*I find it crazy that I managed to reach these two milestones almost simultaneously, but the end result is the same. A feeling of exuberance and gratification. It’s fast approaching the two-year mark of my time here on Steemit and I have to say, I’m feeling more bullish about this platform than ever. Sure, we have our fair share of politics and subsections of groups forming to fulfil their personal motives. However, the fact remains that this cryptocurrency is “still” the only one out there with a “defined functioning utility” powering the engine. I find it hard to believe at times how majorly Steemit has changed countless lives (including mine) by providing an independent source of finance through blogging. And now we have video and live streaming to add to the mix. **What a damn resourceful blockchain we’re all a part of**!*

![1.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmexJR74uEMHprVeLvcboLTK3J1FfNz3Z732bRBvxbGzDm/1.jpg) So, rep 70 and barely scraping over the 50k steem power mark. Quite a personal achievement for me and testament to my undying faith in the platform. But where to from here, I ask myself? The answer to that is simple. **Keep on powering up**! The message couldn’t be clearer. Just look at where we are compared to when I first started out! I mean, I remember when I first signed up back in July 2016 that even changing user accounts on a computer was a problem. And not even two years later, the steem blockchain is a thriving, community driven juggernaut. As some of you may already know, I’ve been a trader for quite some years now and the long-term chart patterns I follow show that this minor downtrend we are experiencing is not only going to finish shortly, but the inverse reaction breakout upward will be very violent and fast. I’m specifically talking about the major, recognized crypto coins across the board. And steem is most definitely one of them.

![2.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQMd7KsneEZ4LinHi55u1NorbK8qaKP7fUb5ByUHsz6o7/2.jpg) The way I see it, my account in Steemit, at this stage anyways, is all about “hardcore hodling”. I don’t (and shouldn’t) rely on this money for my day to day expenses and lifestyle. Sure, it’s tempting to power down and turn some of that precious digital goodness into cash, but at the same time, you’re destroying your own means of acquiring more in the future. And given how high the price could go, you will receive way less steem far down the line and therefore possibly regret any past knee-jerk reactions you acted on in the past to satiate some substantially less important desire. I know that’s not always the case, but most of the time, I feel it is. After all, we all somehow survived through an existence pre-Steemit, right? So, I’ll be continuously powering up until the time comes where I feel the price and platform has matured enough to explore other avenues. But, for now, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for helping me get this far. Without the support of those generous and kindly figures, I would not be where I am today in regards to Steemit. A huge, huge thank you to you all! And I’m not one to forget things like that…

*Next potential goal on Steemit for myself*? Increase my rep to something around the mid-70’s would be nice, but it terms of my steem power, there is no ceiling for now. I’ll be playing that by ear, strategically of course. Steemit was a punt which turned out to be an asset. Bless this platform and the brains behind it’s conception and development.

To the next year and beyond!

![PAGE-DIVIDER.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSZ3NtRqFfQcDtxxQDM2jWnRNmcWECzd7AfAhMYgGiZTB/PAGE-DIVIDER.jpg)

**To the next year and beyond**!

Hope you enjoyed this story, please look out for more on the way... (author: @ezzy)

To the next year and beyond!