Popular Advice Says: Share Your Journey! 5 Lessons I’m Happy To Have Found

At first, there were 0 followers. Now I’m almost at 100 😱

I read something recently that told me that sharing my journey would make me a better writer. I don’t really know what I’m doing so let’s give it a shot 😂

When I first read that piece of advice I wasn’t so sure about it. Then I got to thinking, every article that I’ve written so far has been about something that I’m going through or that I’ve been through.

Why not have my introspective check-in out loud too?

When I first joined Medium I never thought that I’d be writing on the platform. I just loved getting articles that interested me. “I’m bettering myself, I’m reading worthwhile content instead of being on Instagram.”

Don’t get me wrong, I still doom scroll on Instagram.

Now, two months later I’ve got 80 followers! I didn’t know what to expect when I started writing. I did have the lingering thought that I’d write for 2 weeks and then quit 😅

Here we are. Two months later. I’m so happy that I took the chance and started writing!

Let’s look at some things I’ve learned and some things I’m hoping to do in the upcoming months!

Lessons Learned So Far!

So this isn’t just me tooting my own horn, let me share some of the things that I’ve learned from or loved about writing so far.

Lesson One: It’s Gonna be a Slow Burn

This one was honestly the best. I would not have wanted to learn about this any other way.

When I pressed publish on the first article nothing happened.

On the internet of all places, I felt like there wasn’t a single soul around.

No one.

In this era of instant gratification, we expect attention. I got none. It was cathartic.

If the first article was bad, no one had to know 😂

I’m gonna have to work at this and grow this. It was the calm before the storm. I’m gonna have to work for it. For some reason that put a smirk on my face and I was ready to chase something new.

My message to you, try that new thing. Go after a side passion. If it works out it can change your life. If it doesn’t it’ll likely go unnoticed anyways. No embarrassment or judgment.

Lesson Two: Friends Supporting You Skyrockets Your Day

After the deafening silence of putting out the first few articles, I was ok with the idea of no one knowing that I was writing.

I then quickly realized that I’d need followers to get more followers 😅

I also quickly realized that all of the connections you “have” are an inflated number. This isn’t me saying my friends didn’t support me. It’s quite the opposite.

The texts and conversations I’ve had with friends telling me that they took the time to read something I put out gets me so giggly.

I just feel so supported and it’s a feeling that I would have never had without this.

It helped me learn who’s in my corner.

(I also have a lot of friends that don’t read so this doesn't apply to everyone)

Lesson Three: You Never Know What You’ll Say That Someone Will Relate To

This one I’ve known forever, but moving my problems and advice into a blog emphasized it.

I didn't think I have a unique perspective. So why write to add to a sea of similar opinions?

Then I started realizing that it’s not just about a unique perspective. It’s about relating to people. Maybe I just struggled with something that someone is struggling with now.

That insight could be valuable to them. And worthwhile for me to put time into writing about.

Lesson Four: You‘ve Got a Lot More Going on Than You Think

Adding onto the last lesson. I’m more relatable than I thought. I’ve been through a lot. I’ve learned a lot. And as I was told several times this last weekend, I’m good at making things relatable.

Sometimes even if the lesson is right in front of you it may not be fully relatable or absorbable.

Something that I love is delving into psychological constructs like the Dunning Kruger Effect or Ballmer’s Peak when it comes to programming.

Nerd stuff aside. Some people don’t care to get that deep. They don’t care about Myers Briggs tests or monitoring their sleep cycles. They need the small tidbit of info that’s going to get them by.

I can bridge the gap!

Last… A Love, Rather Than a Lesson

I feel like a creative. I’m a Senior Software Engineer by trade. Not that we’re not creative, but we revel in the realm of logic.

It’s not often that I let my creative side take over.

I started learning how to DJ about a year ago and have seen some pretty similar things. Same with learning how to Snowboard. And hopefully soon learning how to Rock Climb.

They’re all things that I can do uniquely and need to attack creatively to get good at.

They were all harder than I thought they were gonna be; No one’s paying attention to me; Often it’s just you and the medium (like artistically not the site we’re on 😂)

Just being able to do something that has no structure is freeing. Yes, there are techniques to use and things to learn. How I apply those lessons is up to me though.

It makes me think of the Disney movie Soul. Once you get a taste of being in “The Zone”. Reaching a “Flow State” you get hooked.

It’s a mythical feeling. It’s a euphoric moment. One that I’m happy to have found in all of those places from time to time.

What’s To Come

Well, it’s a mix of “I’ve got a plan” and “I don’t know.”

I want to start sprinkling in some more techie content. I also want to just let things keep coming to me.

I want to engage with the platform more and potentially share some other endeavors with you guys. Tech projects, other art (DJing, Music), whatever random thing I pick up next.

Ultimately, what I do know is that I want to join the Medium Partner Program and keep writing from there. (20 followers to go! Go tell a friend to check me out!)

Maybe if you’ve been reading my content and want me to talk about something in specific drop it in the comments. Maybe I’ll write about it!

Until then, if you made it this far. Thank you so much you’re the best. We’ll be back to advice and life stories in the next one!

Cheers! 🍻

I hope that you enjoyed this article! If you did please hold down the applause button as long as you can 👏🏽 (Really! Hold it! 😉)! Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts! Share with a friend or colleague! If you’d like to hear more from me please follow! Finally, please buy me a beer to keep me motivated! It all means the world to me! Cheers!

Check out another one of my articles if you have the time!