The Power of Starting Small: Why 15 Reads Mattered to Me

There’s something strangely terrifying about hitting “publish” for the first time.

It’s just a button—one simple click—and suddenly, your words are out there. But behind that click is a storm of hesitation: self-doubt, vulnerability, and that little inner voice whispering, “What if no one reads it?”

A few days ago, I decided to publish my first article on Voice. It wasn’t something I planned for weeks or spent hours polishing. It was a simple piece—raw and honest. I wrote it because I wanted to start somewhere. And deep down, I was tired of postponing something I knew I needed to do.

I didn’t expect much. I wasn’t aiming for viral. I just wanted to know what it felt like to show up.

A day later, I checked the stats out of curiosity. Fifteen.

Fifteen people took time out of their day to read something I wrote.

To some, that’s barely a number. But to me, it was everything.

It meant that my words weren’t floating in a void. They landed. They were seen. And that’s more than enough to keep going.

In a World Obsessed with Big Numbers, Small Feels Invisible

We live in a culture of instant gratification. Scroll through any social platform and you’ll see huge engagement numbers: thousands of views, hundreds of likes, dozens of shares. And if your own post doesn’t stack up, it’s easy to feel discouraged.

But here’s the thing—those fifteen reads weren’t just numbers. They were people. Real humans who paused, clicked, and read. That’s not nothing. That’s the connection.

And when you’re just starting out, connection matters more than scale.

Small Is a Beginning, Not a Limitation

One of the biggest lessons I’m learning is this: small isn’t a sign you’re failing. It’s a sign you’re beginning.

Everything meaningful starts small. A plant begins as a seed. A story begins with a single sentence. A journey begins with one step. We’ve all heard those metaphors, but it’s different when you feel them in real life—when those “small” moments become real, lived experiences.

This article, for me, was that step. I moved from thinking and planning to doing and sharing. And that shift is more powerful than any algorithm or metric.

Because momentum doesn’t come from overthinking. It comes from action.

From Observer to Creator

Writing this article helped me realize something else—I’ve spent a lot of time being a silent observer. Reading what others wrote. Admiring how freely they expressed their thoughts. Saving posts I loved, thinking “I could write something like this too... someday.”

But someday never comes unless we make it happen. I don’t want to be a passive observer of creativity anymore. I want to participate. To contribute.

And yes, that means showing up imperfectly. Sharing work that may not be polished. Being okay with small beginnings.

Because doing something, even if it’s small, is infinitely better than doing nothing.

Sharing Means Showing Up—Even When You’re Not Sure

After publishing the article, I also decided to share a short LinkedIn post about it. I just wrote a few lines—what the article was about and how it felt to publish something for the first time.

That post reached over 300 impressions.

Again, not groundbreaking. But it was encouraging.

And it reinforced what I felt from those fifteen readers: people do pay attention.

Maybe not millions. Maybe not even hundreds.

But a few.

And sometimes, that’s all you need.

What I’m Taking Away From This

These last few days reminded me of something I often forget: you don’t need permission to start. You just need to start.

The world doesn’t need more perfect content. It needs more honest stories.

It needs more people willing to be vulnerable, to create something real, and to share it—even if only a handful of people see it.

So that’s what I’m trying to do. One post, one article, one reader at a time.

To Anyone Who’s Hesitating Right Now…

If you’re sitting on an idea, a draft, a thought you’ve been meaning to share—this is your sign.

Publish it. Post it. Let it go.

Not because it’ll go viral. Not because it’ll be flawless.

But because you’re allowed to take up space.

You’re allowed to start.

Fifteen reads might not seem like a big deal.

But it’s fifteen more than zero.

Fifteen people who said, “Yes, I’ll give this a moment of my time.”

And that’s how everything begins.

Start small. Stay consistent. Keep going.

Your voice matters—whether it reaches one person or a thousand.