Because you’ve made it this far, you probably want to start writing. It doesn’t matter if it’s writing a blog on Medium or another platform or if you’d like to write a book, for example. The most crucial step is in front of you.
Most people won’t even do that and then tell you how they wanted to do something at some point but didn’t take that one necessary step because they were afraid of it, fearful of the uncertain outcome. And what is that first step? It’s simpler than it may seem.
First, most people are afraid even to start anything at all reasons can abound. They tell themselves they need more time for the activity, that the move won’t lead to the dream result, that no one will appreciate their time and energy, and that they will get bad feedback. I could go on like this theoretically forever. So what is the problem?
Intro
Most people need more motivation to pursue any long-term and ultimately time-consuming hobbies, which may be because they see things too simply. They decide to start, but at the first failure, they take their efforts and throw them away and don’t continue.
It is enough to do a straightforward thing instead of pushing yourself to something, so say that you will devote yourself to this activity every day for 5 minutes. It is not so much time that you can not prove it.
When you adopt this habit so you can gradually increase the time window or start with 15 minutes, about this, you could tell your colleague Ondra because he was just at the beginning of the problem with being motivated and wanting to write further by writing the beginning always the whole article straight.
So he was losing precious motivation and desire to continue because there is a big difference when you move something for 15 minutes every day and gradually get to the result and when you stand in front of a blank unwritten sheet and want to deliver the impact on the first good. Something like that takes practice.
Otherwise, you’ll burn out like a match sooner or later before you even get to the beautiful things writing will bring you. So we’ve already introduced the first important trait you’ll need to acquire if you want to do anything and stick with it. It’s about making the activity a habit, the moment it happens, it will be a daily or weekly routine that you know is waiting for you, and you have to do it, but it won’t be about having to do it.
It will be about it being something that makes you happy and feels good when you fulfil your commitment to yourself. This entire article will be focused mainly on writing, but the things you learn here will be applicable in other areas. Another thing that tends to be misinterpreted about writing is motivation.
Motivation
Many people associate writing on a medium platform with the vision of profit, and if you are one of them, you’ll be disappointed, and this article won’t be right for you. The financial reward for your writing is only a result of hard work. Yes, you see, I write hard work as success will never be free. And if you have it so you can trust me, it’s all about luck. We are facing at least these problems here. They need more motivation and better motivation.
Lack of motivation
This problem arises if you choose the wrong reason why you are doing the activity at all. There is always a simple rule. If you do something for yourself and enjoy it, it is more motivating than if you do something because someone is pushing you to do it, and it is not about your joy but, for example, the joy of your parents who are fulfilling their dream through you.
Bad motivation
As already mentioned, for example, starting something purely for money is not the right motivation. Money can act as an excellent incentive to keep you going at a later stage when you say to yourself I spend much time on something, people like it, I enjoy it, so indeed some reward would be deserved, and you will get it on the medium if you do everything right. But to start writing with the fact that $$$ is a priority for you and you do it only for money, you better not do the activity. It’s just a recommendation because, from your text, it will be evident that it is a money grind and not an activity you enjoy.
Example of the right motivation
If you want to be a successful author/author, being a marathon runner and not just a short-distance runner goes with the territory. What is appropriate as motivation to make it a little easier for you?
My reason for writing is to improve my English, to clear my head and share my thoughts, and to learn to think better or differently because, through writing, you will know to convey your thoughts more accurately and, therefore, more effectively. You will like this new way of thinking because you will quickly shift your surroundings.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Many people, including myself, fear starting new things because they want a good result. But as they say, practice makes perfect. Learning makes perfect. If you make a mistake and learn from it, it’s more than if you are afraid to take the first step. Every mistake you make will make you stronger and more confident in your actions.
How to keep writing
Writing is a creative activity; if you want to stick with it, you must find a topic you enjoy and are interested in. That will be the biggest driver of your potential business. Yes, you can make good money from writing, but it’s a reward for much hard work, or you can take a shortcut and start writing straight for money as Jakub Jancik did — part of his career path is copywriting.
So thanks to the fact that the medium doesn’t earn him anything yet, he has another source of income where he can apply what he can develop on the medium too. So even a certain parallel with work makes more sense.
How do you find a topic to write about?
This question is straightforward. Look back at your life. You watch sports, for example, and enjoy them, so why not write about that topic? Or do you like cooking? Then you won’t be the first or the last to start a blog about this hobby, but even if you don’t enjoy cooking, if you like food and go to different restaurants, you can keep a blog about that.
Initial “failure”
Only despair if almost no one reads your articles at first. Usually, you are new. You have yet to learn how to write proper titles, subtitles, first intro paragraphs, and how to choose/make pictures. It will all be part of your journey in writing. If you write about what you enjoy and find fulfilling, it will be a beautiful journey that will sometimes be a roller coaster, but sooner or later, someone will notice what you are doing, and you will break through. It’s just a matter of sticking it out.
Partner Program
The affiliate program is a nice reward on the medium where you have to have written at least one article and have 100 followers. Please don’t be like Petr P., who, instead of writing articles and growing slowly, searched for shortcuts, using which he quickly fulfilled the condition for getting the affiliate program. Still, his profile is fragile in the result, and he has been followed chiefly by people who don’t read him. That’s the downside of follow after follow.
Some tips for success
Please don’t rush to success. You can’t take shortcuts. Everything takes its time. Even good wine has to wait. Wait to push the envelope with the number of followers. If it’s people who will only read you occasionally, then you’ll only weaken your profile.
Regarding how the promotion algorithms work, you’ll stop being shared when your subscribers aren’t interested in your content either. If they do read your content, then the more you are marketed to other people. Everything takes time, so start by building a habit and gradually pack it with more time or a higher level of regularity.
Don’t break anything over your knee, and do activities in a way that you enjoy. Start by picking a day of the week when you will publish articles regularly and that will gradually find your readers. Remember to add your older pieces to the newer ones so that people who see your paper can easily read something else by you.
Feel free to start. Beginnings are not always easy, but if you persevere, you will have an excellent hobby and a friendly business from an activity you enjoy.