I'm with you on grinding through Steemit.

I had always heard of its name, but it took me a while to finally get into it myself.

Of course the sound of more Steem Power is great, but I think overall I've enjoyed the grind of earning it all. Goals tend to be super positive things to have, and paying for Steem/using bid bots certainly would've removed the challenge.

I think it's best that way, too. By staying clear of that, we've managed to grow communities; add strong content to the platform in which the platform itself sees its true value; and as a result, friendships have formed.

I recently passed my 1 year here on Steemit (May something), and looking back at the year on here felt super surreal. I don't expect this next year to be much different. Hopefully it will be the same for you.