“You’re a hack”
That’s what The Bad Brain told me every day.
At first it was loud. I would bite my lip, jump around the room, and then finally play some upbeat music to build up the courage just to click a simple button:
PUBLISH.
I wondered if anyone would care. I wondered who could possibly gain value from what I had to say. I wondered how I was different than anyone else.
I also wondered what I would write next week, since I’d just written everything I could think of.
PUBLISH.
Miraculously, I kept showing up in weeks three, four, and five. Ideas emerged because I showed up and wrote even when I did not know what to say. Was I — the immaculate quitter — finally sticking with a habit?
“Don’t worry, it’ll wear off soon,” The Bad Brain said.
“Shut up,” I told him, as I clicked the button.
PUBLISH.
PUBLISH.
PUBLISH.
Before 30,000-plus people were waiting to see what would happen next, before I showed up on Inc. Magazine and Apple News and CNBC, before I was offered to share the stage with an Olympic athlete, before I vaulted over some of my idols to became a top writer on both Medium AND Quora in the same week, I wrote.
I wrote my way in front of the world.
“I’m glad you have a bigger platform,” The Bad Brain said. “That’s all the more people to let down when you quit.”
“I may quit one day, but it won’t be today.”
My mouse hovered over the button again. Somehow, it was not so intimidating this time.
PUBLISH.
PUBLISH.
PUBLISH.
PUBLISH.
I haven’t created nearly 650 posts over the last two years because I started quickly. I wrote that much because I STARTED SLOWLY. As a journalist, I would write 3 stories a day. Writing only one post a week to get off the ground on Medium nearly destroyed me.
In the beginning, momentum matters more than quantity. When you set up a regular schedule and follow it, you win.
My friend Kyle reminded me of something the other day.
“A slow start doesn’t doom you to failure.
Momentum grows over time.”
I probably had the slowest start of all time, but guess what? I’m still going.
And I’m not leaving any time soon.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a button to push.
I am Mr. Nobody from nowhere. I didn’t have a network. I didn’t have platform. I had writing. Without it, and without someone to read (that would be you), I wouldn’t be nearly as fulfilled as I am now. Thank you.
One sad thing about the Internet, though, is good stuff disappears pretty quickly. You’d have to hunt through hundreds posts for what people have said is my best work so over the last two years.
Well, until now, you’d have to do that.
Your other option is to check out the free audio book I put together — The Best of Medium. In it, you’ll hear the work which literally raised me out of obscurity and into the spotlight.
