First Things First, A Newb's Take On His First Week as a STEEMIAN

Steemit was kind of thrown into my life. I first heard of it from my partner. She heard it from a friend of hers, who was SO excited to call and tell my partner that she had, in fact, paid her RENT with the content she had been sharing. I was sold on trying it when I was told she blogs about her daily family life. I thought that was something different.

I didn't REALLY consider there could be truth about a social media platform that pays real cash for what I do FREELY. LOTS of internet sites offer cash for just about every type of thing. I generally steer clear of this. So, I approached steemit with caution and skepticism on high. In no time at all, this community abruptly met then managed to exceed my expectations with a haste even Facebook couldn't accomplish on their very best day.

I feel like someone finally got it right. This is a great example of what SOCIAL MEDIA was supposed to represent. This site has people sharing ideas freely and maturely. The ideas range from daily home life, to controversial and political issues. They are all written by people just like me.

Now I must admit, I was floored upon my immediate arrival. Like a baby taking it's first steps, I struggled to do what is basic on most websites. I even posted a poem I had wrote as in introduction. However, in TRUE NEWB STYLE, managed to post it in a topic I chose. I chose "Life" when there was an entire topic dedicated to this very type of introduction. Thus, the reason for a week late formal introduction. I took some days to just look it over, post, and interact with the new community.

With a newfound vigor, I poured over the available articles. What I noticed immediately, was the ASTOUNDING number of well articulated, very concise and engaging articles there were. All of the post neatly delivered with a level of maturity that, quite frankly, blew my mind! I am so tired of the kinds of things I find on sites like Facebook. That site makes me kind of wonder about the future of the human race. I am sure most of you here can relate.

Anyway, I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent learning so far. I am sure I still have a while to go, but I know I am in the write place. (see what I did there?) I'm punny. I know. :)

I haven't thought much about earning anything. If a community such as this one welcomes me with open arms, engages, and impresses me like only this one has, I humbly offer myself to it freely. I am here expecting nothing. This is the wisest perspective, in my humble opinion. Why? Because if I post here expecting nothing, then anything I DO get will be a bonus. I have already got what I wanted out of it; the ENJOYMENT I feel when I am expressing myself freely. I simply do not get to enjoy this enough! ( for reasons I will specify later).

It took the better part of the entire week to get acclimated to the site itself. It contrasts EVERYTHING I know and understand of social media. It literally differentiates itself from ANYTHING I have come across, so there is little out there I can compare it to. One thing worth mentioning is that I owe all I understand to the COMMUNITY ITSELF! Steemians never seem to forget where they come from. Even the PEOPLE are different.

Advice for Fellow Newbs!

• 1.Do Not Despair!

Fellow Minnows! (Newbs with accounts of low value) Do not despair! I see posts that speak of the tribulations associated with being new. Of course we don't get as much attention. Of course every post we share doesn't earn $1,000. This much should be expected as a person NEW to any community. There is a certain etiquette here when interacting. I noticed that my participation here is much more welcome and appreciated when I interact this way. Be patient, network, and allow your message to be heard. Your work will pay off!

• 2.Be Yourself!

I know you hear this a lot. This would be true as anywhere here. STEEMIT needs all of us. We are growing fast, and need people of all types. Posts of an authentic nature are greatly appreciated. Comments are treated the same way. If you post two words, or are robotic with your posts, you simply are getting what you put in. If you dare to post as your TRUE self, you will find you have more to say, and it is appreciated.

• 3.Network, Network, Network.

More important than what you might stand to learn, consider what audience you want to achieve. Your success involves the success of others, and you can influence that directly. If you follow, upvote, and resteem an author's work, you may find them returning the same respect! That's LOVE! After some time passes, you will have followers aplenty, most of whom share similar interests who rely on your votes! They count even if they don't earn much for you.

I post like I am more than a minnow, but it seems to make some miserable, that they haven't achieved success or earned money by writing. This time will come for all of us. The community is young. It is growing. There are many places left at the top!

To sum this up, there isn't anything worth mentioning that I don't like about this website. Anything I could find almost tempting just wasn't worth mentioning. I am a STEEMIAN FOR LIFE!

Introduction (LATE) of the Peaceful Patriot

I let the introduction take a backseat to my week in review. I wanted to make sure that I express to the community my undying gratitude before giving a single first impression. I wanted to thank you for welcoming me with open arms, and restoring my faith in humanity.

So, here it goes. I am a 29 year old Cajun male. I go by the name Cody, but since I would much rather be known for something geared more towards WHO or WHAT I am, I would much rather be known as my chosen alias! I chose peacefulpatriot for a number of reasons. The first being it does a much better job of describing me than my name does.

Secondary to identifying me, the name sounds good. It took a long while, and lots of notes, but when I finally came to it, I just knew. I write under this alias at Minds.com. (https://www.minds.com/Peacefulpatriot) It is a platform much like this one. One can monetize their channel as well, but it falls short when compared to Steemit. (SHH, don't tell them I said that!)

I must take a second though to explain one important thing. The term "patriot" is widely used. If I were to try to estimate a percentage, I feel that of all the people who represent themselves as a patriot, only about 15 percent or less of us mean what I do. I am what I call a TRUE patriot. I have a commitment to truth, and I am patriotic in the sense that I won't support a governing body that consistently lies and expects more of the people, when all we can expect is for them to lie every four years.

So I will keep them under constant scrutiny and skepticism, questioning all their efforts. I will share my findings with you, and open up the floor for debates not allowed on any mainstream media outlet.

During my upbringing I was misunderstood by my family for possessing one very important trait. I question authority.

If told to do something, I have a right to ask questions about what I am told for obvious reasons. Accumulating all the memories that I have, it was obvious from my experience that anything or any person or group of people with malicious intent will not subject themselves to questioning. It is no difference if you are my mother, or the law, a question is innocent. If there are things that which I am not supposed to know, it just makes me crave knowing. Generally speaking, the more effort spent towards avoiding questioning relates directly to how much time and effort I will spend in search of the truth.

Since I was young the government has passed laws, and implemented no policies that we are all supposed to live by, and had me scratch my head. Most of the time these things seemed like overkill. But I was too young to REALLY understand. I couldn't ask questions about things I couldn't describe. I would try, and my family would do their best to answer. All too often I was left unsatisfied, and even more curious. I never stopped asking questions though.

As I got older, I started seeing things. They differed wildly from what my family saw. I was thought of as broken, weird, and even stupid. There was a time when I began believing it. After all, how can I be right, and everyone be wrong? This very important thing led me to one of the most crucial pieces of information I have ever absorbed.

Truth is OBJECTIVE. This means that there is but 1 (one) version of it. It is entirely independent of ANYONE's subjective belief/perspective. Even if the entire world believes in something that I don't, they CAN be wrong! I have since then made it my mission to share what I discover, to say what NEEDS to be said. I have more to say and more to give the world than what they show on TV. I am not afraid to ask questions. It is my duty.

In my search for truth I ran across some obstacles. Discussing anything I read has proven tough. If I provide someone with a common sense truth that contradicts another's belief, they respond angrily, as if I have attacked their God. They repeat propaganda, and don't have an argument to back up their insults. I noticed that few people can handle the truth.

I will say some things at times that make the government look like they are evil. That isn't my intention. I am sure there are SOME good ones, but they are working cooperatively AGAINST us, of this I am sure. Despite all they do for our "protection". They have us arguing over reds and blues, when they collude to pollute the entire system we rely on. As a patriot. not being well represented, It is MY duty to share it with you.

Before I close I would like to put it out there that my message is one of love. I care. I can't help it. Just like truth, morality is objective. It doesn't favor those of any group or belief to any other. That's why I am here. To speak truth, and make it cool again.

These are the most important things to me. I am also a musician. I compose music on this same computer. I sit at my D.A.W ( Digital Audio Workstation) and I tirelessly learning my new craft. I enjoy learning as a pastime. I am a lover, not a fighter. I moonlight as a consultant for an oil company. I have a girlfriend, who I love. I share a home on a lake somewhere south of Houston Texas with her, my dog, and her mean cat, Dempsey.

I thank you all for making me feel so welcomed here. I could use some good followers to engage with, and any advice or even constructive criticism will be appreciated. I want to, err, WILL grow with you guys. Along the way helping by continually investing money in Steem, and time in Steemit!

You created a lifer. Thanks again!

With love,

@peacefulpatriot

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