KEY FACT: It's been Six (6) years of immutable growth, carved in the sands of the Hive blockchain, where memories linger and dreams take flight, painting the canvas of my social account ownership and control.

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Designed on Paint

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Six years may seem fleeting, but within each passing moment lies the lingering memories of learning, growth, impact, and potential for bigger transformation. From January 24, 2018 to January 24, 2024 has been a package of blessing and comfort in the physical form as a user and owner of the Hive blockchain.

Looking back at where and how I started this decentralized social media journey and the transformation I have bumped into, or rather say, embraced, I feel grateful to God for having helped me unravel the big opportunity that was wrapped to me in simplicity that afternoon at my small hub where I started life as a young entrepreneur.

The Journey into the Hive Blockchain

My invitation to Hive came at a time when I had spent a lot of money in a bid to secure an online business or money-making venture. I lost lots of money which made me depressed yet, had nothing to show forth. @tomlee had looked so young to have believed. He was still an undergraduate then. What would he say to convince me? Nothing! He only said the platform would be a good fit for my writing and research consulting career.

I hopped in that very day having my free account created. It was fun for the first week even without any meaningful upvote, but then, after two weeks, I lost the vibes. By March same year, Tomlee returned to charge me to get active again and I was encouraged. I remember taking Three weeks off work to research blockchain and cryptocurrency. Those words were new to my vocabulary. I didn't want to be a victim again of online scams. I'm glad I decided to dig out knowledge for myself and then to be sure I was on a safe track.

Learning and Growing

Learning about Web3 is a continuous task. The fast-paced evolution of web3 technologies presented both challenges and opportunities. Staying informed about the latest advancements in the crypto space became not just a hobby but a crucial aspect of my online presence. The year 2018 was all fun and my engagement spiked in June that year leading to my winning a 500 Steem Power (then worth $2,500) from @ejemai for just one month. My followership grew and I earned new friends since I had the power to give meaningful upvotes. The bear year 2019 made us forget how sweet 2018 was. Engagement on this blockchain (then Steem) went way low but I can't tell what inspired me to stay active through those years.

The year 2019 was hard, $BTC had dipped down to $4k. However, 2019 was my best year. I learned patience, endurance, and resilience during the bear. I created more content and built my Steem Power Hive Power to the best. Thanks to @threespeak and @theycallmedan. They hosted contests and I participated. I onboarded over close to 100 persons that year and over 40 are still active to date.

Wealth Generation

Boom! The big thing happened - Hive-engine. Thanks to @aggroed and his team. I embraced Layer 2 with everything in me. From $SPORTS to $LEO and other tokens we can't see today. I was motivated to invest as much $STEEM then into my Hive-engine tokens. The drive had always been to be able to give out tangible upvotes to others as I received. Since I could not buy more STEEM, I bought more layer 2 tokens. Was in the top leaderboard for 3 of those tokens that gave give big value of upvotes in layer 2 tokens that were worth over $1.

Fast-forward to 2020, I noticed INLEO, then SteemLeo community. Thanks to @taskmaster4450 that was the catalyst. I stacked $LEO as if all my life depended on it. I saw the future of LEO as there was always the drive for sustainability. Thanks to the Split I doubled my holdings, and I was able to convert my STEEM tokens into layer 2 tokens on Hive.

My wealth on Hive had been built on layer 2. I can tell that my layer 2 earnings (curation and posting rewards) as well as investment returns has doubled my layer 1 earnings. I took profits on my holdings during the 2020/2021 bull run. I am glad I did. As I will always say, I was able to fix a two-bedroom flat apartment with those holdings. The transparent reward system on Hive motivates users to consistently contribute valuable content, creating a sustainable model where users are duly recognized for their efforts.

Community Support

One of the most rewarding aspects of my Hive journey has been actively contributing to the building of communities. I never stopped supporting every community I found myself or that supported me. Through posts, engagements, buying, and staking of tokens to get other users to join and buy the tokens. Two weeks never passed that I didn't get a new user on the chain, It was my resolve to grow this place that has helped me grow in many ways. This is a challenge to new users who look out for communities to reward them. "DO well to support and engage the communities well", you won't be forgotten.

LeoFinance became a home. I have been here seeing Leofinance metamorphose from Steem Leo to INLEO where we are. Whether through curated content, fostering discussions, or supporting fellow users, I became an integral part of the ecosystem. The collaborative spirit of Hive allowed me to connect with like-minded individuals, and together, we have worked towards creating thriving and inclusive communities.

Thanks to Splinterlands, 3Speak, CTP, Cent, and recently, Holozing that has been a place of growth and inspiration.

Career Building

There has been a significant improvement along my career lines. I have met people and discovered tools that have helped to shape my writing, research, and data analysis skills as a Hive user. Hive's emphasis on quality content creation and curation became a catalyst for improving my writing skills. Regularly sharing insights, experiences, and knowledge not only contributed to the community but also provided a platform for personal growth. Constructive feedback from the community played a pivotal role in refining my writing style and expanding my creative horizons.

Recently, working with @anomadsoul has created another interesting career path in the web3 environment. Now looking forward to becoming a seasoned Web3 Project Marketer and Strategist. We are building a formidable front alongside other Lions on X (Twitter) to help bring the masses to Hive. Learning from him has been wonderful. Thanks to @khaleelkazi and the entire Leo team for the privilege to serve as well as the sponsorships.

Building for the Future: A Continued Commitment

Looking ahead, my engagement on Hive will continue to evolve. I aspire to deepen my understanding of emerging technologies, contribute to the growth of existing and new communities, and onboard and mentor new users to navigate their way through the blockchain. In particular, I want to see businesses and organizations plug into the Hive blockchain. As Hive continues to innovate, I will gladly explore new opportunities, adapt to changing trends, and contribute meaningfully to the decentralized future we collectively shape.

To make this happen, I am incubating this project @web3logistics with the mission to onboard, educate, and integrate individuals and businesses to Hive from the Nigerian community. Web3Logistics is not a stand-alone community but will help every thriving community on Hive to grow. My first two pilot communities are INLEO and the Holozing game projects. The drive is to break down Hive in a way the local understands and integrates seamlessly.

You can access Web3logistics on INLEO, PeakD or Ecency. A follow on X (Twitter) will help too.

Final Words

As I celebrate my sixth anniversary on the Hive Blockchain, I reflect on the incredible journey from a novice user to an active participant in this blockchain. What began as a free account with no initial investment has transformed into a rich experience of learning about web3, contributing to community development, enhancing my writing skills, and earning over $10,000 along the way. With gratitude for the past and enthusiasm for the future, I eagerly anticipate the next chapter of growth, learning, and collaboration on Hive.

To everyone who has been a part of this beautiful journey on Hive, I say, Thank you! Let's do better in the coming years.

Please say some encouraging words as I mark this Sixth Anniversary.

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If you found the article interesting or helpful, please hit the upvote button, and share for visibility to other hive friends to see. More importantly, drop a comment below. Thank you!

This post was created via INLEO, What is INLEO?

INLEO's mission is to build a sustainable creator economy that is centered around digital ownership, tokenization, and communities. It's Built on Hive, with linkages to BSC, ETH, and Polygon blockchains. The flagship application: Inleo.io allows users and creators to engage & share micro and long-form content on the Hive blockchain while earning cryptocurrency rewards.

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Let's Connect

Hive: inleo.io/profile/uyobong/blog

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Uyobong3

Discord: uyobong#5966

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