@coingecko is hosting a contest on the theme "Why Cryptocurrency is Important to Me." Of course, I find such contests irresistable. The rules of the contest are pretty simple. From the contest announcement:

We would like to hear your perspective on why a particular cryptocurrency (or cryptocurrencies in general) is important to you. How have cryptocurrencies have changed your life? How have they become useful in your day-to-day activities? Do you think cryptocurrencies will play a role in your life in the future? These are just some questions that you may use to craft a post for this contest. However, feel free to show us, in any way you like,how cryptocurrencies are important to you!

Screenshot of the CoinGecko website.

I think I have a unique perspective on this given what I do, so without further ado I'll answer the question at hand.

5 Reasons Cryptocurrency is Important To Me

Here are the top five reasons cryptocurrency is important to me.

Blockchain Times - I've been editing a niche news publication (Lending Times) since August 2016. In December 2017, my client asked if I'd be interested in editing a sister website he was starting--Blockchain Times. I couldn't resist. We started putting out issues in January 2018. While I had had my eye on cryptocurrencies for a few years, I didn't really get involved until this year. Since I started working on Blockchain Times, I've been much more involved in cryptocurrencies.

Blockchain Times.
Steemit - I learned about #Steemit through editing Blockchain Times and joined in March 2018. When I joined Steemit, I thought cryptocurrency news would be a big hit here. I chose my name, @blockurator, to indicate a focus on blockchain curation. My first choice was @cryptocurator, but that name was already taken. I started my Steemit journey by publishing crypto #news curation articles with a dash of #humor Monday through Friday. On weekends, I published fiction and poetry. What I learned was the #fiction and #poetry posts were more popular than the crypto posts. Over time, I wrote fewer crypto posts and more literary posts. I recently achieved Minnow status and have been upvoted and resteemed by @curie multiple times. Steemit has become my favorite social media website. I hardly post on Facebook any more. I am now the proud owner/moderator of the Speculative Fiction Writers of Steemit Discord channel.
Narrative - You could say that I'm a word nut. If writing is involved, I'm in. When I heard about Narrative, I immediately was intrigued. I didn't take an interest in #Narrative as a Steemit alternative. Rather, I like their emphasis on niches that allow owners to control the quality of content and earn rewards based on their ability to promote and moderate the #content in their niches. The concept of niche ownership interested me so much that I recommended the Speculative Fiction niche, bid on it, and ended up buying that niche because the highest bidder failed to pay for it within the stipulated time frame. I'm totally looking forward to public launch.
Investing - Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention investing. I'm not into endless #airdrops and #bounties, nor do I jump on every shiny coin that bounces. But I recognize an opportunity for long-term investing in promising cryptocurrencies. That's why I employ the dollar-cost averaging strategy with a few of my favorites. These include #Bitcoin and the top #altcoins. I also like a few of the smaller up-and-coming coins. I won't go into all of them, but among my favorites is STEEM. I like STEEM because I don't actually have to invest dollars. My account is now worth almost $500 and my actual monetary investment has been minimal. My growth has been almost entirely organic based on my #writing output and social interactions. I look forward to the day when STEEM is back over $2 or $3, or more. My investment strategy is characterized by long-term growth of the entire #crypto market rather than individual coin speculation. I'm enjoying the process of learning more every day.
Getting Paid to Write About Interesting Projects - The best part about cryptocurrencies is they allow me to get paid for doing what I love the most. Whether I am compensated in Steemit upvotes for writing stories and poems people love or writing about interesting #blockchain projects, I get paid directly in STEEM, SBD, or other cryptocurrencies, or payment comes in fiat dollars, I love the entire crypto ecosystem. I love learning about new projects and interviewing and researching the project creators. 68% of my income in 2018 has come from writing about cryptocurrency projects or clients involved in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space. Several of these clients have come through my primary website, Taylored Content. A couple have come through Steemit. The crypto niche is one I expect to grow, and as it does, I intend to grow with it. That's why I recently launched a new service focused entirely on blogging for crypto and blockchain projects. I'm looking forward to earning a substantial portion of my income on cryptocurrencies for a long time.

Being involved in #cryptocurrencies in general, and Steemit in particular, has led to meeting some incredible people and learning about interesting projects. Through my association with #SteemitBloggers, I became a contributor to the Man Cave Magazine and get paid in #BroCoin for my contributions. I can see myself creating my own cryptocurrency some day to support some of my own publishing projects.

As of this writing, CoinGecko lists STEEM at $0.860522 and Steem Dollars at $0.994884.