The true story of how I found my calling and writing success.
You may not believe that you have what it takes to succeed unless you see results. When it comes to writing and many other endeavors, you can’t expect to find success until you’ve tried. Sometimes it takes many tries before you see results, and sometimes it happens quickly. Trust the universe — if it’s meant to happen, it will. You will never find out if you have writing talent unless you meet the universe halfway.
You have to co-create and just start writing. On September 19th, 2025, I will be speaking at Medium Day 2025 about how I became a writer and the incredible ways Medium has helped me achieve that dream. I’ve been writing on Medium since 2020, and now I have 7.5k followers, hundreds of articles, and I’ve published five books. Let me explain how it happened.
I Knew My Calling
Since I was a child, I knew I was a writer, but I didn’t always believe that I could make an impact with my writing. In my twenties, I was part of writing clubs. I entered writing contests and won sometimes. I was accepted to MFA programs, too. Although I could tell that I was a talented writer, I was convinced by voices around me that I’d never make it big. And the funny thing about the mind is that if you don’t think you’ll make it big, you don’t even try — but I advise against this line of thought!
It was a dream of mine to have published books and be recognized for my ideas, but I wasn’t sure how to start. I knew I had a little of what it takes, but I wasn’t brave enough to take the plunge and dedicate all my energy toward it. So, for a long time, until I was thirty-eight years old, I pursued career ambitions that did not utilize my real talents. I worked in industries that I hated a little bit. I did jobs just for the money. I tricked myself into believing I liked what I did because everyone else in the world seemed to also have a soul-killing job, so why should I be any different?
Medium Was the Game-Changer
Then, I found Medium. It opened up a new opportunity for me: the chance to publish short works and experiment with my writing. I could observe the reactions of my readers and gauge the popularity of my writing in real time without putting in the time and effort it might take to publish a book. I was able to see what audiences enjoyed about my style so that I could hone my craft.
On Medium, I could publish my work nearly risk-free, and it was fun. I am naturally an impulsive person, and Medium is a great place to write about something on my mind today — allowing me to get my thoughts into the world in the moment.
I felt the pull to begin writing about spirituality, thinking that my words could help someone searching for answers. In the beginning, I wrote on Medium without any expectation of anything in return. A few months later, I discovered the Partner Program and realized I could actually get paid. You can’t imagine the happiness I felt in earning my first dollar from my writing!
Then, things began to happen quickly. In the first month that I was on the Partner Program, a miracle happened. One of my articles was featured in Medium’s newsletter to all of its subscribers. The story began trending. All of a sudden, I found that I gained over a hundred new followers, and at the end of the month, I had earned over a hundred dollars — something that I found out only the top one percent of Medium writers ever earn in a month!
Help From the Universe
The small bit of success gave me momentum, so I kept writing. I committed myself to consistency, publishing two or three times a week on Medium. I recognized the signs from the universe that this was my path. Five years later, I am still doing it, and I may not have made it big yet, but I am happier than I have ever been because I earn money by writing, which is my calling in life. It’s a feeling of contentment that can’t be matched.
In the past five years, I built a base of readers and followers. I learned about them and determined the best ways to inspire them through writing. I took my best content on Medium and turned it into books. I also now have a thriving blog and website. Medium is a blessing in my life because it shows me what’s working for me as a writer, and it’s how I test all of my ideas as they come into existence. It has shown me what to focus on.
It may sound strange, but I believe it is a channel for the universe to show me my correct path in my writing. As Medium gives me my stats and distributes my content to the correct audiences, I know there are no accidents. The universe is speaking to me through these signs, and I pay attention. (That’s the true secret to success in this world!)
How You Can Do It, Too
Now, you may be wondering why I am telling you this and how it relates to your journey. Not everyone will be featured by Medium or have the “luck” that I had. I don’t know how I did it, and I couldn’t tell you how to replicate it — except that you have to just start writing. If it’s meant to be, you will find success without much effort.
The universe will roll out the red carpet to anyone who steps into their true calling. Things just begin to fall into place. You must trust. Success can look different for you, but ultimately, if you just try, then you’ll be taking a step toward your destiny. You’ll never know if you were meant to do what your heart is calling you toward unless you take the first few steps.
When I make choices out of fear, such as working at a job I hate to pay the bills, things get harder for me. When I make choices in alignment with the universe, I find almost no resistance. It’s an effortless journey of wonder and success.
Sometimes, in the past five years, I have been tempted to change things up and try a different path. People have encouraged me to write on Substack, to sell T-shirts, to make YouTube content, and to collaborate on content that isn’t relevant to my writing. You can’t imagine the number of pathways that have been available to me, but I find that when I stray, it gets harder. When I stick to writing about spirituality — specifically, writing on Medium, I find that the universe rewards me. So, I follow this path to its natural destination, and I have learned not to question it.
Another lesson that I would like to pass on is that you shouldn’t try to be like anyone else. Just because you see someone succeeding in what you want to do by a certain method doesn’t mean that you will, too. You and I won’t succeed in the same ways. Learn to listen to your intuition. You know the right way for you.
Just Trust
As many of you already know, the world can be a confusing place, and it has a way of convincing you that you will never be special because so many other people are already doing what you want to do. It makes you believe that the odds are not in your favor (as if it were ever about odds) and that you had better not even try. You’d be wasting your energy, and you’d end up looking silly because you’re not good enough.
Well, I’m here today to tell you that this isn’t true. You know it’s not true because there are people gaining success in the field you want to be in all the time, and they also didn’t really know what they were doing. Why couldn’t it be you? You won’t know if you’ve got talent or if people will like your content until you just start writing.
Trust the universe. Trust yourself. Do what you love, even if it feels scary sometimes.
