If you’re considering writing more—publicly or privately, and especially during this time—I hope this post helps you.
Last year, a friend shared with me this quote from Clive Thompson’s book ‘Smarter Than You Think,’ which has helped me on my journey.
“I’d argue that the cognitive shift in going from an audience of zero (talking to yourself), to an audience of ten people (a few friends or random strangers checking out your online post), is so big that it’s actually huger than going from ten people to a million people.”
The critical mass of readers required for great conversations is lower than you think.
A handful of people is all you need.
You just need a few people who are willing to tell you when you’re wrong, to tell you when you write something that resonates, to tell you that you missed the point, or to tell you that you sound too much like a Hallmark Card (thanks, Kevin!).
My first thirty days of blogging—where I did it in complete secrecy and didn’t share it with anyone—was lonely. But as I opened up, regardless of the quality of my posts, it has allowed me to meet a group of unique, positive, and insightful people.
Whether it’s on a blog, in an email, or even a Whatsapp message, your thoughts and words can be meaningful to someone.
Heck, if you’re worried, send it to me. I’m at the very beginning of a lifelong journey of writing. I’ll cheer you on.