“what if I fail?”
but—what if you don’t?
I started writing & creating online 3 years ago…
But I almost didn’t.
When I first began posting, I was so doubtful of myself that I mostly posted random quotes.
I was afraid:
“what if nobody reads my stuff?”
“I’m not expert enough”
“why would they trust someone with only 100 followers”?
full disclosure: after a few months, I took a pause.
looking back, I realized the problem: I narrowly defined success as just dollars and followers.
3 years later, I’ve grown a community of over 5000 followers, published my first ebook, and even got featured on an account with 200k followers!
now: imagine I had quit…
I’m glad I didn’t. and I hope you don’t, either.
the key to sustaining a creative habit is to redefine “success”
numbers, followers, and dollars are only part of the equation. and they’re a lagging measure.
think about it: you won’t expect to be jacked after going to the gym after 1 week. But that doesn’t mean that the habit & discipline is useless.
4 ways to redefine “Success” as an online creator:
1: building the habit of creating & curating.
The most important part is writing consistently and sharing what you learned.
That habit is transferrable (recycle something)
2: lense of learning
creating online is a vessel for personal growth.
it’s a tangible reason to consume quality content that inspires you, to apply it, and to share the journey.
every experience, every setback, is a storyworthy learning moment.
personal growth is a gift that nobody can take away from you. even if you have a shit day, if you learn from it, it’s a win in your book.
3: community, clarifies
sharing your ideas online helps you to clarify your expertise. other people can be a mirror for your strengths .
when you have a gifting or skill, it comes easy to you.
you take it for granted, but others point it out.
for example, I didn’t start posting about productivity until 1 year in. I wouldn’t have realized that as a strength if I kept everything in my head.
4: what “numbers” actually mean
each person has their own journey, pain points, and dreams.
1 meaningful dm or comment is greater than 100 likes from strangers.
In a world of overwhelming statistics — the simplicity of a story pierces through the noise.
every new follower is a new connection, so treat it as such: be kind, engage, be honest.
don’t let social media diminish the individuality of each connection.
30 followers is a classroom.
100, a stadium.
500, a really big stadium!
In summary: create online because:
it builds discipline (transferrable skill), accelerates learning, clarifies your strengths, and cultivates connection.
“what if I fail?”
but—what if you don’t?
If progress seems slow,
you learn to persist.
If plans change
you learn to iterate.
good things take time.
you will not see fruit on the day that you plant the seed.
