I got my first smartphone when I turned 18. By 19, I had a million followers.

I got my first smartphone when I turned 18. By 19, I had a million followers.

I look back and reflect on that first year quite a bit, trying to pinpoint exactly what led to my quick success on social media. My go-to explanation was always that I started college at UC Berkeley the same year I got my smartphone, so I approached social media like an extra class: the curriculum was the algorithm, the homework was learning every setting inside and out.

I stuck with that story for years.

Then last month, over drinks, my boyfriend said something that stopped me cold: "Since you got a phone so late, I don't think you knew it was embarrassing to post on social media."

He wasn't being mean. It was just an honest observation. I gave him my best offended look anyway… and then quietly admitted he was onto something.

When I first downloaded TikTok in 2019, posting every day felt like the obvious thing to do. Isn't that what the app was for? I wasn't scared of judgment because I genuinely didn't know the judgment existed yet. No one had told me it was "cringe" to put yourself out there.

Sure, plenty of old classmates talked about me behind my back. But that's okay, because today, making content is a 6-figure income.

The real takeaway from 18-year-old me? You don't need to feel fearless. You just need to post before the fear has a chance to talk you out of it.