You Are Ignoring The Small Wins, And It’s Ruining Your Dreams

Four years ago, I got this big itch to be a travel blogger.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I stumbled upon a post with a title like “How I Make $5,000 Per Month While Traveling” on Pinterest and went down the rabbit hole. I did a swan dive straight into it, man.

I saw bloggers like Adventurous Kate who were making thousands of dollars on the internet every month while traveling!

I saw their pictures. I saw the food they were eating. I saw the money they were making.

I wanted it. I wanted to backpack Southeast Asia. I wanted to go to Petra. I wanted to see the pyramids.

The problem? To be a travel blogger, you sort of need to travel.

So, my broke ass decided to move away from Orlando, Florida, and drive 3,000 miles across the United States to San Francisco. I didn’t have money to buy an international plane ticket anywhere, so I decided to travel my own country, first.

I stayed in hostels. I lived on $300-$400 per week freelancing. Somehow I made it work. I don’t know how I did, but I did — and nobody helped me financially.

Five months after the start of my trip and 23 states later, I drove 1,673 miles all the way home from Denver to Maryland. I got there in 30 hours. I went and surprised my parents, and began telling them of the mountains I saw in Montana, the trees I felt in California, and the rocks I climbed in Utah.

The problem? I didn’t accomplish my dream of being a well-paid travel blogger by the time I got back, but I did, well, just keep reading..

It Would Be Another Year Before I Truly Became A “Travel Blogger”

When I got back home, I decided to stay with my parents indefinitely. The same time I got back, I discovered a website called Medium. This one.

I fell in love with this place. I decided to start writing — a lot.

I had so much to write about. While “travel bloggers” typically talk about locations and hotels and all the hot-spots you need to visit, I quickly realized that wasn’t my cup of tea.

I wanted to write about emotion.

So I began telling my story. I wrote about the 12,000 or so miles I drove, the 23 states, Glacier National Park, the redwood trees, and the internal battles I had with loneliness, despair, and unexpected travel expenses.

It started to resonate with people. How many young people are as stupid as me? How many young people try to drive across the country on $300 per week? I guess my unique story made my articles worth reading.

And they got views! Before, I was lucky to get 500 views per month on my blog, but now? I was getting 5,000 views per month after my first 30 days. Small win.

So I guess people enjoyed exploring the world of my past. The world of experiences I once had that, while reminiscing on them, making them real again for me and somewhat real for others.

From there, it took me a year of small wins to get to the promised land. The part where I could sell something and be free of freelancing.

A Year And A Half Into My Blogging Journey, I Found The Finish Line

I probably wrote a hundred and fifty blog posts before I achieved my goal. The goal of being a self-sustained blogger online. No freelance work. Just me and my business.

Looking back on the old times, it seemed like it all happened so fast. The truth is, it didn’t. In the moment, it was an absolute grind and took me forever.

I remember working 6–8 hour days freelancing and then coming to my blog at night to write a post every day.

If an article got 100 more views than usual, I saw that as a small win. These small wins encouraged me. They kept me going.

Nobody Cares About The Small Wins — You Should

I never doubted that I could get there. I saw small wins, that’s why. I got into the Huffington Post four weeks after my road trip started. I got to interview the writer of Treasure Planet, my favorite Disney movie.

I got to see the United States and live a life I could only dream of. If I could do all that, then I could surely make it as a blogger. Surely.

It’s the small wins in the present that got me here. I don’t know why but a lot of people ignore the small wins. “Oh, I made $10 on Medium this month? That sucks.”

No, it’s bloody awesome. It’s progress. You paid for lunch, dude. What’s the biggest reason you made $10? Was it that one post you wrote about programming that made $8 of those $10? Good, write more of them. Now next month you’ll make $40, and the next month you’ll make $80, and the next month you’ll go viral and make $300. It’s fucking progress.

Let those small wins fuel you into the future. If you kept doubling your income every month, who’s to say you can’t one day make $4000 in a single month? Keep trying!

Most people ignore the small wins. Maybe they want to fail, though? Maybe they are scared of success. Maybe when they see a small win so clearly in front of their face it scares them to continue.

I’m not sure. All I know is, it didn’t matter how much I failed as long as I had a small win to pick me up every month.

For most people, they ignore those small things and decide to quit instead.

Do this..

Every month, write down the progress you made on your biggest goals. It could be “I got into a big publication this month!” or “I had a call with one of my favorite writers!”

It doesn’t matter if your stats went down or if you made less money or if you wrote less. Focus on your small wins, the small steps you’re taking towards your big goals, and make sure to be thankful for them.

They will propel you into the future as it did for me.

Get a few free writing tips from me here.