Focussing on what you can control sometimes feels like a superpower - it's too easy to feel like you're doing everything you can, and are still not getting anywhere - or even, in today's social media world, feeling like everyone else is somehow moving forwards and you're stuck in limbo. Persistence and showing up doesn't get as much credit as both should - thank you for the article, it reminds me I should probably write another substack post myself (my consistency is terrible!).
I really like your point about persistence. It rarely feels remarkable in the moment, but over time it's often the difference between feeling stuck and quietly making progress. And if this nudged you back toward writing, then the article has already done something worthwhile
I so resonate with this. As a freelance writer years ago, pre-Internet, I sent out proposals via snail mail with self-addressed, stamped envelopes enclosed. As a fellow freelancer put it, I could have wallpapered my downstairs bathroom with all those rejection letters that showed up in my mailbox. It is just by sheer grit sometimes that we prevail—good for you for not giving up until that 64th letter! I suspect you are not giving up on Substack either! Carry it on!!
Thank you so much for sharing this. The image of wallpapering a bathroom with rejection letters made me smile, and it also captures something so many of us experience but rarely talk about. Your story is a powerful reminder that persistence often matters more than immediate success. Every "no" was proof you were still showing up.
And yes, I have no plans to give up on Substack. 😊 The article was really born from that realization: when results are out of our hands, we can still control whether we keep creating, keep learning, and keep sending that next proposal. I'm grateful you saw yourself in it. Thank you for the encouragement,it means a lot.
Focussing on what you can control sometimes feels like a superpower - it's too easy to feel like you're doing everything you can, and are still not getting anywhere - or even, in today's social media world, feeling like everyone else is somehow moving forwards and you're stuck in limbo. Persistence and showing up doesn't get as much credit as both should - thank you for the article, it reminds me I should probably write another substack post myself (my consistency is terrible!).
I really like your point about persistence. It rarely feels remarkable in the moment, but over time it's often the difference between feeling stuck and quietly making progress. And if this nudged you back toward writing, then the article has already done something worthwhile
I so resonate with this. As a freelance writer years ago, pre-Internet, I sent out proposals via snail mail with self-addressed, stamped envelopes enclosed. As a fellow freelancer put it, I could have wallpapered my downstairs bathroom with all those rejection letters that showed up in my mailbox. It is just by sheer grit sometimes that we prevail—good for you for not giving up until that 64th letter! I suspect you are not giving up on Substack either! Carry it on!!
Thank you so much for sharing this. The image of wallpapering a bathroom with rejection letters made me smile, and it also captures something so many of us experience but rarely talk about. Your story is a powerful reminder that persistence often matters more than immediate success. Every "no" was proof you were still showing up.
And yes, I have no plans to give up on Substack. 😊 The article was really born from that realization: when results are out of our hands, we can still control whether we keep creating, keep learning, and keep sending that next proposal. I'm grateful you saw yourself in it. Thank you for the encouragement,it means a lot.