From sitting to sleeping, and everything in between, my thoughts revolved around how I will be able to make the best out of my quarantine. A lot of things have changed in a snap. The ambiance turned black and white, not knowing how to bring back the colors that it once showed. The usual routine hid in the corner, not knowing where to find it. The happy faces of everyone have been painted with fear and doubt. Each one was being isolated from the rest of the world. Not to mention, I can't contain the heaviness that I was feeling knowing that things have changed rapidly in a blink of an eye; turning the surroundings blurry.

Needless to say, after the infamous virus has ruled the world, I still can't grasp how to live a life far cry from what it used to be. The new normal feels like suffocating me. Just so you know, I ended my contractual job and I can't renew it knowing that it's far from our place, and I can't travel there like before-- I decided to end it and decided to sail to another journey. Howbeit, it wasn't easy at all. I ended up having a quarter-life crisis; I kept on questioning myself if I am still on the right path or if it was too late to start another path.

But how astounding it was that amidst the darkness that I have been through, I saw a crack break on the side, and there I saw a light that helped me come out from the dark caged that I was in; that happened in the year 2021. The year 2021 was a big blessing in my life since a lot of opportunities sailed towards me, especially my permanent job, and this platform, "READ CASH"-- my gift amidst pandemic.

READ CASH: A GIFT AMIDST PANDEMIC

Moreover, let me share the nitty-gritty of my journey here through some questions that I'll be answering:

How did you get here in "READ CASH"?

Starting something may feel so scary. There's a fear of the unknown creeping in the corner. Questions will then pop asking if am I going to do it or not. But then I finally gained the courage to continue and to pursue it.

Needless to say, it was a wonderful day around November of 2021 when I decided to enter the door of READ CASH. I have heard a lot about this platform in Noise as I was also a Noise user. Some of my friends also recommended I join since it's also a wonderful platform like Noise. To be honest, the first time I stepped on this platform, I was confused as there were a lot of things I was having a hard time instilling in my mind with, but I was able to get familiarized as time goes by.

Just so you know, I could still recall the first time I posted an article. My friends in Noise welcomed me here. It was so heartwarming that I feel like I fit in here in some way. I could still recall my first joy around here, my friend Bloghound sponsored me; that's why I'll never forget her as she was one of the reasons why I stayed here. Not to mention, I could still remember how happy I was when the green visitor visited my article; it's an achievement as I feel like I was a writer in some way.

Above all, the Noise platform was the key for me to enter this wonderful place; a place I call home.

How Challenging it is as a writer that you need to write an article every day?

I set myself to do a daily challenge of writing an article. It all started when I came back here after two weeks of hiatus. Yes, I was out here for about two weeks because that's the time when I was bombarded with work and I have no choice but to prioritize it.

To be honest, there are a lot of factors that become bumps on my daily challenge; writing through thick and thin may feel blurry. These factors will sometimes fail to creep in, but sometimes they're celebrating as they won on making me fail not to write anything at all.

Now, these are some factors affecting my daily challenge:

Feeling Demotivated

Not all the time I feel motivated to write. There are times when I just want to stay in the corner, not wanting to write at all. I'm not even convincing myself to write, I just let the day pass on not writing. Moments like this, I reach the peak of the tiredness that I'm feeling at work. I just want to rest and will write again once my body feels fine and my brain feels refreshed.

Writer's Block

I wrote an article about hard it is to have writer's block because I keep on having this one, especially since my mind is preoccupied with a lot of things. That moment when no matter how much I try, I still can't think of a topic to write. I can't start something, in the end, I haven't written anything.

Being Perfectionist

This is a pill that's so hard to swallow sometimes. I feel like I'm a perfectionist in some way that I can't just write anything out of the blue, I want it to be perfect although I am a frustrated writer.

I believe these three are the main reasons why I can't write something in a day. It's challenging to face it every day, but I'm trying to overcome them from time to time. Surpassing those factors with a will to move forward.

How did "READ CASH" help you?

Whenever a door opens, opportunities follow. READ CASH has given me opportunities to grow not just holistically, as well as financially. It's a door with endless possibilities. This platform has blessed me so much that I get butterflies in my stomach whenever I think of those. Here, I list things on how this platform has helped me:

Improve My Writing Skills

I admit I am a frustrated writer. I always wanted to be a writer ever since I was 17 years old that's why before, I started my journey in another writing platform. Although I was glad to try the path of writing, I ended up having hiatus on that platform due to loss of drive to continue-- for some reason. Although that's a sad thing to note, I'm still glad that I met this platform after a couple of years. This platform has helped me to improve my writing skills through the help of the experts around here.

Express My Thoughts

Another thing that I'll always be grateful for this platform is that it has helped me to express my thoughts through writing on the platform. I'll always be grateful for it because I'm an introvert in some way and I rarely express my thoughts to people. I find this platform like my best friend, and I also have other friends to talk to here which I love.

Save and Invest

I can't make saving and investing a reality before due to some factors. But after meeting READ CASH, I'm so glad that the blueprint, became a reality-- saving and investing in cryptocurrency for real.

Learning Cryptocurrency

If it's not because of the post of my friends here about cryptocurrency, I will not be able to learn more about it. Learning cryptocurrency is one of the best things that happened in 2021 until now.

What are the lessons that you learned in "READ CASH"?

In my 3 months journey in this platform, I have learned a couple of things that helped me shape into a better writer and as a better person in some way, and these are as follows:

You can't share what you don't have

This is one of the most important lessons I learned in READ CASH. I have learned that we can't share what we don't have. That's why reading is a must. Through reading, we can gain knowledge on things which we can share with others. Not to mention, I have read on one of the articles around here that one can be a good writer if he/she feeds his/her mind through reading.

Interacting is Essential

I have learned that interacting with others is a must in this platform. It's not only that I can gain friends out of it, but I can also learn more from the people I get to interact with.

Never compare yourself to others

This is another lesson that I learned here, that I should not compare myself to others. I realized that my journey is not the same as theirs. My season will soon come and I'll be patiently waiting for it.

Unlearn, Learn and Relearn

As I journey around the platform, I learned the importance of unlearning, learning, and relearning. This concept has helped me refine my knowledge, especially on writing. I know I have gained knowledge on writing before but I need to unload that for a moment to refine it through learning new concepts and relearning it through coming up with much sharp learning.

Extend an Extra Mile

I have learned through this platform that if you want to achieve something, you need to extend an extra mile or to make extra effort for it; never settle for mediocrity.

Closing Thoughts

Meeting READ CASH and sailing through its endless possibilities is a big blessing in my life. I never thought that it will make my year 2021 shine. I never thought that it will hold a big part in my life. With that, I hope this platform will continue to shine as it has made not just my life, but everyone's life in the platform better than ever.

This is my story, feel free to share yours.

Disclaimer: This is an entry for @MoonTrader 's #MyReadCashStory Challenge.

You're free to join too.

Date Published: February 22, 2022 (Tuesday)

Thankful to these people for always supporting me around here. Grateful as well to the people out there who are there with me always supporting me through upvotes and comments.