I’m not on Medium for money.
But seems like everyone else is.
The barrage of content on Medium, with every other article being on — “How I gained 100 followers in 30 days” or “7 Ways I made 1000$ online”, or “Turning my Writing into passive income/side-hustle” astounds me. Basically, everything to do with easy, quick $$$$.
I’m a new writer here. Naturally, I read some articles to get an idea of what goes on in Medium.
BUT, so many of these articles are actually clickbait. Some provide “strategies” that are gimmicky, entrapping you with the premise of “overnight success”. Simply preying on the gullible, new writers — triggering their insecurities (of not getting enough views, engagement etc.)
Here’s what I don’t understand:
Why is our generation so obsessed with getting everything quick, easy? Finding a shortcut? Or low-effort quick formula/template? Why can’t we just enjoy OUR own journey, albeit slow? What’s the rush? Who do we want to whiz past? Where are we really heading?
Chasing some random number, getting dejected when it does not fructify.
Feeling that success is out of our clutches, slipping away. While it’s happening for everyone else. Ah! The elusive nature of it.
Have people forgotten to pursue their passions, unless there’s a direct influx of money? Of course, a certain financial cushion is required to live by everyday. I get that, obviously. But doing something only if it can be monetized! Well, that’s just … sad.
What about us — our hobbies, the sheer joy of doing something we love? Something that gives us peace? Something we want to do with all our heart, because we feel our most authentic selves during the process?
Charles Dickens said,
“My meaning simply is, that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; that whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely; that in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest.”
In this age of creator economy, gig workers, social media — we’re overstimulated. Bombarded with content. Mind jumping from one place to another. Fiddling with life. Scrolling mindlessly. Overthinking. Hustling.
Everyone is doing it. It’s slowly, but surely leading to burnout.
It’s all a façade.
So, catch a breath.
Relax.
Just be.
At peace, at ease.
Find a sense of calm.
Don’t feel guilty.
Not everything has to be “productive” or “monetized”.
Enjoy the leisure, the empty spaces. Let them make you feel lighter.
And things would flow. You’ll be in sync with who you are. Finally, at peace with yourself in this big, mad world.
I believe if we organically work our way through a dream or a hobby, it’ll come to us. AND it will last. The Universe will manifest it for us. It may come late, but it will stay.
Quick and easy shortcuts are fickle. Fleeting. The faster it comes, the faster it goes. Have *you* experienced this?
The real question: Why do ‘I’ write, then?
I write to soothe — both, myself and you.
As Fitzgerald says, that’s the beauty of literature: we discover that our longings are universal longings, that we’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. We belong.
(Here’s hoping that my words resonate with you, wrap you around in a hug and make you feel that you belong — somewhere in this tiny blue planet of ours that we call home!)
May you find your own voice, in this maelstrom of noise!
