To you who have lost the will to write, saying 'My best work goes unread.' The reason I started mentoring someone for free 🌿

One day, this post appeared on my Threads feed.

That post had 64 likes and 34 comments.

In other words, this wasn't just one person's lament. It was proof that many people writing on note are huddled in the same place, feeling the same way.

I paused for a while in front of that '(:3_ヽ)_' emoticon, which looked like someone lying down powerlessly.

I am in my 16th year as an occupational therapist, an HSP and ISFJ working as a functional training instructor at a special nursing home. I have been practicing Adlerian psychology for 13 years and have been present at the end of life for nearly 100 people. I have written quite a number of articles in this Adler series as well.

Today is a little different from usual. I want to write about 'contribution,' the most important concept in Adlerian psychology, not as an abstract theory, but through something I am actually doing right now.

It is the story of how I started mentoring one person's note for free.

'We are contemporaries, then.' 🤝

That person is KoreQ. He calls himself an 'AI Prompt Researcher' and is exploring ways for humans and AI to think and grow together, rather than just leaving everything to AI.

I couldn't help but comment like this:

'I see. I would have liked to read your best articles. How long had you been writing articles on note?'

The answer that came back was this:

About three months. He had been trying to write about ways to use AI that no one had discovered yet, but in the end, he said he scrapped them and they were never published.

Three months. It is by no means short. He said he had given up and deleted those three months' worth of articles.

I replied:

'We are (:3_ヽ)_ contemporaries, then. ...Would you be willing to stand up once more?'

KoreQ wrote back, sounding bewildered:

'If I could see some hope... I suppose so.'

That was when I stepped in.

"Then, would you be willing to put into practice what I have been doing? Of course, I won't force you. If you hate writing on note, I certainly won't push you. Why don't we build a foundation so that you can be read?"

I will never forget the words he returned to me a while later.

"That is a wonderful proposal. I can see hope now. If it's that, I feel like I can do it. After that, I hope I can reach a state where writing itself is exciting and fun."

——This moment was everything.

Why I didn't teach from 'above' 🪜

There is something I want to write honestly here.

I didn't tell him to 'do your best.' I also didn't suddenly offer know-how by saying, 'If you do this, you will be read.'

The first thing I said was, 'We are peers, then.'

This wasn't intentional. It just came out naturally. But looking back, I think this was exactly the 'horizontal relationship' that Adlerian psychology speaks of.

Adler believed that when encouraging people, true strength does not well up from vertical relationships—'praising,' 'evaluating,' or 'teaching' from above. People stand up when they are treated as equals in a 'horizontal relationship,' with someone standing beside them saying, 'I am the same.'

KoreQ-san wrote for three months and then deleted it. I also had a period in the beginning where my AI-focused articles didn't go well. So, it wasn't a lie; I truly thought of us as 'peers.'

What someone who cannot stand up needs is not a hand extended from high above. I think it is someone who sits down on the same ground and says, 'That was tough, wasn't it? But you can stand up again.'

What exactly does 'building a foundation' mean? 🧱

So, what is this 'building a foundation to be read' that I am conveying to him?

It is not a difficult technique. In fact, it is so plain that it might be anticlimactic.

It's fine to have even just 100 followers. So, first, take the initiative yourself and make friends.

That is all.

People who have just started on note tend to go looking for 'viral articles' or 'amazing know-how.' But you cannot build a magnificent house where there is no foundation.

Follow people you think are great. Read their articles and press the 'Like' button. Leave comments. By engaging yourself in that way, people who know you will gradually increase.

I call this the 'power of compound interest.'

At first, 1 just becomes 2. But the people you connect with will connect you to someone else. People who read your work will come back to read again. Small interactions grow like a snowball—slowly, but surely.

It's not flashy. You won't get thousands of 'likes' overnight. But I believe this is the most resilient foundation you can have.

A small habit I've kept up for a long time ✍️

Actually, there is a habit I have kept up for a long time myself.

When someone 'likes' my article, I go read their articles and 'like' them back.

Of course, I get busy and sometimes forget. I'm not perfect at it. But I do it as much as I can.

Why?

For one, it's simply a thank you for reading my article.

But there is another, more important reason.

I don't believe a relationship where you only receive rewards is a good one. Receiving likes. Being read. If you just keep receiving, it eventually becomes a vertical relationship.

That's why I give back, too. I tell them, 'I read your article as well.' I feel that only then can we become equals in a horizontal relationship.

It's not a calculated 'give and take.' It's just that when I receive something, I want to give something back. That's all it is.

Lately, I've been wanting to engage more deeply with my followers by reading their articles and leaving comments whenever possible. So, to be honest, the time I spend looking at Threads has been gradually decreasing. I've come to want to spend my time in places where I can face people one-on-one, rather than places where I chase numbers.

Why 'free'? 💬

Some of you might be thinking this:

'You started your membership at 1,000 yen, so why is this person getting it for free?'

I will write honestly.

KoreQ-san was someone whose desire to 'be read' was much stronger than the desire to 'sell.' Rather than wanting to make money, they wanted to deliver what they had written with all their heart to someone. That pure feeling was definitely there during the three months they had deleted.

I couldn't bring myself to charge money to accompany someone like that.

Besides, he is an 'AI prompt researcher.' By mentoring him, his prompts might be refined, and one day I might benefit from them myself. If that happens, it would be more than enough for me.

Actually, he isn't the only one I'm consulting for free.

Recently, I've decided to keep doing this as long as there is demand. It could be for brainstorming article ideas, or for advice on building the foundation of a note.

As for paid articles, I haven't written anything grand enough to teach others with an air of authority. So, I can't give advice on that. But here is what I have been doing lately.

I ask myself, 'If I were a reader and in the position to buy this article, how would I feel?' I share those honest feelings via DM only with those who have asked me, 'I want to know.' In the last two days, I have shared this with two people.

I'm not teaching. As a reader, I simply offer my impressions. That much, I can do.

This is also an experiment in my own 'contribution' 🌏

In Adlerian psychology, the primary source of human happiness is considered to be 'social interest'—the sense of connection that comes from feeling, 'I am useful to someone.'

And this social interest is not something you 'wait to be given,' but something that arises when you 'contribute from your own initiative.'

I have seen this firsthand in my work at a special nursing home. Caregivers, nurses, and counselors all bring their perspectives together to support a single resident. Even when there is no answer alone, if several perspectives are gathered, a way out suddenly appears.

I believe the world of note is the same.

Among those doing note × Threads, there are so many people like KoreQ who are struggling. 'It's not being read,' 'I've lost the will to write.' There are many people who are feeling that (:3_ヽ)_ emoticon in their hearts.

As my contribution to others, I want to help even one such person.

Of course, there are limits. The number of people I can mentor is limited. I cannot save everyone.

But I can reach out to the person right in front of me.

Finally—are you also feeling like (:3_ヽ)_? 🌱

KoreQ-san gladly accepted a request from me afterward.

'Since you have taught me so kindly and carefully, I will cooperate.'he said.

So I replied:

‘Thank you. But please know that I truly have no intention of leading you astray. Let's do our best together from here on. If you have any questions, please write them here anytime. When you post your article, I will definitely go read it. I'm looking forward to it.’

I am genuinely looking forward to the next article he writes.

If you are currently losing the motivation to write, thinking, 'Even if I write my best work, it doesn't get read.' If you are lying there listlessly, like that (:3_ヽ)_ emoticon.

Please, I want you to remember.

It is not because your work is bad that it isn't being read. It is just that the foundation hasn't been built yet. And the foundation is not built through flashy techniques, but slowly stacked up from small steps of engaging with others yourself.

If you cannot stand up alone, you can just stand side-by-side with someone.

If you are okay with me, I will be your 'peer' .

And KoreQ-san, I want to be by your side to see the day you reach the state where 'writing itself is exciting and fun'.

Are you standing side-by-side with someone right now? And is there someone by your side watching over your '(:3_ヽ)_'?

📌 Click here for KoreQ-san's note, whom I am accompanying 👇 (AI Prompt Researcher | KoreQ-san)

He is exploring 'how to use AI where people and AI think and grow together, rather than leaving everything to AI.' I would be happy if you could watch over what kind of articles he writes from now on. And if possible, please follow and give a 'like'.

Profile

16th year as an Occupational Therapist | Working in special nursing homes and unit care | Former Dementia Care Instructor and Manager | HSP/ISFJ | Playing tennis since junior high | Father of a 7-year-old daughter | 13 years of practicing Adlerian psychology | Lost weight from 106kg to 77kg | After experiencing depression and social phobia, I continue to share field-based information on how I became able to live without medication.

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#HowToWriteNote #NoteBeginner #ContributionToOthers #AdlerianPsychology #CommunityFeeling #FreeConsultation #NoteFriends #OccupationalTherapist

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