Why you think you’re not growing

Sow your seeds on fertile soil.

I remember the first piece I ever wrote online.

I poured hours into it, crafting every sentence with care, convinced it would strike a chord with readers. I hit publish and waited for the magic to happen. Nothing did.

A few days later, I refreshed the stats: two views. One was me; the other? Also me via a VPN. It stung.

But it also taught me something crucial: growth isn’t immediate. It’s incremental.

You are growing you just can’t see it yet.

In the age of viral tweets, overnight influencers, and seemingly effortless success, the allure of quick wins in online growth is hard to resist.

Everywhere you look, someone promises to teach you how to gain 10,000 followers in a month, monetise your content in a week, or transform your writing into a six-figure empire overnight.

Humans are predictable creatures. We fantasise about outcomes not processes.

We want the results but not the lifestyle required to create them.

The msot effective way to grab someones attention is to focus on the result that they can expect to achieve.

But growing an audience online—especially through writing—is less like striking gold and more like sowing seeds in a field.

Growth takes time, patience, and faith.

It’s a process that demands focus, consistency and care. And yet still, there are no guarantees.

Planting Seeds Without Knowing the Outcome

I grew up in the rural English countryside. We were semi self sufficient. We grew most of our own food.

When we planted seeds, we didn’t know how many would germinate. Some seeds would sprout strong; others would fail entirely.

We didn’t know if the rain would come on time, if pests would stay away, or if the sun would shine strong enough.

So many things were outside of our control.

All we could do is plant a variety of seeds and trust the process.

Writing is uncannily similar

Each article, thread, or post you publish is a seed.

Some will resonate deeply, sparking conversations and shares.

Others will go unnoticed, left to wither in the vast digital landscape.

This is to be expected.

That is why we planted a variety of different crops.

We usually had at least three different types of potatoes in our garden. We had basic staples like leaks and onions which are easy to grow but we also kept experimenting with things like carrots - which, if you didn’t know, are notoriously difficult to grow.

The point is to spread yourself and keep experimenting . Not to put all your eggs in one basket.

To emotionally attach your sense of self worth to whether strangers read every piece of writing is to set yourself up for psychological trauma.

If you start with the goal of reaping a full harvest it’s going to be an extremely long and arduous journey.

Imagine if the farmer expected the harvest in spring a couple of weeks after plating. You would rightly think he is insane.

You’ll stare at your metrics, refresh your notifications, compare yourself to others who have seemingly made it and wonder why it’s not working for you.

When you start writing you’re not just planting seeds. You’re cultivating a field.

Cultivation is about increasing soil fertility. It’s about knowing what to plant when to plant it and how to nurture it.

I may be digging this farming metaphor into the ground but I can’t help but see the parallels.

My brother transformed what we had as a bit of a hobby into a profession.

He is a market gardener and for his first project he literally spent a year just preparing the soil and digging the beds before even planting anything.

If you haven’t already realised it the soil is your mind and the process of cultivation is how you develop self awareness and refinement over time.

Cultivation Requires Patience and Care

A farmer doesn’t stop after planting seeds.

He waters the soil, adds fertiliser, pulls out the weeds, mitigates blight, makes sure the crops are getting enough sunlight.

He repeats these tasks day after day, with no sign of growth.

For creators, this is the phase of writing when no one is reading. It’s about building an internal locus of control.

It’s about finding fulfilment in the daily routine before tapping into the cultural Zeitgeist.

Growth is not linear, it is rarely exponential, it is in fact just like the seasons - cyclical.

At first, your progress may feel invisible, but with each piece of content, you’re improving your craft.

You’re learning where when and how to sow your seeds so that more of them germinate and grow into a full harvest.

The Seasons of Growth

Farmers work in cycles. They know there’s a season for planting, a season for growth, a season for harvest and a season for rest.

The reason I am using this metaphor is because it perfectly illustrates the rhythm that I have developed for my own writing routine.

I have found that embracing these cycles allows me to cultivate routines and practices which come naturally.

I can produce more without the need for discipline, force or grit.

In other words I am aligned in my systems and processes which takes care of the results.

This is an absolutely insane mindset shift.

It means that results seemingly just materialise automatically without effort.

The first thing that I have come realise is that the creative season doesn’t start in spring it starts in winter.

Society has got this backward.

We associate winter with dormant death. But it is in death that life begins.

Every stage of the cycle is important.

Winter or rest is when ideas begin to percolate.

It is only when we slow down to stop and think that we allow ideas to take shape.

Winter: Resting. Farmers know the soil needs time to recover. Likewise, creators need seasons of rest to recharge, reflect, and plan.

Growth isn’t sustainable without pauses.

Spring: Planting. This is when you start to take action, where you’re putting ideas out into the world without knowing what will resonate.

It’s messy and experimental. You’re building your skills, finding your voice, and starting to understand what works for you and your audience.

Summer: Nurturing. This is the season of hard work.

You’ve established some momentum, but you’re not yet seeing big results. This is where many creators give up, but it’s also where the magic happens. Stay consistent, engage with your readers, and trust the process.

Autumn: Harvesting. After months (or even years) of consistent effort, the results begin to show.

Your posts start to gain traction. Your audience grows. Opportunities come your way. But even in harvest season, you’re not done—you’re already thinking about what to plant next.

The Myth of Overnight Success

The internet loves to highlight stories of creators who went viral and amassed massive followings overnight.

But these stories rarely tell the full truth. Often, “overnight success” is the result of years of unseen effort.

The farmer doesn’t plant seeds one day and wake up to a field of crops the next. Viral moments, like bumper harvests, are rare and unpredictable. Most growth comes from steady, incremental progress.

Don’t measure your journey against someone else’s highlight reel.

The creators who last are the ones who focus on the craft, not the outcome.

They understand that true growth comes from laying a solid foundation and nurturing it over time.

Trusting the Process.

Farming is an act of faith.

The farmer believes that with care and consistency, the seeds will grow, even when the early days offer no visible proof.

Writing is no different.

You may not see immediate results, but every post, every edit, every interaction with a reader is contributing to something greater.

Remember, the farmer doesn’t rush the harvest.

They trust that when the time is right, the fruits of their labor will appear.

So, keep planting your seeds. Keep implementing ideas. The growth you’re seeking is already taking root beneath the surface.

Growth as a creator is not about going viral, growing fast, or making a lot of money quickly.

It’s about cultivating a body of work you can be proud of, nurturing an audience that values your voice, and reaping the rewards in due time.

Thank you for reading.

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P.s

Behind the scenes, I’m working on tools, systems and processes to help you build your writing rhythm, find your voice and grow your audience.

I’m learning and sharing as I go so this will be as fresh and cutting edge as it gets 😉.

If this resonated with share it with someone else.

Got ideas or feedback? Send me a message. I’d love to connect