Chasing the Dragon or Agent of Change- Finding a Path on Medium | by Francisco McGuire | Jul, 2023

Play the way you feel.

I got attacked by three street dogs on a bike trip just north of Mexico City, Ecatepec. It was about 8 seconds of gnarly violence, they tried to eat me, it was a coordinated effort. My girlfriend was insistent I start a blog or something while my bites were healing. Perhaps share my wisdom with regard to bike touring in industrial hellzones on the fringe of ginormous cities.

I jumped on Medium, why not!

I put in some work, wrote stuff, and explored the platform. It’s been maybe six weeks. I got some claps, some followers and some reads. It’s very gratifying when somebody reads my efforts, takes something from it; gains a benefit from my experience. I really do appreciate a fellow human freely choosing to give me their attention, it gives me happy feels. I did a thing! Doing things is good, and doubly so if we can brighten somebodies day; this is a known fact in the social sciences.

The ad-free platform is great, I enjoy reading on here, as well as the interactions found commenting and submitting to publications. It is a wholesome use of my time. Medium is a very real community, I have found connections to people through the work they produce. You can really get to know somebody reading about their experiences and how they perceive the world. You can learn a lot from people, and the folks on Medium have changed me in a beneficial way. Thanks peoples!

It is also a place of commerce, a place to extend reach and build your brand. A place to be an influencer, a guru, or drive people to your male supplement site. A place to gain attention for money. It seems like an awful lot of work, but it’s cool that people can have a self directed lifestyle and pursue an income that is independent of the typical model. It’s quite democratic in that way, anyone with 50 bucks and a dream has a way to pursue that.

Oh, I checked my stats, and I daydreamed about going viral. I have read articles about gaining followers; I put the app on my phone for vacation. I started chasing the dragon. How does one succeed at this? I have gained from this pursuit also, I have learned and changed. I have broadened my horizons and approach. I started tutoring English online and picking up a few bucks that way, all thanks to the platform. I am doing a thing!

It is unlikely I will go viral or build an online empire. I have moved on personally from those goals. I thank all of the entrepreneurs and influencers that have shared the benefit of their experience in this space. I was able to quickly determine how I might best fit this world.

Medium is an agent of change for me, a place to learn from others, and to develop focus on my personal thing through writing in public. Works for me!