The 10% Who Stick With It: Passion, Pace and Persistence

Do we want to be in the 10%? Then, leave the 'quick, easy' idea to the other 90% who quit quickly.

The Signs

I felt guilty as I approached the view in the header image above, one of my favourite walks.

Asking myself why am I here now, why am I out walking while I got almost no writing done today. Shouldn't I be back there trying to squeeze something creative out of this languid brain?

Maybe this regular walking and cycling might be the slippery slope to quitting. As with the reputed 90% or so of new writers that quit Medium?

Look Deeper

But apart from enjoying the benefits of the exercise from my walk, the fresh sea air, sunshine and coastal scenery, it was an opportunity to take stock. To get some perspective and weigh up a few things in my mind. A helicopter view.

We'll all have seen the mantras and blueprints, assuring us if we do this and that, we'll achieve wonders as writers on Medium in no time flat.

Usually, it's claims about money or followers. Writing an article every day for weeks and months on end, unyielding consistency, avoiding perfectionism, compelling headlines, hitting the publish button, and so on.

And considering the profusion of writing courses and coaches we can pay for that claim to help us get there faster. If speed is that important. If we're not in the 90% that falls off the radar anyway, that is, courses or no courses.

I don’t think many would not argue with those ideals, generic and amorphous as most of them are.

All Together Now?

But do they suit everybody in the writing domain?

After all, life is a set of priorities. And while writing might be one of those, don't other things matter too? Where's the balance?

A few key questions such as those seemed a good enough way to untangle it all and get a better perspective. Even looking at Medium in the first place, as a platform to join others and get involved in writing.

Why Medium

Everybody will have a different answer to this.

But for me, how could one beat this opportunity to read and write? To study and learn from such a wide range of writers: the good, the bad, and the ugly! All for the annual cost of two or three good books.

That's why I'm on Medium. Case closed.

The Ticking Clock

But what about the time we dedicate to building our writing skills?

I'm one of the fortunate people to be retired, so my time is largely my own. And I love it.

Pressures to get more done in less time are firmly in the rear view mirror now. And frankly, such pressures tend to suck the spirit out of the opportunity to grow and enjoy what we do. If we don’t have time to reflect, learn, and enjoy, we’re more like automatons. It doesn't matter whether it's working or retired life.

Burnout?

Of course, some established writers generate significant incomes from writing on Medium. And all of us less established writers might desire to do the same, or in some cases, need to.

I prefer to ignore all we see about rushing to publish daily, achieve X thousand $ per month, or Y thousand followers in super-quick time. Nice as that would be if it was mainstream. But it's not.

The clickbait advice will always be there. But simple reality suggests that any worthwhile skill or endeavour takes time. And so it will be for probably 99% of people who set out to write. To be otherwise is like trying to defy gravity — a quick trip to a sudden end.

So, it’s better we forget about miracles. I'm happy to put in the time and enjoy the writing journey.

But Will The Fat Lady Sing?

Ok, so we should calm down, get real, and put all this time into learning the writing craft.

But, how do we know we're ever going to be any good as a writer, if it's worth the effort?

Well, we don't know for sure. Fact.

But then, it's good to try different things. Life will have taught most of us that we have to search for our passions. Sometimes they might, but the passions don't always come looking for us.

And everything we try isn't going to resonate or ignite a passion. It's similar to golf, dancing, playing the guitar, or anything we care to think about. That's life, too. For example, Alex Honnold was never going to be an NFL offensive tackle, no matter how many expensive motivational courses he went on or books he read.

Maybe we’ve been taken in by too many easy promises and starry-eyed self-help pipe dreams. But we still need to learn and enjoy persisting and searching out our passions.

No Surprise at 10%

So it may be reasonable that there is only about a 10% persistence rate with Medium. Of the 90% or so who quit, some will have legitimate reasons for not sticking with it. In their cases their decision may be right for them, and it's not a failure.

And I know this from personal experience over a long time. If one finds something that sparks a deep passion and one makes the commitment of time, discipline and effort, some wonderful things can be accomplished.

This is my aspiration about writing and blogging, and it’s not very important to me whether the world agrees, or not. Either I will be successful in discovering that writing is not in my genes and I should move on, or that it’s worth putting in the time and effort.

For example, Edison said that he successfully found 10,000 ways a lightbulb wouldn't work before he found the way it would work.

Others just may not have the persistence and give up in the face of even minor tests of endurance and frustration. Same in any walk of life. No guarantees of course, but therein lies the opportunity for those who take the longer view and pace themselves to stay in the game.

Final Thoughts About Writing

It's a marathon, not a 100m dash.

It's about strategy, balance, and sustainability.

That includes refreshing and revitalizing for me with regular long, peaceful walks in beautiful surroundings.

Life is too short not to. And no better time and place to find great writing ideas.

Thank you for your company on this journey, and may your journey be an enjoyable and successful one too.