejin, @damarth @nairadaddy, @jrcornel, @donkeypong and many other steemians on social media.

I've read about the #SIN-project, #SteemWarAgainstPoverty, the @project20million, @Air-Clinic, @teardropstoken and the @stach project.

I got really inspired to see people changing the world by leveraging the steem network.

Few weeks ago, I visited the Steemit Accelerator Hub in Uyo and I met people like @samuelwealth, @desmonddesk, @onyemacourage, @rachelrick and @ambDavid. I got really motivated by their success stories and I decided I'll work very hard to bring my own light.

I hope to grow steadily on the platform and become a successful steem blogger so I can bring many young people and mentor them just like @ejamai is doing.

The Future Direction Of My Blog Posts

• I'll be blogging about societal issues in general.

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• I'll be blogging about technology and innovation

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• And of course, I'll be blogging about arts and entertainment

• Expect to read some blockbuster narratives from me, from time to time.

Wrapping Up

I like to wrap up by saying that I'm here to stay. While I constantly seek to add value to the community through content creation, I will equally try to help myself by networking with people, having fun and learning in the process. I hope people here will be really nice to me. Winks

I'm pretty aware the going might not be easy. Discouragements might set in. There may be setbacks and disruptions in the system, but I'm confident that as I keep learning, I will definitely scale through and share my success story to encourage minnows like me.

Thanks so much for reading my first post. I wish everyone great success and continuous growth on the steem network.

With lots of love,
From #Nigeria
@michaelnm