This article marks my twentieth article for the Odyssey! I count this as a huge accomplishment for myself. I have enjoyed it, and I have learned a lot from this experience. To celebrate the big 2-0, I’ve written a list of 20 things I’ve learned since beginning my journey with the Odyssey.

1. Not everyone is going to read my articles.

My first few articles received a lot of positive feedback, but the feedback very quickly went down to just about none. That was a hard thing to take, but I’ve learned to accept it.

2. I need to take more time to read the articles my friends write.

They have good things to say, and I need to acknowledge that.

3. Not everyone will relate to what you write.

I like to write about things that are relevant to what I am going through, and not everyone is going through the same things as me. You don’t have to cater your writing to what people want. Write what you want.

4. My articles will probably never go viral.

This is okay, even though I’m disappointed I’ll never be on Ellen or Jimmy Fallon because of my articles...

5. It is hard to remain creative.

Sometimes I struggle to come up with a topic to write about. But this leads me to my next point...

6. I am more creative than I thought I was.

I always seem to come up with something new every week. This is always a shock to me.

7. It is hard to remain passionate.

I like to receive positive feedback, and really just feedback in general for what I do. It is hard to continue to love writing when people don’t express a love for what I’m writing.

8. It requires time management.

This is something that I can always do better with, but so far only one of my articles has been written past the deadline!

9. I write more efficiently than I sometimes realize.

Sometimes I’ll devote hours to writing out an article and getting it just right. Sometimes I get done way ahead of schedule though.

10. A picture speaks louder than words.

I’ve noticed that I can take a quick picture, post it to social media, and get dozens of likes. But when it comes to my articles, sometimes I struggle to even get a handful of likes. This is often a disappointment to me.

11. People like to read lists.

This may or may not be why I have chosen a list format for this article. And this takes me to my next point.

12. Words still have value.

Sometimes people prefer to just read a few words or short sentences, but words still have some value in our society.

13. Choosing the cover photo is the best part.

There are always so many options to look through, therefore...

14. It’s hard to choose only one photo.

I take the time to write hundreds of words, and I have to choose just ONE photo to represent all of them. That’s a lot of pressure.

15. Memes are fun to include.

This helps take the pressure of the cover photo off my shoulders. And just for fun, here’s one of my favorite ones!

16. People can be really supportive.

It’s always nice to hear that people are enjoying what I write, and it motivates me to keep going.

17. It can be awkward when your friends mention your article in person.

It’s not always awkward, but sometimes it can be.

18. I’m often surprised by who shares and reads my articles.

People I haven’t spoken to in a while often take the time to share my post and include a nice little note with it.

19. I’m also not surprised by who doesn’t share or read my articles.

I try not to let this bother me.

20. I should keep going.

Even though I can very easily be discouraged with writing for the Odyssey, I can just as easily be encouraged by it. It is something I enjoy doing, and I will continue to do it for as long as I want!