Celebrating your successes is essential because it shows others what’s possible!
Five Secret Tips To Make It Into Medium’s Exclusive 8% Club
If I can do it — so can you!
“A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.” B.F. Skinner
It’s my fourth-month writing on Medium, and I have accomplished a new milestone. I made it into Medium’s Exclusive 8% Club — it’s said on average, only about 8% of Medium writers earn above $100. a month. I know that it’s not a HUGE amount of money. But it’s very important because that’s where you start!!
This milestone is just that, a milestone. It means I am making progress. Forward moving toward the goal is how I measure how I’m doing. First, you have to walk, then run.
February, I wrote my first “accomplishment” article. I earned $.60 (you can read about that here), and I was very proud. Sounds silly, I’m sure. But we have to make the first penny before earning the first dollar. It’s about progress!
My son is a Millennial struggling with finding his spot in the world. He’s studying Python and is trying to break into the IT world. Recently, he was getting discouraged at how difficult it is to do school, daily tasks, and all of his other responsibilities. I could tell he was feeling frazzled.
I realized this was a moment I didn’t want to miss! So I snagged the opportunity to teach him a valuable life lesson.
“Do you know many of your favorite YouTubers, gamers, coders, or writers got to be YOUR favorite by working only a few hours a day like you see them brag about?”
He looked at me like, My lord, there she goes again!
“NOT ONE! I know this because you wouldn’t have found them if they only put in 2 hours a day! It takes HARD WORK to get people to listen to you, want to follow you, and invest in your work.”
The look of shock on his face is the inspiration for this article. He thought all the hype and brag posts like: “I made my first million working 1 hour a month.” Or “How I pay my house payment with just my side-hustle from YouTube” is complete bunk!
And maybe they do only have to work two hours a day — now, but they didn’t start there.
I wanted him to know; that you can’t expect the reward without doing the job; that’s disrespectful to yourself! You’re setting yourself up for failure and emotional letdown!
Put in the effort, and you will reap the rewards! Too many people claim, “I’ve done everything to make my dreams come true, and I still failed.”
I’ve never once seen that to be true. That phrase is utterly overused. If you put your everything into a single focused goal, you WILL succeed or grow the seeds for a success that will be better than you imagined! Focus changes everything!
I wanted my son to see we can’t make our dreams come true with two hours of effort a day. Making our dreams come true takes perseverance and dedication. You have to put in the work.
Most people hate these kinds of articles. I get it — they seem to be bragging. That’s not my intent with this article at all. I wrote this article to encourage you.
If you want to make your dreams come true, you have to be willing to put in the work, the time, and the focus.
Very few people make their dreams come true with only a few hours’ commitment a day. It just typically takes a lot more than that. If you want to be genuinely successful and be able to “make your dreams come true,” you have to make your dreams your priority.
My son is a man of few words, and he let me know he heard me because he’s been working all day at his computer. I hope my pep talk helped. With our children, we typically have to wait on results.
Set your focus and be determined!
If I can do it, so can you!
I’ve been a content creator for a long time, but I took several years off from social media, and when I came back, it was all very different. It’s taken me a while to get back “into the groove.”
When I first found Medium, I struggled to connect with people. I’d completely forgotten how to ride this “communication” bicycle. Luckily, you won’t have to wait for long. Medium allows us to track our success closely. Now, you’re armed and ready to make it happen!
I’ve read a lot of excellent advice since joining Medium, but there was one bit of advice that made the difference for me. Thank you to Kristina God for her article on “How to turn your mess into your message” (below). It was a game-changer for me.
Making my mess into my message has helped me find my voice and community here at Medium and given me the courage to start a Substack News Letter that will be kicking off soon. I’ve also won three Top Writer Awards (LGBTQ, Advice, and Parenting) and had one story curated.
I am still learning! There is so much to make your content clear, concise, and relatable. Frequently, I’m too wordy, but I’m learning.
- Follow successful people; they must be doing something right
2. Talk, read and listen to people in the same stage you’re in; learn from them.
3. It’s ok to write about your accomplishments, no matter how small. Celebrate you! It builds momentum!
4. Help others who are just starting — it’s good for you and them! That’s how you build your community.
5. Write every day! Post as often as you can. Daily is best when you’re starting. It builds momentum and skill. Focus on making your dream come true. You can do it!! I am positive!
I made my first .60 at Medium in January and wrote about it here. Kristina was quick to cheer me on. I try hard to pay that spirit forward every chance I get. I hope that the encouragement I send out lands on hearts that needs to hear the kindness I am sending.
Here is a graphic chart showing my earnings on Medium.
As you can see from the chart, I officially made it into the “Club” on the 17th, and as of today, I passed into the $200.00 mark.
When you don’t know what to do, hold the line!
Perseverance is my favorite word. I tell my children and students this all the time —
YOU WERE MEANT TO SUCCEED!
When you don’t know what else to do, try to remember how you’ve overcome obstacles. Then think back to when you faced adversity, beat the odds, and were successful and how incredible it felt.
Tell yourself, “If I can do that, I know I can do this too! I can’t quit! I have faced obstacles in my path before, and I have succeeded. I know I am capable of anything — I am intended to achieve my goals!!
You weren't meant to like your life — you are intended to love your life! That, too, is a process of progress.
As long as you are breathing, it’s your choice to make it a life worth living.
Focus always pays off! Don’t be the thing that is standing in the way of your dreams!!
If you’d like to buy me a coffee, you can do so here. Your help allows me to dream of financial freedom while writing.
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