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For this week's #showcase-sunday entry, I was reminded of a post from around the new year of 2018, which if you remember, was when Steem reached its All Time High (ATH) of 8 dollars-ish.

I haven't edited or changed anything here as this isn't a rewrite of history and this is a Steem-centric post, which I normally wouldn't showcase as they are more time orientated. 

One thing that is mentioned is that 2018 was shaping up to be an interesting year for Steem, which indeed it was - but in a much more bear-like fashion than I had hoped. While some parts I could alter, for the most part, I still have may of the same views regardless of price. 

As I see it, no matter what we are trying to accomplish in life, we need to attend to our own plate without spending too much of our time and resources on what others have on theirs. 

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## <center>*Eyes on your own plate*</center>

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I have three older brothers ranging from 4 to 12 years my senior and when I was growing up I would see the servings they would get of dessert and question why I did not get more. *Eyes on your own plate'* was often the answer that came. From my limited view, I was deserving of the same amount even though I was a full half their size.

What this statement really means in my opinion is not about the comparison with others, it is a reminder to take care of what is in front of me. This is something that is hard to do at Steemit it seems, even for myself.

I am in a fortunate position that has been developed through literally thousands of hours of work in the last 11 months writing and thousands more spent in the years of my professional learning, teaching and hopefully, growing. What my blog aims to generally do is to help other people better negotiate their lives and benefit accordingly, the same as my business. I don't always hit the mark but, even at the times I miss, I hope it brings consideration and personal value.

https://i.imgur.com/DpuetBF.jpg

It is very easy to see the prices rise and the values of the largest accounts grow massively. Even though mine is much, much smaller, it is incredible to see the *Estimated Account Value* triple in a few short weeks. It is also easy to get jealous over the growth of some accounts and the earnings of others.

But, I think that it is an *Eyes on your own plate'* situation where instead of spending time worrying too much about what others may get out of the platform, we are better served by spending the energy developing our own positions and blogs. Abuse is another matter of course. 

One common mistake is that people are looking at the current payout and not recognising its real-world dollar value, and even if they acknowledge that, they do not recognise the potential future value. The other thing that people tend to ignore is that the market and Steemit/steem/SBD is volatile and can change significantly in minutes. 

Does anyone remember HF19 all those months ago? Remember what your payouts did for that week until nearly everyone started self-voting their own comments at 100%? I do, it was my most valuable week on Steemit, well that was until SBD decided to go rogue and I could trade it for cheap Steem.

To take advantage of these situations I wasn't lucky, I was consistent and I was engaged with many users on the platform and have developed many relationships. Let me ask you this, how many people here do you know something about other than what they have blogged? How many would you be willing to have stay with you (and they be willing to stay) for a few nights if they happened to visit your town? Are you engaged?

Look at the <a href="https://steemit.com/steemit/@penguinpablo/weekly-steem-stats-report-new-records-last-week">last few weeks as STEEM and SBD</a> have shot up in price, (this is last week only) look how many new posts are created, how many new accounts have been created. Do you think they are all new users posting this heavily? Unlikely. Many are the returned, the *goodtimers* who have come back to capitalise on the prices. And then they wonder where their support has gone.

If you keep your *eyes on your own plate* have you cooked a decent dinner for yourself? Have you provided the ingredients necessary to have a plate filled with plenty? Or, have you neglected some of the fundamentals, have you failed to keep up with the changes, forgotten to be a part of the community you want to benefit from?

Am I saying this works perfectly or that everyone will become rich beyond their wildest dreams? No, but for the chance to benefit significantly, one has to be willing to put in the hard yards, to develop and learn and push. It doesn't take elbows, it takes work. For me, a more literal than metaphorical *FUCKLOAD* of work.

Why do it? Because I want to, because I enjoy what I do and I feel that what I provide has value for myself and the community. If I do not feel I can add overall value and return value, I will not take benefits. Plus, there is so much potential to change mine and my family's lives, so, so much. Why *wouldn't* I be working my ass off at this?

Where else can things like tripling value happen in a few weeks but the cryptosphere, where else can I sit at home at night and use my skills and interests to earn whilst simultaneously supporting others to do the same? Tell me? With all that you do in the 'real world' what has more potential to make yours and other's financial lives better through your direct actions?

If you are struggling to find traction, struggling to get support, struggling to meet your goals, take a step back and investigate what you are doing and whether you are doing the work necessary for if circumstances swing into your favour, if luck strikes. How many opportunities come along like this in a lifetime?

When I first started here I spent the majority of my time creating content and posting but only really started getting anywhere when I started learning how the platform operates. Not only from a rewards perspective but, from a community perspective. Going into 2018, I have a great deal to learn as SMTs will begin to influence the system, communities will *hopefully* and large amounts of money flow in to cryptocurrencies. For me to be able to keep up, I better be willing to be a student.

And again, this is where Steemit plays a massive role and we have advantage over other blockchains, we *could be* helping each (many are already) other learn and encouraging each other to invest ourselves into the platform. It is in our best interest to help others build the community too. This comes in many forms of course and there are many approaches possible. What is yours? Do you know?

This week is the last of 2017 and 2018 is shaping up to be a very exciting year for cryptos and hopefully Steem too. There is such an opportunity for so many to gain and I am hoping that the Steem members will lead the charge of community and practical usage. As the year draws to a close, I am going to spend some time thinking about how I am going to approach Steemit in the new year, perhaps you may get some ideas too.

Am I optimistic? Yes, quietly, quietly... For now though, I have to keep my eyes on my own plate and make sure that what I do is going to support where I want to be but, I don't plan on being there alone which means helping others grow too.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]

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To note and bring some more awareness: 10% of the rewards of this post will go to @sbdpotato as part of the @ocd [*beneficiaries experiment.*](https://steemit.com/hive-174578/@acidyo/the-sbdpotato-beneficiary-experiment) The "ocd community" is found under the #hive-174578 tag and you can join through the Beta site, https://beta.steemit.com/trending/hive-174578

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