I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was six years old. However, I never told myself I’d be a successful writer when I published a book, made money from writing, or was able to “quit my day job.”
To me, I’d be successful when I impacted one person. I’d be successful when a single person read my words and felt understood or like they weren’t alone.
That’s the mindset I had going into this blog. That’s what I kept telling myself as I set up the website at two in the morning. Each time I hesitated and wondered if it was worth it, if anyone would read it, or if I was completely crazy, I’d remind myself it was for one person. Just one person. I remind myself that every Thursday when I post.
Man oh man did I set my goal too low.
I had a complete stranger message me on Instagram after my second post and thank me for writing it.
Week two and I was done. My goal had been met. So I decided on one more person.
The next week, I got another message from another stranger, and I decided on one more person.
Today, I’ve had nearly a thousand readers from twelve different countries. I’ve had friends, coworkers, relatives, friends of my parents, and people I haven’t spoken to in years message me, leave comments, or tell me in person that they appreciate this blog.
If you are one of those people: thank you. I cannot express how blown away I’ve been by your kindness. I expected people to not understand, not care, or even treat me differently because of this blog. That hasn’t happened.
Instead, I’ve had coworkers say they related to my posts and open up to me in ways I never expected. I’ve been told by classmates that they appreciate my bravery. I’ve been told by friends that I’m saying things that “people desperately need to hear.”
But I haven’t just been helping others, all of you have been helping me. Each one of you helps me overcome my anxiety a little more each day, just by reading.
When I started this blog, I hadn't thought about the impact it would have on me. It was always my intention to help just one person. It hadn't crossed my mind that helping one person would in turn help me, but it has.
Thank you for giving me the courage to keep writing and talking about my anxiety. Thank you for forcing me to challenge myself, to push myself, to write about the things that hurt. I firmly believe that if something is hard to talk about, it needs to be talked about. All of you have made that a lot easier to do that.
So, thank you for reading. Thank you for your comments, for your messages, for telling me in person. Thank you for proving me wrong when I thought this was a bad idea. Thank you for reminding me that what I’m doing here has purpose.
I wouldn’t write if you weren’t reading. And as long as you’re reading, I’ll keep writing and see how far this “one more person” goal takes me.
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