I Made 16cents On Medium Last Month
I’m celebrating the small wins
My meagre earnings would have embarrassed a younger version of myself. But there is power to be found by admitting the truth. It’s to do with the practice radical vulnerability. If I want to change my work ethic, first I need to be honest with myself.
I currently have 15 email subscribers and a sincere desire to improve.
I make about 16cents for each article and they take me hours to write.
I only wrote one article last month.
Here’s what I’m doing to improve my situation and grow as a writer.
I’m focusing on my habits
My bad habits have been with me longer than the good. Caffeine addiction. Sleeping in. Scrolling, screens and video games. Here’s the kicker. These habits are far harder to change than I thought.
But I’m making incremental improvements. The main thing I’m focusing on is increasing my personal energy. I’m introducing exercise to my diet. I’m switching from coffee to cups of tea in the afternoon. I’m drinking more water.
I’m also pushing myself to learn about productivity. But the most important thing is that I’m not beating myself up for not nailing it every day. I just try and do better the next day.
Encouraging myself
I’m enjoying the process of learning. I’m making progress. I’m complaining less, my friends will attest to this. I’m focusing on what’s within my control.
I’m giving less energy to my inner critic, my saboteur and my procrastinator. I’m starving them out and giving those resources to the part of me that gets shit done. Honestly, I feel like I haven’t seen him strong in years. It’s been a slow process building myself back up after my café business collapsed. But that’s a story for another time.
Right now, it feels fantastic to my working on my writing.
To keep myself positive, I’ve been reflecting at the end of every day. I write down 3 things that I did well.
My lists look something like this:
1. Made a delicious coffee.
2. Wrote a poem.
3. Signed up for the gym.
It’s simple but helps reframe my thinking.
Consistency is key
It’s funny how hard it is to do the things that I know are good for me. Get up early, open my laptop, write for 45minutes. But I’m aiming to do this more days than not. The last few weeks have been so far, so good.
I’m setting writing goals and working towards them.
I want to reach the threshold of 100 articles. I know it’s a long road ahead but showing up consistently is the only way to get there. I have 90 more articles to write. At the pace of 2 per week, it’ll take me 12–18months. It’s doable. I’m feeling optimistic about it.
One day, I’ll look back at this exact moment. I’ll feel proud this was the proof that I persevered.
We all start somewhere and I’m starting with a celebration.
Till next time,
Harley.
