Do Not Despise These Small Beginnings

Or early endings. Write of Passage was both.

Disclaimer: these are my thoughts on Write of Passage, not the official company position. Please read David Perell’s letter for the company perspective.

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A drizzly and cool October afternoon in 1995.

I’m slouched over a counter in the advertising offices of the State News newspaper at Michigan State, sipping lukewarm coffee, taking customer calls, selling and writing ads.

In between calls, I stare out the window at the large fountain in the courtyard. Too soon, the fountain will be drained for winter, transformed into a frigid bowl suitable for collecting snowflakes.

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” the hit from Deep Blue Something, drifts out of the small radio in the office. The song was in heavy rotation on 101.7 FM and I’d heard it 20 times by that point. But a few lines grabbed me in a new way that day:

So what now? It's plain to see we're over
And I hate when things are over
When so much is left undone

For first time, an obvious truth landed on my chest with a thud:

“Wait, I don’t get to stay in school forever. This is going to be over soon.”

A reminder that good things often end too soon.

Do not despise these small beginnings

A warm and sunny Florida day in April 2019.

I’d been following this young David Perell guy on Twitter who said smart and useful things about writing. So when he announced his new course, I jumped in. I’d published online infrequently, handcuffed by imaginary judgements from people who didn’t care.

After the first cohort, I came back. Later I worked as a mentor, then lead mentor. I was hooked. Hooked on the curriculum, the people I was meeting, and the collective energy and aspirations of everyone in the course.

It was magic.

Just over two years ago, I became director of student success, and I’ve loved every day working with a selfless, tireless, and relentless team. And of course, the students. Cohort after cohort, the incredible students.

Soon, that run will come to an end. Cohort 13 will be the last for Write of Passage.

We are told in the Bible¹:

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.

And it was the smallest of beginnings.

In Cohort 1, I had so little confidence in my writing insights that I would leave sessions rather than joining breakouts to discuss concepts with a couple of other students². I’d jump back in a few minutes later when students were back together in the main session.

I was playing small, letting fear win.

In Cohort 13, I will sit in the co-pilot seat for Live Sessions, guiding students through exercises and breakouts, and, hopefully, stirring up a little mischief.

Small beginnings, indeed.

Do not despise early endings, either

A scorching and sweaty Thursday in Tampa

I don’t want Write of Passage to end, of course, though I understand why it is. That’s a natural feeling when you’re leaving the best team and job of your life.

The Bible also tells us to take heart when things don’t go according to our plans. Romans 8:28 says:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

I was called to Write of Passage. No doubt about it.

And though the end feels heavy right now, James 4:14 reminds us of the fleeting nature of existence:

Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

It’s all etherial. We create the illusion of heaviness, affix a desire for permanence, and then get upset when reality doesn’t met our hallucinations.

Most who struggle with writing, myself included, struggle with other types of hallucinations—unwarranted, imaginary fears that cripple creativity.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of helping students push through fear and share their ideas with the world. It’ exhilarating.

But make no mistake: the students themselves do the work. They make their own decisions and discoveries. They choose to push themselves.

We just nudge.

I’ve never felt more alive in my work than when nudging at Write of Passage.

The team I work with, today and over the past couple of years, has been and is remarkable. I’ll always be grateful to David, Will Mannon, and Dan Sleeman for bringing me aboard.

It’s a team without fifedoms. Without egos. Yet super smart and always pushing me to be better. We’d go on team retreats, most recently to the Catskills. There we would argue over course and session content and structure all day and then play board games over a beer at night.

Rare.

And the alumni who have returned as mentors and editors across the cohorts? The beloved “Crew”?

So passionate, so skilled, so hungry to create the same kinds of writing unlocks in others they found inside themselves. It’s been an honor to lead them, to have them lead me, and to watch them shape transformational experiences for students, cohort after cohort.  

Maybe that’s the best place to leave it, even if “so much is left undone.”

To have helped over 2,500 students. To have an incredible work experience to treasure. To create space for new things to sprout, to springboard from what was done here and go to to places we can’t yet imagine.

No, it doesn’t feel like that now. Maybe someday it will.

We’re not done yet

Write of Passage gave me so much more than the ability to publish consistently—though it certainly did that.

Write of Passage unlocked skills I had discounted or brushed aside.

Skills like the ability to create training and teaching that was impactful, interesting and useful. To sell something I truly value. To select, train and wrangle a team of 20-30 dedicated and passionate alums so we could deliver a truly special and unique experience. To plan sessions and lead large audiences on Zoom.

But the most important skill I learned was to shove fear out of the driver’s seat, so I could do those things, and more.

Maybe that resonates with you.

Maybe you have ideas you want to share, or you want to improve the way you share them. But you need that nudge.

If you’ve ever considered joining Write of Passage, well, the time is now.

I’ve held dozens of Discovery Calls with prospective students, talking with them about their writing and their goals, and helping them decide if Write of Passage is right for them. 

Is it time for a small beginning of your own?

Let’s book a zero-pressure Discovery Call and see. With our incentive pricing for early enrollment ($2,495 through August 30), there’s no better time to chat. 

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Thank you for reading Steady Beats #252

1. I really did this, despite 20 years of professional writing experience. Our fears are fake. And I missed out on meeting some great people in Cohort 1 because of it.

2. Pretty confident this is my only essay to quote both the Bible and lyrics by Deep Blue Nothing