Every positive change in your life begins with a clear and unequivocal decision that you are going to either do or stop doing something. 

My decision is clear and has ever been. Yesterday for the first time ever I´ve invested into steem. It´s time for a little recap.

Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do,
long after the mood you said it in has left you. 

How everything started

For most of you trading might be daily business, but to me it´s a completely new and exciting experience. 

Before joining steemit in July 2016, I had never been in touch with crypto currencies. I didn´t even know they were existing. 

I had the same questions probably most of the people have when getting in touch with it for the very first time:

1. Nerd money?
2. Where does the money come from?
3. How it is possible that somebody invents a new currency without a bank´s approval?
4. Who decides how much it is worth?
5. How can I exchange it for real money?
   

That moment when you just don´t get it...:)

Lucky me the friend who introduced me to steemit is a true crypto crack I could learn a lot from him instead of jumping in at the deep end.

"There are girls on steemit earning thousands of dollars for blogging. You have to join! I am sure your 'from city girl to surfer girl story' would kill it in there." 

These were the words from my friend. 

A couple of days later I published my introducion on steemit.com:
"From city girl to surfer girl, steem your dreams!"

It´s kind of emotional looking back at it now. 

A couple of months later, my own mom asked me exactly the same questions I had when entering this new world. She was following my doings on steemit since the very first day and somehow got interested in the details. 

Explaining the concept of crypto currency to my mom:
"The brownie bakery theory"

The next level - Powering up 

The same friend who introduced me to steemit 8 months ago was the one who helped me to enter the exchange market now.

There was a lot of movement both on steemit and at the steem exchange markets lately: rewards distribution revolutions, hard forks, raise and fall of steem price. It felt like riding a rollercoaster. 

However, that didn´t prevent me from doing the next step.

Here´s how I think about the past weeks:

Entering the crypto market through a fiat gateway is like calling Donald Trump and asking if he wants to have some coffee with you. 

Well he wouldn´t even take the phone. That´s the problem! 

Some of you may have followed my desperate intentions to exchange fiat for crypto during the past weeks. I´ve tried to enter the market through several well-known exchange services, but all my attempts failed.

Now I finally found a way in. 

After completing the exchange on poloniex, I left a comment in their trollbox:

Me: "Yeah, I have just completed my very first BTC-STEEM exchange!"
Another user: "Congrats Marly, you´ve just lost your crypto virginity."

Moving myself inside an exchange network felt incredible.

You know that you´re part of something great but feel like walking on eggshells. 

The next steps let me feel much more comfortable, since I came back to my known enviroment. Once the transfer from poloniex had been registered on my steemit wallet, everything started to be smooth again. 

Then I just did it. 

As long as the gateway from fiat to crypto is controlled by institutional regulations, it would be difficult to bring the new currencies to the masses. 

Not all people are brave enough for this adventure. 

The technology and related services are in their early adoption. Besides policital issues, there will be a lot of education needed, not only in order to change people´s behavior but especially their mindset. 

During centuries financial issues have been given into hands of centralized institutions and organizations. 

The idea that we could all become our own bankers now, is groundbreaking but also threatening to many people. 

It needs a smooth and playful approach.  

steemit is supposedly the no. 1 gateway to the crypto market for regular people.

By doing what these internet users have always done (social interaction) they playfully get in touch with 'the new paradigm'. 

To be honest, when I started on steemit I had no idea that this could change my view on the whole world´s concept.

steemit taught me that we shouldn´t take everything for granted and that 'it has been always like this' is no excuse for change. This platform showed me how to bravely step out of my comfort zone in order to get back some control over my own life and property. 

If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it.

Marly - 

Picture sources:
Britney: steemitimages.com
Einstein: inspiredbusinesssuccess.co.uk
Easy: ILikeToQuote.com
Meme: cryptogab.com
Comfort zone: picturequotes.com