In For A Penny, In For A Brag

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struggling financially. Due to the pandemic, financial struggles have risen greatly, so to complain about only earning three thousand dollars via a website that allows you to work at your own pace is insulting.</p><p id="d5b0">Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the one doing the bragging, what could they possibly want to achieve here?</p><h2 id="d8ab">1. People Will Envy Them</h2><p id="2d5f">Are they under the impression that people will envy them? This comes down to insecurity which gives them the belief that they need to be envied to boost their self-worth. A lot of writers are notoriously insecure, so this theory isn’t surprising.</p><h2 id="c602">2. They Will Inspire Others</h2><p id="c818">Perhaps the bragging actually stems from a genuine wish to inspire others. Some do this well and others don’t. The majority come off as subconsciously boasting about how much they have earned.</p><h2 id="a0f0">3. To Silence Their Own Demons</h2><p id="5995">It’s easy to pass off those who boast as being an annoyance, people who you roll your eyes at but what if the problem lies deeper? In this case, it may not have anything to do with other people. Are they the perfectionist who grew up with pushy parents, or the person constantly called lazy?</p><p id="0459">Why do we find ourselves subjected to superiority and those trying to feign it? When you meet new people, you are often asked what your occupation is. Very rarely do people ask how much you earn, but writers are almost always asked how much they make. When I

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have self-published a book, people will ask how many people bought it. It doesn’t appear to be asked maliciously but it can make us feel embarrassed about our limited sales.</p><p id="9f58">We should never be embarrassed by our income or lack thereof because we are all trying to survive. I don't want to see bragging as a common precedent set here on Medium because we mustn’t forget those less fortunate. Money is indeed the root of all evil, and it is a sensitive subject for a large majority of the population. I have seen financial struggles be the main cause for the breakdown of a marriage or relationship.</p><p id="3dde">The harsh truth is that you cannot be dependent on this site or any other job that brings in money. This is especially true for writers as our sources of income can be so few and far between that once we find something good, we latch onto it and refuse to let go. I believe that dependency is our main problem here, with the income reveals and being disgruntled by not receiving the thousands you had the last month.</p><p id="ec07">The most important take away here is that bragging only hurts you. You will turn off many people which will, in turn, burn bridges that you haven’t even had a chance to build. Don’t forget, people talk to each other. We are extremely fortunate to have a platform such as Medium, but our future isn’t set in stone. Who knows what will happen in the next year? Take a step back and look at the bigger picture, it will serve you well to be grounded.</p></article></body>

Has earning on Medium gone to our heads?

As a newbie to Medium, I have noticed the frequency in which well established content writers reveal their monthly income. I hear cries of;

“Three thousand, that’s less than last month!”

The prospect of earning three thousand dollars per month is astounding, but what’s far more shocking is how this amount can be seen as a disappointment. This makes me wonder if Medium’s biggest earners have lost touch with reality and forgotten their small beginnings.

Being a writer is all I ever have and wanted to be. Joining Medium has been very beneficial to me so far as I had been finding difficulty in finding appreciation for my work. I have hopes of joining those high earners someday, and I would like to hope that it won’t go to my head.

I believe there is a severe lack of perspective, considering that many people across the globe are struggling financially. Due to the pandemic, financial struggles have risen greatly, so to complain about only earning three thousand dollars via a website that allows you to work at your own pace is insulting.

Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the one doing the bragging, what could they possibly want to achieve here?

3. To Silence Their Own Demons

It’s easy to pass off those who boast as being an annoyance, people who you roll your eyes at but what if the problem lies deeper? In this case, it may not have anything to do with other people. Are they the perfectionist who grew up with pushy parents, or the person constantly called lazy?

Why do we find ourselves subjected to superiority and those trying to feign it? When you meet new people, you are often asked what your occupation is. Very rarely do people ask how much you earn, but writers are almost always asked how much they make. When I have self-published a book, people will ask how many people bought it. It doesn’t appear to be asked maliciously but it can make us feel embarrassed about our limited sales.

We should never be embarrassed by our income or lack thereof because we are all trying to survive. I don't want to see bragging as a common precedent set here on Medium because we mustn’t forget those less fortunate. Money is indeed the root of all evil, and it is a sensitive subject for a large majority of the population. I have seen financial struggles be the main cause for the breakdown of a marriage or relationship.

The harsh truth is that you cannot be dependent on this site or any other job that brings in money. This is especially true for writers as our sources of income can be so few and far between that once we find something good, we latch onto it and refuse to let go. I believe that dependency is our main problem here, with the income reveals and being disgruntled by not receiving the thousands you had the last month.

The most important take away here is that bragging only hurts you. You will turn off many people which will, in turn, burn bridges that you haven’t even had a chance to build. Don’t forget, people talk to each other. We are extremely fortunate to have a platform such as Medium, but our future isn’t set in stone. Who knows what will happen in the next year? Take a step back and look at the bigger picture, it will serve you well to be grounded.