You’re scrolling through Facebook and skip yet another article from Odyssey that’s nudged its way into your timeline. “I don’t read Odyssey articles,” you say. “They’re all the same.” Well, so is everyone at surface level, but to find the real treasure, you must dig a little deeper.
Before I started creating content on Odyssey, I thought anyone could apply. Then I thought it was solely for college students, and at the time, my school did not have an Odyssey team. Suddenly, Odyssey was like this exclusive club I wasn’t a member of, or that middle school birthday sleepover that everyone else got an invitation to but you. Now we have our own community of content Creators, but I’ve since learned what an amazing opportunity we have in front of us.
You might be thinking, “But I suck at writing.” So what? Odyssey isn’t going to give you a report card to take home to your parents. We aren’t looking for award-winning novels or carefully-researched, MLA-style essays. We’re looking for raw, human stories funneled to the masses through your own words. Odyssey is written, maintained, edited and shared by thousands of young people, each with a life story all their own. There are dreamers and doers, sisters and brothers, friends, students, workers, athletes, leaders, followers, those who try and at times have failed. They’ve been through breakups and makeups, fights and tragedies, good days and not-so-good days, and guess what? So have you. If you’re still not comfortable with writing your own story, share someone else’s that you liked or could relate to. You could be thinking, “But I never read anything that actually relates to me.” Keep searching. Odyssey publishes over 50,000 pieces of content a month. There’s literally something for everyone.
But this article isn’t an advertisement convincing you to become a content Creator for Odyssey. It’s a reassurance from us to you that yes, you matter, yes, the world needs you. Did you know we think of you before every story we write? We consider who could be reached, who might be touched by the words on this page. It’s because we thrive when you read our work, when you click to share them online or use your voice to share it offline. Words can’t go anywhere unless someone carries them. You’re like our human carrier pigeon, our Pony Express rider, the driver of our Wells Fargo wagon. Your role in this is just as important as those who create content on Odyssey.
Don’t think that just because you might not have all things in common doesn’t mean you don’t have Odyssey in common. You see, Odyssey isn’t about college, or writing, or being a certain type of someone. It’s about sharing stories and connecting with the community at large — a community beyond your own, nestled in either a bustling city or a tiny town. It’s about reaching people and reminding them that yes, you’re going through this or are facing that, but you can make it, because someone else did, too. It’s generating a conversation amongst friends, peers, family, and that may be at your dinner table at night or in a group message across three different time zones.
Will you survive without Odyssey? Absolutely. You don’t need to read an article or list compiled with clever memes to make it from today to tomorrow. But we won’t. We need readers like you, people who crave reading and learning new things who are walking all different paths of life. We need unique people, broken people, opinionated people, loving people. We need you to tell your story and share it with others. Why? Because without you, we’re just a webpage with text and images. We’re just black and white, flat words having no impact on anyone or anything. You’re our catalyst. Without us, you’re still something, but without you, we’re nothing.
