How DareMe Helped One Woman Beat Writer's Block, Face Rejection, and Publish Her First Article
Lily Chien-Davis had dreamed of being a writer since she was a little girl. She even went so far as to enroll in an MFA creative writing graduate program, hoping formal training would provide the push she needed to finish writing her first novel.
But after graduation, crippling self-doubt crept in. Lily found herself paralyzed by perfectionism and fear of criticism. She desperately wanted to publish her work, yet anxiety kept her isolated and in hiding.
Years went by without Lily making any progress on her book. She knew she had to try something radically different to get unstuck.
That's when she discovered DareMe, an online platform created by bestselling author Jia Jiang to help people take action and grow through consistent small steps.
The DareMe Difference
DareMe provides the accountability, community, and small wins needed to drive real change. Benefits include:
28-Day "Dare" Challenges: Pick Dares aligned with your specific goals
Accountability Partner: Direct 1-on-1 messaging keeps you on track
Supportive Community: Join live Group Coaching calls and chat in Slack
Daily Progress Tracking: Check-in daily to report small progress wins
Ready to finally tackle your fears and transform your life? Learn more about joining DareMe.
Here's how joining DareMe catapulted Lily past the barriers holding her back from living her dream as a writer:
Facing the Blank Page
To build momentum, Lily committed to the DareMe "Flowy Writer" challenge, which involves writing a certain word count each day and reporting it to an accountability partner.
She pushed herself to publish daily on her neglected blog for 30 straight days - no exceptions. The consistency stretched Lily creatively:
"Even on days I didn't feel like writing, I discovered I had something to say. DareMe taught me to face my fears, 'fake it til I make it', and push past perfectionism."
Suddenly, writer's block didn't stand a chance against showing up day after day. Lily built an empowering habit proven to produce results.
Shutting Down Her Inner Critic
Fear of criticism plagued Lily and made hitting the "publish" button agonizing. She shares:
"Before DareMe, I was crippled by social anxiety about anyone judging my writing. Self-doubt convinced me I wasn't good enough."
But publishing small, imperfect posts daily replaced her inner critic's voice with a sense of accomplishment.
As Lily reported her progress to her DareMe partner, their encouragement overwhelmed her doubt. Each post mattered - not for praise or virality, but as a step forward.
Gaining Courage Through Accountability
After rebuilding her confidence through low-stakes blogging, Lily leveled up to tackle a new challenge:
Submitting to publications, which had always seemed impossibly daunting before.
She explains:
"My DareMe partner kept me accountable to send my writing out into the world. Knowing I'd have to report back whether I followed through motivated me to push past my fear."
Incredibly, despite intending to start small, Lily's very first Medium article was accepted by Human Parts - a popular publication on the platform.
Such quick validation left Lily in shock that she'd underestimated herself for so long.
Lily's Writing Journey Victories
Through consistency and accountability with DareMe, Lily accomplished remarkable growth:
Published daily on her neglected blog for 30 consecutive days
Beat writer's block by showing up regularly
Replaced inner critic's voice with encouragement
Published her very first article on Medium
Had an article accepted by popular Medium publication Human Parts
Continues revising stalled novel manuscript
Published more articles and grew her Medium audience
Meditated and maintained healthy habits more consistently
Became an early riser to optimize writing time
Overcame social anxiety and perfectionism
Gained the courage to put her writing out into the world
Lily's story proves we're capable of so much more than our fears convince us. Consistency and community empower us to unleash our potential.
Maintaining Momentum
It's now been nearly a year since Lily reignited her writing through DareMe's small, steady habit-building approach.
She continues carving out time to make progress on her novel revision. She no longer waits for inspiration to strike or drowns in infinite revisions. Lily trusts showing up consistently will carry her through.
She's also published more articles on Medium, received positive feedback from readers, and grown her audience.
But it's not just writing that DareMe has impacted. Lily explains:
"DareMe's daily accountability helps me stick to so many positive habits. I've meditated more consistently, maintained my healthy ketogenic diet, become an early riser to optimize my writing time, and more."
By focusing on progress over perfection, Lily now moves forward freer than ever before. Her story shows our potential is limited only by the restrictions we place on ourselves.
Sometimes all it takes is a supportive system of small, doable actions to break through those barriers and unleash our capabilities waiting within.
If you feel stuck pursuing a passion like Lily once did, it may be time to...
Dare yourself to take the next step.
Lily never expected transforming her relationship with writing would impact her life so profoundly. But by showing up consistently, she unlocked much more than prolific output.
Here are the 6 key lessons from Lily's inspirational writer's journey:
Baby steps build habits. Doing small, repeated actions daily compounds over time. Lily published imperfectly - but published.
Accountability is transformational. Reporting to someone else keeps us on track. It provides needed motivation not to procrastinate.
Progress mindset beats perfectionism. Focusing on moving forward in any capacity is freedom. Lily wrote without judging each post.
Take action despite fear. Anxiety never fully disappears. Counterintuitively, facing fears is the only way through them.
Consistency unlocks creativity. Doubting inspiration will strike leads to the blank page. Regular practice defeats writer's block.
Celebrate small wins. Acknowledge each step to feed momentum. Viral fame wasn't Lily's goal - courage was.
We all face doubts holding us back at times. But bravely taking small steps forward unlocks untapped potential, not just in writing, but in life.
What "tiny step" will you dare to take today?
Email us at team@dareme.com