Chapter 1: My Initial Steps on Medium

I began my Medium writing journey on March 20, and as an engineer, I naturally turned to numbers to measure my progress. After 31 days, I had garnered 45 followers, received 239 views, and achieved 168 reads.

Writing one story each day for a month was a significant commitment, but I’m proud to have fulfilled that promise to myself!

40 days into this journey, I surpassed the 100-follower mark and officially joined the Medium Partner Program!

40 days later, I celebrated becoming a member of the Medium Partner Program. At this point, my earnings were around 90 cents, I had 137 followers, 909 views, and 840 reads.

Two months following my first post, my stats had grown considerably: 602 followers, 4,229 views, 2,141 reads, and 558 fans! My earnings shot up from 90 cents to an impressive 54 dollars. While these numbers are thrilling, the experience has been far from straightforward. I’ve been consistently writing and posting daily since my debut on Medium until just last week, when I started feeling a bit drained.

Chapter 2: The Reality of My Medium Experience

Initially, I viewed my stats as a whole. I focused on total reads, views, likes, and responses, especially enjoying the interactions with readers. Engaging with individuals from diverse backgrounds has been incredibly rewarding. Many of us were strangers before joining Medium, yet we shared encouragement and support for one another’s writing journeys. This sense of community is truly invaluable, at least that’s how I felt in the beginning.

However, the statistics regarding my earnings began to paint a different picture. As a Medium Partner, I have access to a page that displays all my stories behind the paywall, with daily updates on earnings per story. It became clear which pieces resonated most with readers.

Before this, I hadn’t paid much attention to which stories gained the most traction. It turns out my pieces weren’t particularly popular; the ones that garnered attention were those related to writing on Medium itself.

What should my reaction be? It took me a while to come to terms with this reality. I reached a point where I needed to pause and consider my next steps. Should I modify my approach? Was my audience reach insufficient, or was the issue rooted in my writing or chosen topics?

Reflecting on my initial expectations, I realized that I had anticipated this kind of feedback from the start. Wasn’t I aware that my writing required refinement? That was precisely why I embarked on this journey! Why should I be concerned about my writing seeming “dull” or “lacking”?

Looking back, my primary motivation has always been to enhance my writing skills. My daily writing isn’t driven by Medium’s algorithms or potential earnings; it stems from a commitment I made to myself.

On another note, I have also gained eight subscribers, which is quite exciting!

A special thank you to David Perlmutter for being my very first email subscriber! I am also grateful to Colonel Sanders, LavenzaCheshire, Renuprasad, Mira Lucas, Mona Lazar, Babar Saleem, and BloggingMyWay for subscribing as well.

I acknowledge that I am not the best, and I don’t aim to compete with anyone. My goal is simply to become the best version of myself.

You are not the best. You are always the best version of yourself.

I choose to compete with myself.

After sorting through my thoughts, I resumed my writing this week. This Medium article serves as a reminder and a goalpost for the month ahead. I hope you find it enjoyable to read! Medium is an excellent platform for writing, reading, and engaging with others. If you’re interested in joining Medium, feel free to click the link below!

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