More than Just a Platform// My Hive Journey and Experience

Hive has really impacted my life and the way I do things. I remember the first time I got to know about Hive. It happened in the month of March this year. I over heard a conversation between my friends. They were talking about the platform and one of them was saying how he was able to buy a new phone from the rewards he got through Hive, so that caught my attention immediately. I was curious to know more about the platform and I asked him to explain more about the platform to me and he did. He told me about Hive, how it works and how it rewards you when you participate and contribute meaningfully.

After that conversation, I ask him to introduce me to it and he connected me to someone I see as a mentor. His name is @ovey10 the admin of the Hive-Reachout community. From the first day we spoke, he took me in and began to teach me everything I needed to know about Hive.

He was patient and always ready to answer my questions and also stressing the need not to plagiarized or use AI in any of my content. His mentorship really played a big role in my journey on Hive.

To be honest, when I first joined the platform, my main focus and motive was just the rewards. I wanted to join because I saw what my friend was able to buy with his earnings. My thinking was about the reward. But that mindset started to change the more I spent time and engage on the platform. I began to see that Hive is more than just about rewards. It is about personal growth it's giving me, the motivation I get from people, the learning process, expression myself, the communities and the empowerment.

One of the biggest changes Hive brought into my life is the aspect of writing. Before joining Hive, writing was not my kind of thing. In fact I saw writing as a heavy task and workload. Sitting down to write something was a burden to me. I find it difficult to express myself in written words. But as I engage in Hive, it changed that aspect of me completely. It gave me a reason to write every day. It gave me a reason to sit down and try, even when I didn’t feel like it.

As time goes by, writing became a part of me. I can now write as often as everyday and each time I write, I feel like I’m learning and growing in my ability to think, to write and to communicate.

What surprised me the most is that I began to write things that other people may find interesting. People would read my posts, leave kind comments, and sometimes even relate to what I was saying. So that alone was pushing me to keep writing. Even when what I wrote didn't really make sense, Hive still gave me the encouragement to continue. The platform supports me, motivates me and helps me find a space where my voice can be heard in written.

Before, I could only write around 100 to 200 words that's all. That was the limit of my writing. But now, I can sit down and think deeply so as to develop a topic and write at least 500 to 1000 words or more.
The platform has really helped me stretch my thinking and my writing and has improved my ability to express my ideas. I now know how to write in a way that others can relate to. Hive made that possible.

One amazing thing about Hive is the connection it gives me. Hive connected me to many wonderful people and amazing communities. It started with my mentor ovey10 who didn't just guide me but also helped me join other communities that suited my writing style. He recommended that I join communities like the Weekend-Experience, Family&Friends, Hive-Learners, and Hive-Naija, from there I can start and grow to other communities. I followed his advice and join those communities.

Through these communities, I met amazing people. In the Weekend-Experience community, I got connected to @galenkp, one of the person that had really motivate me through the topics that is drop every weekend. The community drop interesting topics every Friday, which makes my weekends engaging. The Hive-Learners, Hive-Reachout, Afri-tunes and Hive-Naija platform also bringing new topics regularly which has helped me grow in my writing and connect with people.

I came across amazing musicals in the Afritunes community and make friends which made my Hive experience amazing. I also came in physical contact with most friends I met in hive @emreal , @emmy02 , @smogg! .

Now, apart from the personal growth and connections hive gave me, it has also helped me financially. The rewards I got from Hive have made a real impact in my life. I started Hive in March this year and in just a few months, I was able to make some important changes. With the earnings I got, I was able to buy a desktop computer for my cyber café business. I also fixed my laptop, which had a broken screen and bought a new battery for it. Recently when my phone screen broke and I used my Hive earnings to fix it. Right now, I’ve taken my printer for repair in preparation to start my business properly.

These are not just small things. Hive came at the right time. It gave me both the tools and the motivation to do something for myself. Hive is not just a platform but a place where people like myself find a space for ourselves and express our abilities.

I can say that Hive has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me this year. It has taken most of my time, yes!!! but in a good way and it is the best web3 platform I have ever been a part of and I want to use this medium to appreciate everyone who helped me on my journey in Hive, especially my mentor @ovey10 who is always there to guide me.

Thanks for reading!! Much love. @joshel ..