I’m addicted to Medium and I would recommend you should be too
Don’t worry it’s the good kind ;)
I discovered Medium last summer on a Facebook group. It was a girl talking about her ten-year-old cousin who had made her profile and had written her first published article on the platform by the time she had discovered it.
I was ashamed and inspired.
Ashamed, because here I was a twenty-two-year-old still dreaming about the days when I would be able to earn through my writing, and here was a ten-year-old with no hesitations who had already taken her first steps on this journey.
Inspired, because it gave me a boost of confidence that if I believed I could write then why wasn’t I. What was stopping me from going after what I was passionate to do, what I had made my goal in life to pursue and most of all when I was given the opportunity to do it.
Reading that Facebook post, immediately made me explore through the platform and create an account. A couple of days later I made my first post-(https://aamnahmansoor.medium.com/ive-been-watching-the-bold-type-and-to-say-the-least-i-am-utterly-astounded-a5eefad7d78c)and in my mind, I believed I would be getting an immediate response, obviously, I didn’t.
After that one post, any thoughts about Medium went on the back-burner.
I became busy with internships and a month later my senior fall semester at university began. My phone would still light up with notifications from Medium, recommending me articles from the one-two writers I had followed but it was only some times, I made an effort to actually open them and read.
It wasn’t until a week ago that I decided to take this platform seriously.
There were a couple of reasons why:
- I am graduating this summer and seeing everyone and anyone now applying for jobs has truthfully scared the crap out of me.
- I live in a society where the expectation of a girl after studies is to get married and while that may be the purpose society sees for me, I want to define my self-worth myself.
- I wanted to go for an MFA but knowing I won’t be allowed to study abroad I have to find a way to keep my dreams and hopes alive.
- At the end of the day, I want to proudly be able to say ‘I earned …’ and know that I can do it.
Due to the fact that I did not apply earlier for the Medium Partner Program, I now have to follow their new policy of 100 followers and for me that isn’t a hurdle but rather a challenge.
I see the number 100 as a goal I have to achieve, not by some hack or method but simply through my writing. If I’ve always wanted an audience for my words then I will earn it. I will affirm my belief that I could always write, I just needed a little effort.
I know I’ve chosen the hard way for it will be some time before I can earn a dime on this platform, but that makes it more fun in my view. I write anything and everything under the sun for the sake of wanting to do so. Hopefully, by the time I reach that daunting point of 100, I would have improved my writing skills and be able to provide better quality content for my readers.
Everything is a learning process and success takes its time.
Patience is what is required and that is what I’ll be doing. Waiting patiently yet working hard.
My motivation to write on this platform has increased even more due to the first ten followers that I have gained in the past week and I cannot express my happiness every time I see these names on my Followers list because they symbolise the reality of the dream I’ve been dreaming so long.
I’m addicted and I recommend you should be too, for if you work hard results are inevitable and these ten beautiful writers and readers below are proof of it. A special tremendous Thank You to them!
@JaniceTovey@SophieRogers@BichoDoMato@ForresterCrawford-Weishar,BSc@Pisoglou@EdwardHendriks@Sheetal@AlexanderMørk@KeithChen
