My first payment from Medium.

It was $0.17. That is 17 cents.

After writing on Medium for a year, I received my first payment from Medium. It was $0.17. That is 17 cents. I have never raised any paywall for any of my writing on Medium. So, I don’t know where the 17 cents is from. But I appreciate it.

It is a milestone for me as I have never made one penny by writing or creating content. I shared the $0.17 payment notification from Medium with my friends on FaceBook and received more laughter emoji.

The joy of writing and sharing my thoughts and opinions with people I have never met is a sufficient reward. Occasionally, my readers will respond, positively or negatively, to my writing, which is over-the-top icing on the cake.

I have a small following. After one year, I have about 310ish followers and 15 subscribers — the number of followers fluctuates. I would gain a couple on a day and lose on another day.

Many experienced writers have shared that it is best to know who you are writing for and write consistently on topics the targeted audience will read. I am not sure who is my targeted audience. I want to write on more than just topics those targeted audiences want to read. I write what comes naturally to me at that moment.

The foundational view of all my writings comes from my love of individual liberty. Without personal freedom, life has no meaning.

Here is an article I have written on Individual Liberty: https://medium.com/@celinekoon/dont-pee-on-my-lawn-5731775eaecf

Here is an article on Live and Let Live, the Libertarian Way https://medium.com/@celinekoon/libertarians-the-true-freedom-and-peace-loving-people-467a4d3daece

Individual liberty is not given to us. We have to earn it. There is no freedom when one is poor or sick, regardless if we live in a democratic society or not. We study, work, and invest to ensure that we can attain or maximize individual liberty. In a way, we give up freedom for some time to work toward the day we can be free.

So when I write about economic issues like capitalism versus socialism, market-driven economy, the virtue of entrepreneurship, and the necessity to take risks as early as possible in one’s life, it is not because I want to be filthy rich. It is because, without financial resources, one cannot live the true life of a free person.

Freedom comes or is built over time and is directly proportional to the financial success she has attained. One who works hard to achieve financial success will first have to tolerate the loss of much of her freedom to devote time and energy to work, take risks, face failures and humiliations, and earn another day to do it all over again. Over an extended period, and only after many failures and standing back up repeatedly, will one gradually see the fruits of her work, the accumulated freedom, and the improved quality of life.

When I write about LGBTQ issues, especially about the most oppressed and misunderstood Transgender group, my advocacy is simple:

(1) Live and Let Live, the Libertarian way.

Here is an article I have written on What is transgender?https://medium.com/@celinekoon/what-is-transgender-333d05e90ff2

(2) The best way for transgender people to be accepted is for transgender people to contribute financially to society.

Here is an article I have written on A life of success for Transgender Women: https://medium.com/@celinekoon/the-priorities-for-transgender-women-9c828e6b463d

Nobody owes us anything in life. How we want to live our true self is up to us. Don’t ask others for permission to live our lives, whatever our lives are.

With financial resources, one can be housed anywhere, shop anywhere, travel anywhere at any time, eat and drink anywhere, shop anywhere for anything, and be entertained by friends or no friends. No one can tell you what you can or cannot do. When people say you do you, that is only possible if you have the financial resources to back it.

All my writing is about living a life with NO PERMISSION necessary and how to get there. Is there a target audience for that? I don’t know, and I don’t care.

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