Does Hard Work Actually Pay Off in Medium?

Without immediate results, it may feel like everything you’re working toward is a waste of time.

Did you know that the first company Walt Disney started went bankrupt?

It was a cartoon animation business called Laugh-O-Gram, and the company went broke in 1923 after being cheated by a New York film distributor.

Just four years before, Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star because his editor felt that he lacked imagination and did not have any good ideas.

It took Disney another five years to find some form of success, when Mickey Mouse became an instant hit in Steamboat Willie. Even then, it still took quite a while for his second business, the Walt Disney Company, to really take off. Disneyland didn’t open until 1955, 27 years later.

Failure Is a Step on the Path of Hard Work that Leads to Success

You have to wonder what would have happened if Walt Disney decided that starting a business was just too hard, or simply more work than he was willing to do. What would have been the “Happiest Place on Earth” if he gave up? Would the concept of a theme park even exist?

He could have just given up on his dream and pursued a career in journalism as a cartoonist. It would have been enough to pay the bills. Luckily, he kept moving forward and now children of all ages can enjoy hundreds of movies and amusement parks worldwide.

“To succeed, work hard, never give up, and above all cherish a magnificent obsession.” - Walt Disney

Instant Success Is Rare

In nearly every situation, it takes time to achieve results. Medium isn’t an exception. I’ve only been writing on this platform since the middle of June, but I’ve already noticed several writers give up within that timeframe.

Mike Lewis wrote about this just a few days ago in a thoughtful article titled Why Do So Many Writers Give Up So Quickly? and I thought he hit the nail on the head when he said:

Most successful writers have spent years learning their craft. They didn’t make it big in a few months. It’s no different from athletes, entrepreneurs, medical professionals, and a host of other people. To build a great career, we have to put in the time and effort to get to the top.

By Medium standards, Mike is a bit of an exception himself. He’s only been writing on Medium for nine months, yet he already has over 4,000 followers and has written nearly 400 articles (about 45 articles a month) in that short time span! Pretty good for a self-proclaimed cat-lover!

Hard Work Will Eventually Pay Off

It’s easy to get caught up in some Medium factors that are out of the writer’s control. For example, I still have not had a single article get curated. I have studied, worked, and done everything that I understand needs to be done to get a story picked up for distribution.

Still nothing.

Sometimes I want to scream when I read other writers complain because only 30–40% of their articles get curated. Then I start to go down a road of negativity, and sulk for a bit while thinking about how some writers are “favored” and get an “unfair advantage” over other writers.

But then I wake up and remember I have been writing on Medium for less than two months and that maybe, just possibly, I need to work to become a better writer to gain the reward of curation.

However, maybe curation is not even the answer to what I need.

I fully believe that if I, or any other writer on Medium, puts in the consistent work, sticks to the process, and develops into a better writer, success will follow.

Maybe not right away.

Maybe not even in a couple years.

But just like Walt Disney said, if you work hard, never give up, and cherish a magnificent obsession, whether in writing or some other passion you may have, you’ll succeed.

Just. Keep. Going.

Trust me, you want to get in on this.

If you haven’t signed up yet to become a Medium member, I highly recommend it! You’ll gain access to unlimited Medium articles, and you’ll be able to easily interact with a fantastic community of writers. Hopefully, you’ll even choose to start writing as well!

I’d appreciate it if you would use my referral link when you sign up, I’ll receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) and probably consider you to be my hero.