Summary

The author reflects on the significant mistake of inconsistency in writing articles on Medium, emphasizing the importance of maintaining momentum to achieve success.

Abstract

The article "One Huge Mistake I’ve Made Writing Articles on Medium" recounts the author's personal experience with the pitfalls of inconsistency. Initially, the author was producing content regularly and reaping the benefits, including increased engagement and income. However, a brief pause turned into an extended hiatus, causing a loss of momentum and a return to 'zero'. The author stresses that taking even a single day off can be detrimental to one's success. The piece serves as a cautionary tale, urging readers to remain consistent in their efforts and to not let their guard down, as the momentum gained can easily be lost. The author acknowledges their own frustration with falling into the trap of complacency and the need for a mindset shift towards consistency and resilience. The article is both a self-admonition and a call to action for others to persistently pursue their goals without excuses.

Opinions

Consistency is key to success, and missing even a day can have significant consequences.
The author believes that the mindset that prioritizes comfort and instant gratification is an obstacle to achieving one's goals.
There is a strong emphasis on the importance of not only starting strong but also maintaining effort to reach and sustain success.
The author suggests that life is a continuous journey of growth, and one should never become complacent or believe they have reached the 'end' of their potential.
The article implies that individuals have the power to shape their lives through intentional action and consistent effort.
The author views challenges and mistakes as opportunities for learning and self-improvement, rather than as insurmountable setbacks.
Success is not just about reaching a goal but also about the continuous process of striving and moving forward, even if the 'end' is never truly reached.

One Huge Mistake I’ve Made Writing Articles on Medium

Don’t ruin your chance when the time comes.

You can’t miss a day.

I’m sure you’ve been told this, but if you’re like me, you clearly haven’t listened.

That’s the only lesson here.

I was churning out three articles a day on Medium for a week or two, expecting nothing.

But then…something.

Results came. Inevitable results. I had reached my peak.

Claps. Followers. Comments. You name it.

I was seeing results. My income was increasing. I could’ve ridden this gargantuan wave of momentum to the top and never let go.

But I did let go.

“Just a day or two,” I said.

We know how that ends: One day turned into two. Two into five. Five into a week. A week into two weeks.

Please, understand this:

You can’t miss a day.

I’m back to zero now. I’m not seeing any results.

Am I completely starting over? Of course not, but I might as well have.

When you get that momentum, hold onto it and never let it go.

Ride that wave as long as you can.

YOU. CAN’T. MISS. A. DAY.

A lot of you could’ve been successful, a long time ago.

A lot of you could’ve been where you wanted to be by now if you simply hadn’t missed a day.

No excuses. Get off your ass and soapbox and stop feeling sorry for yourself.

The time is now.

If I sound pissed, it’s because I am.

Take whatever advice you want from all of this, but this article is for me as much as anyone else. I’m talking to myself. I’m yelling at myself.

I’m pissed because for the trillionth time I let my weak, scarcity-thinking mind — the one that seeks comfort and instant gratification — drive my decisions and behavior.

Consistency is everything to success.

Having failed to be consistent with my output, having to start all over again are constant reminders that I have yet to grasp the concept — though I fooled myself into thinking I had — that the current mind I possess (no matter how satisfying it is to give in to it) is not the one I need to do and achieve the things I myself say I want to accomplish.

Change your mind and you change everything.

Be consistent and don’t lose momentum. You’ll be kicking yourself for a while on that mistake. I imagine you’ve done so many times, as I have.

When are we gonna stop kicking ourselves and actually kick the ball in front of us?

Perhaps I should start asking myself more lately: “When are you going to start accepting and learning from the mistakes and challenges life throws at you as opposed to acting like they never happened?”

I’m trying to warn you. I’m trying to help.

There’s one aspect of life in that you can go the whole distance of it and never notice.

Another aspect is that you can have dreams that don’t remain dreams. You can actualize them. You can make life work for you instead of you working for it.

You can play the game and play it well.

My main goal in writing these articles is, at the least, to wake us up.

I can at least try to help us get halfway there; Half of the battle to living a life with intention is to notice you were living it without intention in the first place.

It’s to notice all the work in front of you and not cower from it.

I’m not all the way there, but that’s not the point either. I hope you and I never make it to the end of that game. The point is to move towards the end but never reach it.

Reaching the “end” and believing it’s the end is certain death. Don’t stop growing. Don’t kill yourself before you actually die.

Death is inevitable, don’t get there early.

Another level awaits because you put it there.

I hope you always put it there.

Always move the needle forward and never miss a day.

We are all currently dying. You can either grow to the end or wither and waste away to it.

Get off of ground zero. It’s been your stomping ground for too long.

It’s time to move on to new terrain or bury yourself in the current one if you have no intention of leaving.

Consider becoming a Medium member through my affiliate link. Let’s connect on socials: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (new!!), and Linkedin. If you want to check it out, I compose music and post them on YouTube and SoundCloud.

Love you all, and thanks for reading!