A ROLE MODEL Steemian: In case you’re considering super-minnows…

I’ve been on Steemit for two weeks, so I’m not even sure I qualify for the Role Model thing, but I think I would be a good Steemit Role Model due to my creativity, enthusiasm, and passion for people who inspire each other.

Thanks @anomadsoul for offering up this contest.

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My newbie take on Steemit:

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As a platform, Steemit seems to give people from all walks of life a mostly-level playing ground where everything is on the blockchain, and being authentic is celebrated. Diversity makes us stronger, and I've made friends from all corners of the world since diving down this rabbit hole!

Here, you’re rewarded for being you, and for caring about others.

I can’t even describe how excited I am about this. It’s giving me renewed hope for the world!

image: nasa.gov

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Steemit says, “You do you. Contribute unique, quality content, be a supportive member of the community, and you will be rewarded.”

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I am committed to contributing the highest quality content to Steemit.

To get an idea of who I am and the kind of content I create, check out my Adopt a Minnow Post, where I suggest a smaller marine mammal for us minnows to aspire to: the sea otter.

Steemit is like paradise to me, because I’ve been pumping out free content for over a decade, trying to eek out a living encouraging people to buy my books or come to a yoga class. On Steemit I don’t have to sell anything! It’s such a relief to not feel that pressure. And no more letdown of pouring my energy into a blog post that only five people read (as much as I appreciate those five people).

Steemit rewards people for caring about each other. The #RoleModel delegation, the #adoptaminnow movement, and the sheer amount of Steemians who sincerely want to help everyone succeed is nothing short of heartwarming.

gif via giphy.com

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On Steemit, I create quality content and people actually see it!

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They even respond! The comments section is fabulous. :)

As a writer, as an artist, having people enjoy what I create and being able to connect with what they do — this kind of community is priceless. You can find your tribe here (or many tribes), and there’s tons of support.

It makes me so happy!

As an introvert in the outside world, accessing online community is huge for me. I have it on other levels in Twitter and Facebook, but those platforms don’t allow people to interact in the ways Steemit does. This place has replaced my blog and social sites in one go. Add in Discord groups, and the sense of community explodes!

More on my growing Steemit family to come...

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My thoughts about earnings:

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Steemit means I can stay home with my kids, do what I love — which is to write, to create — and earn something. I’m motivated to make this work for myself, and I want to help others succeed as well.

I've been working my *$$ off to make a splash, so to speak, and have put in a lot of time with about 300 posts in the first week, most of them being comments. I’ve used my SBD to power up, because I want my vote to count for more than .01. It’s frustrating to only be able to upvote ten-ish times a day, when I want to support so many people doing good things.

"Patience grasshopper."

Right?

Obviously, not everyone is a writer or has experience blogging, and not everyone has the same amount of time to devote to Steemit, but I do believe anyone who does their best putting out quality content and connecting with others in supportive ways can earn on Steemit. It is my mission to boost those who are doing so.

I’ve never voted for my own post or comment, but my vote doesn’t have much SP behind it, so I’ve never seen the point. I suppose there are certain strategies where upvoting your own post is worthwhile (helping it be seen, contributing to a contest payout, or upping the value of a post that will benefit a charity), but I’d rather vote on other people’s posts. I think there is more value in playing to the generosity of karma — what you give, you receive.

I want to have a vote with more SP behind it so I can contribute to Steemians who are earning less on deserving posts, and newbies just trying to get started. The more we encourage those who are just stepping into the Steemit sea to have fun and get involved, the better our global Steemit community becomes.

photo: Nat Anfield. This was taken at one of my yoga classes, which was a fundraiser for a local animal shelter.

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My Growing Steemit Family

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Discord makes Steemit even more amazing, and between the two I’ve been making a ton of friends. If I were trying to do Steemit alone, without joining communities and creating genuine friendships, it wouldn’t be nearly as fun.

I found #TeamGirlPowa first, and some amazing people through that community including @limabeing, @sykochica, @thekittygirl, and @seyiodus (who also applied for Role Model status and probably deserves it way more than I do).

I’m committed to supporting women on Steemit, supporting the LGBTQ community and other diverse voices, as well as #teamcanada and #teamusa (my countries of citizenship). In my view, we all share one planet. No need for passports, we are citizens of Earth.

I’ve dipped my toes into many groups, such as #adsactly, Steemit Ramble and Steem Sugar, but haven’t been very active there yet, still trying to figure out what everything's about. (I’m only 2 weeks into this thing, there’s time.) I’ve also participated in #steemitbloggers, organized by @jaynie, and made some great friends there.

The group I’ve interacted with the most, though, is #thealliance.

Sometime in the blur of the last fortnight, I followed a trail to @thealliance. I knocked on the door in Discord, posted my application, and found myself adopted by a group that feels like family.

People like @enginewitty, @topkpop, @saffisara, and @tattoodjay have so much heart, and I feel the love. They’ve made me smile and laugh so much, and I’ve been immensely supported by #thealliance as a whole, so of course I’d like to return the kindness. I also appreciate that this family contributes to @youarehope (founded by @sircork) to provide humanitarian aid powered by Steem.

Handstand on the equator, in Quito, Ecuador.

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Should you pick me? Maybe not.

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I’m a tiny plankton in a big sea, and though I'm dreaming of growing into a sea otter and maybe an orca one day, my guess is a more experienced Role Model would be better for this delegation of Steem power.

Perhaps delegating Steem power to those who already have weight behind them would give a more powerful punch, so to speak, and be a better strategy. What’s the difference in SP between dolphin and orca and whale? I just got here. What do I know?

Let me nominate a few more bright-star Steemians for Role Model delegation (please give it to them, they’ll do good things with it):

• @gniksivart, for example, who is an OCD curator and wrote this great Role Model application.

• @enginewitty, who recently set himself up as a witness and is one of the driving forces behind #thealliance.

• @topkpop, who hosts fun contests with artistic flair and adds positivity to #thealliance and Steemit as a whole.

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That said, if you choose to reward a newbie with delegation, maybe I’d be a good pick. I would do my best to use my votes in the interest of the community as a whole, encouraging people to be who they are, and be good to each other.

Peace. @katrina-ariel

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Author bio: Katrina Hokule’a Ariel is an old-soul rebel, a musician, a tree-hugging yogini and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders and other books, she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of Steemit.

dragon art: Liiga Smilshkalne

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