If I Had To Start Over As A Writer, Here’s What I'd Do

Remember that small wins are the building blocks of success.

Photo by Substack.

I still remember the moment I got my first follower.

“Wow,” I said to myself. “Someone actually liked what I have to say!”

I couldn’t stop grinning. For hours, I was bathed in a sense of gratitude and shock. After all, someone liked what I was doing enough to follow me, and it felt better than winning the lottery.

But I wasn’t always grateful for what I had….

For years, I felt like I never had “enough” because the temptation to chase shiny objects was everywhere. I wanted a bigger apartment, bigger bank account, and a bigger subscriber count. I also wanted to write viral articles, bestselling books, and novels that secured my place in the literature hall of fame. But one day, a friend told me a story that changed how I think about making progress.

There was once a stonecutter. Every day, from dawn until dusk, he hammered away at a large boulder and struck the stone without seeing much progress. 

It often felt like all his effort was for nothing. That there wasn’t any poin…