Life Lesson from Medium as a Writer
Blogs are awesome, especially at Medium. It's like a knowledge Walmart, you can find everything you are looking for. Being a loyal customer for ages, I had a thought that why can’t I showcase and sell some of my own stuff here.
That's how this technical blog was started.
It was fantastic, that was when I started getting a gist of what being a content creator feels like. Receiving “Thank you” notes from unknown strangers was the best part.
Then I took a huge leap that I have never dared to even think of before. Sharing how I feel over the web. Yes, I started writing this blog as a way to unload some of the unwanted stuff that's weighing me down for a very long time.
It indeed did the job. I got more clarity on how I see the world, why I see what I see, why I think the way I think, why I did what I did.
I usually reflect on things I’ve done in the past, it helps me understand myself better but writing it down, especially here took it to a whole new level. Since I’m not just jotting down my random thoughts anymore as I do in my journal, it made the reflection process more profound and fruitful.
But when it comes to earning money in medium, it doesn’t come that easy. We all know that we need to have at least 100 followers, that's hard, right?
Especially for a newbie, who is just getting started, who is afraid of being seen and also worried about not being seen, it becomes harder. Further, if he has a very low self-esteem that he doesn’t even dare to share his medium profile with his friends, it becomes hardest.
But I keep writing with the hope that I will eventually be heard and a day will come when I can confidently send my profile link to my friends.
I have published 8 articles so far and have 20 followers. I know it's not a big number but I’m telling you without the 20 people I wouldn’t have crossed 2 articles.
All the small popup notifications with the title “X started following you” are the ones that broke the inertia and pushed me to write the next article.
They made me believe that “There's someone out there who respects who you are and how you think.”
Additionally being a writer on Medium shed light on some beautiful things that I overlooked my entire life.
Belonging to a Community — Mutual Following
Mutual Following is very prevalent among writers in medium, it goes like “You follow me, I will follow you back.” I used to think of this concept as sick and selfish, “Followers are meant to be earned not exchanged.”
But behind these selfish exchanges, I saw something that's so human. A place where people finally, have understood that we rise by lifting others.
Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts. — Margaret Mead
I can’t urge you enough to read this one-min short article where Margaret Mead, a well-known anthropologist, explained how a broken leg relates to the start of civilization.
I thought I was a lone wolf later only I’ve realized wolves live in packs.
Starting something new is exciting and scary at the same time. Having a community that backs you up helps in banishing the scariness in a better way.
Commenting in random articles
This is another thing that I got completely wrong, I knew people comment in other articles to get more exposure and I thought that it was unexplainably selfish.
You may write something nice in the comments, without really meaning it. But that would make the other person’s day radiantly brighter. I never believed it until I experienced it myself.
That thought me how divine a random act of kindness is and how little it cost.
“Good words are worth much, and cost little.”
— George Herbert
So don’t stop sharing those good words and spreading love.
I wrote this article to thank all the people who are supporting me and will support me. You guys mean a lot to me. Thank you.
