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Diary of a Savage 馃惒 Last Post for #thebeast Challenge!

mandelsagePosted for Everyone to comment on, 5 years ago7 min read


(Thank you to @beherenow for creating these awesome banners for all of us!)

Hello, all!

This feels a bit weird: I am consciously talking to the future. That is, today is the 19th of January, the very first day of #TheBeast, and I've decided that for my very last post, I'm going to post a diary of my beastly journey.

So far, all I've done is my first post (the #whymyname challenge). I'm feeling a bit intimidated because I am generally a very busy person and I will not be pausing my Phoenix Project curation, so this really does feel like I'm biting off more than I can chew.

Everyone says, hey, don't worry, you could still fit into the "Cub" tier. But thing is... I'm just too competitive for that ;P ... I'm going to fight tooth and nail to remain a savage, hehe.

Anyway... My mana is at 99.23% - As soon as it hits 100, I'm going to go out and start curating (at 50%) and commenting. I realise that 50% means I'll only be able to do 20 posts a day, and that there are many more beast participants than that, but I figure that while this is about quantity, it shouldn't only be about quantity. I still want to have some room to choose the posts I want to interact with instead of feeling obliged to getting to everyone.

Here goes!


23nd January:

Raaarrgghh... What a ride this is! ... Who was it that convinced me to join again? If I remember, be warned, Ima throw apples at your head! ;P cough @poeticsnake cough

Honestly though, it has been invigorating =) ... I'm looking at my notepad here, and it has 6 ideas on it for posts. That's six original post ideas! And not a few of them, I'll probably start doing semi-regularly even after the challenge has ended. And the usual stuff I do (my art and poetry) I have been sprucing up nicely, making them fresh and original (since most of it was posted on Steemit almost a year ago). People might frown at that but honestly, there are so many new people here, and new friends I've made, that for 95% of them, it's the first time they're seeing my stuff.

Commenting has been madness, though not quite as bad as I imagined. Still, I need to do 70+ today or I'll start falling way behind. It's interesting to see what people do, actually... Since they have to comment, some people get really creative. Some are silly and fun, others reach deep down and put themselves out there more seriously, and it's great to see the parts of people revealed that otherwise stay hidden.

Anyway! My problem right now is that I have a stupid dentist's appointment which I had forgotten about. So I have to get outta here for about an hour or so. Then lunch comes, and work a few hours later. So yes... Beasting will be frequently interrupted, but I'm determined to get those 70 comments (and hopefully more!) done today.

--

28th January:

You see that right there? That's the number of notifications I woke up to this morning! And that isn't even the worst. I swear a few days ago I came home from work and had over 70 red bleeps to go through.

It really is quite the race, and I'm not sure if I'll have time to do this all again in May, but I can say this: Anyone wanting to make new friends and discover talent from people you never would've considered otherwise, should join this challenge!

My only criticism would be this, though: See how the posts are blurred in the image that I used for the previous entry? Well, that's often how it feels. Content zooming past so fast, it all becomes a blur. I know I have read dozens and dozens of posts, but I hardly remember any of them. So perhaps the Beast is just a little too much?

But then again, that's probably the whole point, Jody. Make everything a blur, and see what sticks.

And certainly, some things have stuck. Some posts are more memorable than others, and I might not have even seen them had it not been for this challenge, making me pay attention. Making me engage.

One thing's for sure: After this, doing my regular thing of checking out 5 posts in the morning, and 5 in the evening, will feel so very easy =) .. And commenting... Hah... Give me 20 comments a day, no problem ;P

There are some points I read in one of @beherenow's posts which I'd like to shamelessly steal here:

Thanks to The Beast, I have:

  • .. met many awesome people that I probably wouldn't have.
  • .. found more confidence in replying without first over-thinking (and often giving up on the comment, lol).
  • .. improved my skills in working under pressure.

And a point or two of my own: I've discovered at least 2 new types of posts that I can do every week, adding to the flavour of my blog, so that it's not just art and poetry all the time. And I've gotten to know some people better that I had already met, but kinda hadn't given much attention to.

Oh, and I've increased my typing speed a bit, though I'm nowhere near @beherenow's insane 92 words a minute. :open_mouth:

Alright... I don't think I'll be adding another entry (I will if I think of anything else to say) so for now, let me say, goodbye, fellow beasties! It was a pleasure sharing this experience with you. And a special thank you to @lexikon82 and @merej99 for making it all possible, and for their tireless work behind the scenes. Oh, and to the two mentors, @erodedthoughts and @stevenwood, too!

Goodbye but not goodbye! See you all on the chain ;)
Mandel
o/

P.S.

02 February

Yep! Couldn't let this very last day go by without saying something ;P

I'm still a few comments short but I'll make it easily ^-^ .. Before I post this, for sure. So I am officially Savage, like the banner has been saying all along ;P .. I will say though, that maybe next time, there should be a word count for comments? Hehe... Just because, well, I won't mention names, but I noticed a few participants would speed through with silly, repeated 3-4 word comments while most of us are slogging away, taking the challenge for what it is meant for: increasing meaningful engagement across the platform by getting to know each other through our posts and commenting with substance ;P

And before signing off, I'd like to give a shout-out to these awesome people who, thanks to the Beast, I now know better and I'm looking forward to interacting with in the future: @trumpman, @ruth-girl, @whatamidoing, @creatr, @moonunit, @ksolymosi, @lindahas and of course @merej99 & @lexikon82 =)

There were many others who appeared here and there, of course, but I feel like I really got to know these peeps above a bit better.

Ok, that's it, really this time ;P .. Thanks again for the awesome ride, everyone. And please do check out this post of mine if you haven't already - I need it to be shared far and wide (I mean across the internetz, not only an 'upshare') so please consider sharing it on your other social media. Thanks! <3

Mandel
o/



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