Hello there guys! How are you doing? Hope everything is fine with you there. 😊 So, I have been in our **awesome community -SteemIt**, for more or less 5 months now, 2 months of which I wasn’t active due to personal and family issues. I came back last January because I miss being here, reading blogs, learning new things and most of all - I miss my online family. I am not a good writer/blogger, but I still tried signing up because every opportunity that comes our way are worth giving a try. When I came here, my first goal was to earn because that was what I view it at first, an earning opportunity and nothing more. But as I stayed longer and look at it beyond the “reward money”, I saw that this (steemit) isn’t just here for us to earn, we are here to be more than just what we are. At first all I saw were people earning big and people trying hard to. But when I look past and beyond that, I see people inspiring, guiding, helping and motivating each other, most of all I see a true community being built and people being free, shredding their masks to let others see what is truly inside. I see people sharing something that even those closest to them didn’t know of, people venting out, people finding acceptance, people who inspire, people who share their passions/talents, people who are rejected by their society-looking for somewhere to belong, people who can appreciate others, people sharing there knowledge/wisdom on things, people who aims to see other people’s success and people who have beautiful hearts - some hidden within and some shining through. This community made me look at humanity more positively, to find good in everything despite the negativity shrouding it. Before steemit, I see the world to be drowning in darkness, evil spreading all over the world, crimes being committed in every corner, individuals succumbing to their selfish desires and faith being smothered in people’s lives. I almost give up on the future of humanity, because of what people are becoming now a days. But here, I saw something- no, I **SEE** something and I know that it is good. That **humanity** isn’t lost after all, and there is **HOPE** -that is another thing we shouldn’t lose no matter what. ![c1873b47-0323-445f-8b05-d01d774f84fd.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRAVqMWLHPENiZAkW6CYjB7hYdQZahU9fiw8LLZkxbNou/c1873b47-0323-445f-8b05-d01d774f84fd.png) [Source](https://pixabay.com) *Edited, photos from Source used Because of this community, I met and continuously meet new people, learn new things, understand other people’s perspective, appreciate nature’s beauty from other places, be amazed by other people’s talent/passion, be inspired by new ideas, be motivated by others dedication, be aware of other people’s belief and be FREE to express myself. I can interact with people whom I never knew personally, give my opinions and advice whenever necessary and receive them as well from others. I don’t write continuously, as I’ve mentioned earlier, I am not a good writer but I do enjoy reading – a lot. I am a silent reader, I enjoy reading anything that would capture my interest and anything that I can learn something from. I would just comment and resteem some interesting posts and upvote to show that I appreciate it. And this is a perfect place, there is a wide array of things that would interest someone to stay. I am not a difficult person to please so I appreciate every little thing that I came across with, because for me, it is not always about what we see, it’s what we should be looking at in the first place -the effort, the thought and the feeling it brought to us. We shouldn’t judge, whenever we see something we don’t like, we should not criticize to insult, we should help to make it at least good if not better. ![20180312_224628.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmR7gUjeoZrC7G3i5YtnLSnYtcTDpSZFcoWspTirbJwL8Z/20180312_224628.png) [Source](https:/pixabay.com) It is true that the reward we receive here is not the “money”, it is more valuable than just material things. It is the new **KNOWLEDGE** we acquire, the **FEELINGS** we feel when we read or see something, the HAPPINESS it brings, the fact that we are **ACCEPTED** here, the **MOMENTS/EXPERIENCES** that we can treasure, the **TALENTS/PASSION** we are shared with, the **FREEDOM** to be ourselves, the **CONNECTIONS/RELATIONSHIPS** we develop and most of all, the **FAMILY** that we **BUILD** and **GROW** together with, where our second home is. And we should appreciate and treasure it because we are privileged to be a part of it and to have it. Could we look past the "money" and see these as the rewards instead? Aren't that reward enough as it is? ![mystery-1599527_1280.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQme16ncUETBpAAymXcABzGDfuWMWAysTJdb1s7PoYLjsdE/mystery-1599527_1280.jpg) [Source](https://pixabay.com) Outside of this platform we could see so many examples that things sometimes aren’t what they seem to be, even good deeds sometimes have hidden motives or bad things that happens because of reasonable cause. So, we should look closely, be observant, because sometimes bad things are what is veiled, hidden, shrouded or just plain out of sight to lure us and deceive us. Judging something or someone only because of what our eyes can see is being inconsiderate and insensitive. So what if someone is not as good looking as the other? If he/she have a golden heart then I’d rather be with them than those who are easy on the eyes but with overbearing attitude. So what if they are poor? If they are humble and more hospitable then I’d rather be with them than snob rich people who thinks they are better than others. There are also scenarios where people are being judged unjustly, though I don’t condone their activities (bad ones) it is still harsh to jump on conclusions without understanding deeper and seeing things their way or being in their shoes. Open your mind, not just your eyes, consider other possibilities, accept others differences, don’t judge, try to understand more, look on the bigger picture and be yourself – your true self and not the one with the mask. ![images (3).jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmeDA8KaKWYAh5v2Mj2Bc11ba6SCkt2TATGYxC5LVxoR96/images%20(3).jpeg) [Source](https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=removing+the+mask&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwilspv2i-fZAhVEk5QKHSO6AvUQ_AUIESgB&biw=412&bih=652#imgrc=M3-h29eUZx4jLM:&isa=y) **Have you look past the mask and peer deep inside? Or have you just see it as it is and didn’t bother enough? I hope I have shared something for you to think over.** Till next time! Thank you for reading! I would like to take this opportunity to **THANK** everyone behind the creation of this awesome platform and everyone that is giving an effort to make this a better place for all of us. Please know that all your efforts, great ideas and untiring support are greatly appreciated and treasured. Please continue being your awesome self and continue being our inspirations. A **THANKS** also to the people who introduced this awesome community to me and who continues to guide/mentor me here, sis @ankarlie, ma’am @mers, sir @otom and sir @maverickinvictus. I am also grateful to be a part of our Crypto Team: **Coinfinity-Railblocks Team and Crypto-Enthusiasts**, our SteemIt Families #SteemitPowerUpPH, #SteemitFamilyPH and #SteemitAchievers. And don’t forget to support the witness account “steemgigs” of sir @surpassinggoogle who continues to bring new ideas to this platform. If you like to vote for him, click this link https://steemit.com/~witnesses and type in “steemgigs” on the first search box. ![20180312_005326.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYJuvqxhXfuwXQJ6g6UPaChV8DgxHL8dW4WqWNvUoWpKZ/20180312_005326.png)

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