Why I Took A Break from Medium
How I find the reasons to publish again
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I live a good life now. To get here, I’ve learned many lessons. Being here has also opened my eyes to many valuable things. All in all, I have a lot to share.
I know my sharing would be useful to other people. In fact, it has been useful. But, for some reason, the older I am, the less inclined I feel to publish my reflections and personal growth journey. I still write, but I most often do it in my private notes.
When I was younger, I felt a natural urge to write about myself and subsequently hit publish. Perhaps it was because writing was the only way I could process and move forward with my life, and publishing allowed me to establish and affirm my identity while finding my tribe.
Now, such needs are no longer burning. I know myself a lot better. I have a lot more. I don’t have to prove myself to anyone. I have a great husband, great friends and families, and a therapist. Meanwhile, privacy is important to me. I feel cautious about what I put out in the world. I feel strangely more protective of my personal experiences.
In the last eight months or so, I have published increasingly less on Medium. The algorithm has changed so much that I honestly don’t know what’s going on with this platform anymore. I needed to make money and branch out. So I’ve been spending time freelancing for paying media websites. It’s very exciting. I now have bylines on Refinery29, GlamourUK, The Sun, The Sunday Times, and, most recently, Business Insider (and more!)
Writing for these websites is very different from writing for Medium or my own website. The rewards are less instant but more substantial. The time from writing to seeing an article live is a lot longer. Most notably, there was no “me” personally in these articles as they were reported features and SEO content. I get to write about things other than myself, and it feels interesting and… safe.
When I first started freelancing, I also tried to sell a dating course and take on coaching clients. I had some success with it but it didn’t get anywhere because ultimately I couldn’t bring myself to promote it. I know the course has solid content and has been life-changing for some clients, but I’ve just let it sit there. I’ve…
