100 Stories on Medium

This is my 100th post on Medium.

My writing journey started 4 years ago in 2014. I wrote a story looking back at what I had learned in 2013. It did quite well, garnering a several hundred views.

The next week I wrote another story.

And the next week I wrote another.

And another.

By mid-January, I decided to publish something new every week that year.

I succeeded. But 2015 wasn’t the same.

For whatever reason — fear, complacency, the fact that my close friend and “editor” moved away— I did not keep up the weekly rhythm.

2016 and 2017 remained the same.

But 2018 is going to be different. This year I have a lot to say.

The last several years have been been defined by learning. I’ve discovered a lot about myself and the world. I’ve become more comfortable with who I am. This is due largely to mindfulness.

Now, it’s time to continue honing my writing skills and share some of these lessons with the world.

But what holds me back?

Fear.

Fear that no one will read what I write. Fear that these posts will suck. Fear of being irrelevant.

We’re now over two months into the new year. And I’ve succeeded in pushing something out every week. Pushing through the fear. But it’s still there.

The voice in my head — the inner critic, is quite strong. “Why bother.” “No one will read it.” “It might suck,” he says, and “you don’t have the time to write.”

Right now is a good time to recommit.

To remember why I do this .

In mid-2014 I wrote a story titled “Why I Write.”

The gist is: I write to digest and make sense of the remarkable things that I learn daily. These are turned into guidance for others to take, if they choose to. But ultimately, I go through this process to put myself on the hook to follow my own advice.

Looking back my previous 99 stories has been inspirational. “I wrote this stuff?”, I’ve ask myself.

Here are some of my favorites from the last four years:

Loosening the Belt: The Food-Related Events that Shaped My Life
Feeling lots of nostalgia when I think about the process of writing this one.

Your Presentations are Shit: How to Make them Better
This is my post viewed post; with 2K reads.

We Need More Artists
This one was inspired by Seth Godin.

The Commencement Address Nobody Asked For
I wrote this just before my brother graduated from college.

You Can Do Anything
This took a lot of vulnerability to hit “publish” on.

In Defense of Sleep and Waking Up Early
This was a fun experiment that didn’t last long. Though I cannot emphasize how important sleep still is to me.

Boredom Is Not An Option
I wrote this while on a mini-self-retreat in Washington State on a notepad and paper.

Learnings from 2017: Being Present
This one sums up where I’m at in my life right now.

There is no shortage of ideas in my head. I just need to give myself permission to get them out. And be okay if they don’t always resonate.

As Seth Godin says, it takes writing daily, drip by drip.