From writer to (aspiring) economist: doing the calculus on something you suck at

‘Every single time I sat at my desk, I learned something new – no matter how small.’ Photograph: rfranca/Getty Images

Every day (most days) I get out of bed, sit at my laptop and write words. Usually, they’re not terrible. Sometimes they’re even great. I type and type, breaking only to watch cat TikToks and eat yoghurt from a tube.

In the beginning, every tiny acknowledgment felt like standing on a podium. An editor’s kind rejection of my pitch? A retweet from another writer? Publishing my work without paying me? Each milestone was life-changing. The mere suggestion that I might be anything less than awful at the thing I was trying to do felt like a glitter bomb had exploded in my belly.