I Was Going to Give Up On Medium Until They Showed Me How Much They Valued Me

An unexpected turn for the best

It has been a week or so since I have been slacking on Medium. I mean, I haven’t been writing every day as I was back in March when being in a mental clinic. Writing keeps me alive.

Sometimes I forget the power of writing and stop.

Sometimes I get annoyed at Medium and stop.

I put in a lot of effort and time and get around 50 dollars back per month (if I am lucky).

Don’t get me wrong, I am not here just for the money but I was feeling underappreciated until I got an email saying that I received 500 dollars this month! Where did it come from? A bonus, they say.

Well, it certainly hit me well.

Now — the next day — I am up early again, back into my routine of writing first thing in the morning with my coffee.

I was going to give up on Medium until they showed me how much they valued me, and here is what I have learned after feeling underappreciated:

Treat yourself with kindness

First but foremost, I was kicking myself this week.

Yet another week with not so much writing done for Medium.

Ok, so I tried. I submitted a few pieces to bigger publications which take longer to receive and review, so that is a reason my posts haven’t been every other day too.

I was kicking myself which was making me not write anymore.

Ever get that?

Stop it!

Stop before it is too late, and you are in the pit of being hard on yourself.

As humans, it is natural for us to be hard on ourselves, and I am one for being hard on myself (I am getting better at it).

So instead of kicking yourself while you’re down, pick yourself up and try again because:

You never know what is going to happen

The moment I read the email from Medium with the summary of how much I have earned, I thought: “How could I have missed a viral article like this?”

I got in touch with my good friend, Vishnu*s Virtues straight away and told him.

He got it too.

He told me it was a bonus from Medium to writers they appreciate.

I was over the moon.

Recently I am building back up my coaching business after being out of the job for half a year because of mental health issues and I will not lie, it has been tough to get back a steady income.

Instead of complaining, I get on with it. I mean, we all have to, right?!

It is going well and I am proud of how far I have come in just a few months already and I am staying positive about it all.

But this bonus helped me a lot considering I am looking for a place to live, etc.

This bonus has shown me you never know what is going to happen, you just have to trust in the path of life and let the hiccups and surprises take you with it.

I know now that I have to nurture my writing and:

Get back into writing every day

I would normally wake up around 6.30 and write on my new book for about half an hour to an hour before writing on Medium.

I would dedicate around an hour to two hours a day to Medium.

One hour to writing and the next hour to commenting and connecting with others — this is crucial in your Medium life, as it will create community and comments on your pieces (which we all need if we want to earn something!).

So now I am considering getting back into writing every day — are you?

It is an act of self-love we need to nurture.

It is an act of self-care we need to give time to.

Writing is my remedy — what about you?

I know I will get back into writing again with my dear friend Vishnu*s Virtues who I have mentioned twice now because he actually deserves all the credit for my winnings and continued motivation to come back to Medium every time. THANK YOU!

I was going to give up on Medium until their bonus reminded me what I love about Medium:

• Community
• Kindness
• Connection

So now, I will try my best and:

Keep showing up

Are you at the point sometimes where you want to give up?

Me too.

Medium is a game to play and sometimes losing isn’t fun, but look — they have just treated their writers to a bonus because they do care after all.

When you don’t feel like showing up, just do it anyway.

Have faith in your writing and have faith in your why.

If you don’t have a purpose, then ask yourself what it is…

You are here because you are a writer and we all need to keep at it to feel a sense of purpose, so stick with it! — big things are coming.

Believe it!

The takeaway from Medium’s kindness:

• Treat yourself with kindness
• Keep showing up
• Get back into writing every day
• You never know what is going to happen — trust in it

If you got the Medium bonus — what lessons has it taught you? Share below- I would love to know!