Put Yourself Out There!
I published my first article on medium sharing with the world, a simple trick to beat procrastination.
The hard work behind my first article involves multiple rounds of drafts. Relentlessly checking, rechecking for grammatical errors; reading the article aloud at 3 a.m. in my room, for good measure; reassuring myself that yes the article is ready.
At long last, with adrenaline pumping through my chest, my fingers clammy and shaking— I hit “Publish”. I still remember the rush of euphoria that ensued when I first saw my article go live. I felt so alive.
While I am proud of taking the first step, there were certainly emotional barriers that I had to get over to be where I am today. And where exactly I am is a single-article publisher on medium. But with this, I am happy to announce that I am a proud publisher of a grand total of two articles! Hooray!
Before I fooled (or tried to fool) you with my pseudo-confidence, I must admit that I struggle with self-doubt all the time. I am constantly asking: “Why would anyone read what I have to say?” It is not as if I am sharing something that is going to change the world.
Moreover, I have never undergone any formal training in creative writing, or even practice writing for an extended period of time for that matter. Clearly, I had to ask myself where in the world did my spur of spontaneity to write on Medium come from.
Besides, there are SO many articles written about procrastination and ways to conquer them; my little article is not exactly revolutionary. I felt invalidated because it is nothing like a novelty.
OR more so — I felt invalidated because the little article that brought me pride and joy felt insignificant.
In times like these, I remind myself of what Mark Twain once said —
“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations.”
And rightfully so I did.
What I came to realize is that many things we know are derivative. When I write, I share with the world my own perspective in my own voice. Sure, it could have been built on someone else’s thought, but that thought could have been built on someone else’s, and someone else’s, and… you get the idea.
Even if the work is not good enough yet, the important thing is that we have started on said work.
So, here is a message that I hope you would take away from this little article. If you have something to share — share it. Want to write something for the world, but fear that it has already been mentioned? Publish it anyway.
