The First Post is Always a Mess

The worst thing about the internet is that it is forever. This is also the best thing.

If you want some inspiration, go scroll all the way back to the beginning posts of popular creators.

• Ms Rachel didn’t always have 14 million YouTube subscribers and a Netflix show - 5 years ago she was reading board books on the floor of an (her?) apartment.

• MrBeast didn’t always have 367 million YouTube subscribers and an Amazon show - 11 years old he was making random Minecraft videos no one was watching.

Everyone’s first few tries at anything are….awkward. A little cringe-y. Just honestly not that good. But you don’t suck - you are just a beginner. And that’s just a level everyone has to pass through to get to the expert.

As I write this at 9am on February 25, 2025, today I will be a beginner at:

• managing life with four kids

• deploying my first Slack app

• learning about digital downloads on Etsy

• practicing having people over for dinner

• mixing cottage cheese with other foods to see what tastes good

Here’s to beginning, and our wobbly first steps. Someday we will be running.

And I guess it’s better to look back on our old selves with pride that we started something, even if it sucked, than regret that we never did, and in our heads it was perfect.

-Molly Beck