Message to the medium

MG Myers
MG Myers
Jul 10, 2017 · 2 min read

In university a professor told us that if we treated our school day like a regular nine-to-five job we’d all get straight A’s. Naturally, I never took his advice.

The only thing that truly lit the fire under my ass in school, and maybe you’re the same, is getting dangerously close to failing. Such was the situation as I entered my final exam for this course. I forced myself in the library and into my text book. And then, surprise, surprise, I didn’t just pass, I actually did well.

There, there’s my little advice thing. My little bit of insight into motivation for one to digest and forget. And if you got something from that little story, good. Aren’t stories more impactful then numbers nine to seven on another list on how to improve your life? Isn’t it refreshing knowing this post isn’t another thing you ought to do to improve your life? — Well it is and it isn’t.

I’m thankful for medium and the advice / motivation community on here. It’s got me getting up earlier in the morning, leaving the cellphone off, and writing more.

I scroll through my feed, usually at least once a day, and read. I read great advice from successful people, and from those working to be.

But I can only read so many posts about the benefits of writing every day, or the 90-day, whatever challenge, without beginning to feel the same way about these posts as I do about my friends on Facebook who post a picture every time they break a sweat, or accomplish the most minute thing. Great, I say.

What does it all add up to? The world can’t be a pyramid scheme of self-help gurus, who’s stories of success is making other gurus. If all you are doing is espousing advice and motivation, what are you really doing? And how long is it appropriate to do that?

Writing is about feeling something, not about life hacks, or about generating likes, hearts, recommendations, or whatever form of digital approval that makes one feel worthy for a fleeting second.

The medium is the message, Marshall McLuhan famously coined. So go ahead, keep browsing.

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