What I *DIDN’T* Learn From My First Month On Medium

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itles, and, of course, articles.Now, all of that might sound like a positive to anyone, including myself, at first glance. But upon further consideration, I am beginning to conclude that I am taking things a little— or a LOT, to be dead honest — too seriously. Sure, my unoriginal yet ultimate goal on Medium is to gain a decent amount of followers and rack up a decent amount of money, but it’s that aspiration that’s fueling my obsession with so many of the intricate details that goes into my writing. Fortunately, I managed to drown out all those superficial voices in my head for a while — the ones telling me which articles to write if I wanted to be successful, regardless of my individual passions.I instead allowed them to flow through me when I habitually checked my statistics every ten minutes, or harshly judged my articles based on how much cents they made. That was a never ending battle, though I managed it throughout the month. But now things have taken a turn, because a new debilitating, deadly thought entered my mind this morning. One that triggered me to rethink my entire existence on Medium. And that is that I still don’t have a niche.For the past month, I’ve written about anything and everything. Travel. Movie quotes. Albums. Past experiences. You name it. Anything that popped in my head, I would jot it down and find myself publishing an entire article a few hours later. It was fun that way, and I loved it, but I’ve been reading more and more articles lately insisting that I have to find a niche. That I have to condense myself to just one topic. So, I suppose, out of all the aspects of Medium, that is what I still haven’t learned, one month in.<p id="

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8d8c">Embarrassingly, earlier I found myself brainstorming what topics I could best advertise myself as being a part of. What “personal brand” would work for me the best. Travel? I love it, but I don’t actually get to do it enough. Poetry? I write it all the time, but that’s still a little too personal for me to share right now. Productivity? Sounds like fun, though I know I’d get bored of it ridiculously fast. Lifestyle? What the heck does that even mean?So, to sum all of that up, I rather quickly learned that it just wasn’t going to happen, at least not right now. I am treading the thick waters of this platform’s vast pool of writings and I am doing it niche-free. Is that a gasp I heard from some of you? Well, allow me to further explain.I don’t have a niche because no human can fit themselves into just one box, and if they do, personally I’d find that to be ridiculously uncomfortable. So I am going to end this by saying that my new aspiration for myself as I move into my second month of writing on Medium is to write articles that I would read. It’s as simple as that. As long as I’m consistently making the time to write and loving every word of what I say, the learning and growth will naturally come as a result.I don’t have to forcefully study statistics or question the value of my writings because they are too different from one another. The only eyes that need to be caught are my very own. These are the lessons I’ve learned towards the end of my first month on Medium. Still, what I didn’t learn from my first month is that I don’t have to force myself into anything. Not into results, not into niches, and most importantly, not into learning.</article></body>

What I *DIDN’T* Learn From My First Month On Medium

I opened my calendar this morning and instantly let out a loud gasp following the realization that today marks my one month anniversary of writing on Medium! Yeah, I know it’s not much to celebrate, but I’ve always been the sentimental type so of course I am going to make it a big deal. However, after a few hours of giddy smiling whilst planning out my idealistic future on the platform, something hit me. Something that made me stop dead in my tracks. And that is, to put it simply, that I still don’t know everything.

Yep, you heard it here first, folks. I, Joseph Ream, am not the all-knowing sage I appear to be. And, although that hit me in the soft spot at first, I am beginning to accept the fact that, at the end of the day, the month, and the year, that makes me nothing but human. What I can’t seem to accept, however, is my obsession with this platform. To be brutally honest, I have spent such a vast amount of time within the last 30 days studying the ever-confusing algorithm, consistently submitting my work to publications, keeping a sharp eye on engagement and statistics, and meticulously crafting the perfect eye-catching titles, subtitles, and, of course, articles.

Now, all of that might sound like a positive to anyone, including myself, at first glance. But upon further consideration, I am beginning to conclude that I am taking things a little— or a LOT, to be dead honest — too seriously. Sure, my unoriginal yet ultimate goal on Medium is to gain a decent amount of followers and rack up a decent amount of money, but it’s that aspiration that’s fueling my obsession with so many of the intricate details that goes into my writing. Fortunately, I managed to drown out all those superficial voices in my head for a while — the ones telling me which articles to write if I wanted to be successful, regardless of my individual passions.

I instead allowed them to flow through me when I habitually checked my statistics every ten minutes, or harshly judged my articles based on how much cents they made. That was a never ending battle, though I managed it throughout the month. But now things have taken a turn, because a new debilitating, deadly thought entered my mind this morning. One that triggered me to rethink my entire existence on Medium. And that is that I still don’t have a niche.

For the past month, I’ve written about anything and everything. Travel. Movie quotes. Albums. Past experiences. You name it. Anything that popped in my head, I would jot it down and find myself publishing an entire article a few hours later. It was fun that way, and I loved it, but I’ve been reading more and more articles lately insisting that I have to find a niche. That I have to condense myself to just one topic. So, I suppose, out of all the aspects of Medium, that is what I still haven’t learned, one month in.

Embarrassingly, earlier I found myself brainstorming what topics I could best advertise myself as being a part of. What “personal brand” would work for me the best. Travel? I love it, but I don’t actually get to do it enough. Poetry? I write it all the time, but that’s still a little too personal for me to share right now. Productivity? Sounds like fun, though I know I’d get bored of it ridiculously fast. Lifestyle? What the heck does that even mean?

So, to sum all of that up, I rather quickly learned that it just wasn’t going to happen, at least not right now. I am treading the thick waters of this platform’s vast pool of writings and I am doing it niche-free. Is that a gasp I heard from some of you? Well, allow me to further explain.

I don’t have a niche because no human can fit themselves into just one box, and if they do, personally I’d find that to be ridiculously uncomfortable. So I am going to end this by saying that my new aspiration for myself as I move into my second month of writing on Medium is to write articles that I would read. It’s as simple as that. As long as I’m consistently making the time to write and loving every word of what I say, the learning and growth will naturally come as a result.

I don’t have to forcefully study statistics or question the value of my writings because they are too different from one another. The only eyes that need to be caught are my very own. These are the lessons I’ve learned towards the end of my first month on Medium. Still, what I didn’t learn from my first month is that I don’t have to force myself into anything. Not into results, not into niches, and most importantly, not into learning.