Wish Dish | Share Your Story

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After the Dish: Robert Liberatore

(Written by Rob Liberatore)

About two months ago my first article was published on WishDish. This was the first time I’d had any sort of writing published since the online journal I was asked to keep during nationals when I was 14. So for me, this was a big deal. Not in the sense that it has always been my goal to become a “published writer” (I actually never thought I would be interested in writing), but more for that fact that this was the first time I’d shared any of my own work with such a large audience.

While I had just spoken in front of a large crowd at a banquet, this was different than giving an acceptance speech. This was an attempt to bring some amount of value into people’s lives. I was making a conscious effort to present my personal thoughts and opinions. I was allowing myself to be vulnerable to friends, family, and complete strangers, and I didn’t know what their reactions would be. The entire process took me out of my comfort zone, which was both rewarding and intimidating.

Fortunately I received a lot of encouraging feedback on the post. Several friends and coworkers reached out to me about how much they enjoyed the article and some even thanked me for it. My favorite moments were when people used the words “why not” on me in conversations that stemmed from talking about the piece. It still doesn’t fail to put a grin on my face whenever it happens.

One of the most satisfying parts of all of this was seeing everybody who shared the post.

While I expected a few people to repost it, I was pleasantly surprised to see friends that I didn’t think would even read the article sharing it with their social networks. It’s hard to speculate just how much or how little of an impact the piece had on these people, but simply knowing that my thoughts were able to help such a broad range of people in some way was both reassuring and empowering. So to everybody that read, shared, liked, or reached out to me about the article, I’d like to thank you for making this experience so worthwhile for me.

I’d also like to thank Bryan and everybody working at WishDish for their incredible support throughout the entire writing process.

Their team also did an amazing job of getting the post out there and seen by as many people as possible once it was finalized. It’s safe to say that I would have never considered writing for a site like this if Bryan hadn’t reached out to me. His continuous encouragement was invaluable and made each step that much simpler for me. I am beyond grateful that he has since become a fantastic friend and mentor in my life. Since this was my first time writing, I don’t have any other platform to compare my experience to. But there is not a doubt in my mind that there isn’t another group of people I would have rather worked on my first article with.

So whether you’re an avid subscriber or a first time reader, if you’ve at all considered writing for the WishDish community, I strongly encourage you to do so. Whatever it is, your story matters! And there are hundreds of people out there that will appreciate it more than you can ever imagine.

Be willing to take the first step. I can guarantee you that you won’t be disappointed if you do. Reach out to Bryan, ask the team for help, and get started today. Why not?

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After the Dish: Robert Liberatore

(Written by Rob Liberatore)

One of the most satisfying parts of all of this was seeing everybody who shared the post.

I’d also like to thank Bryan and everybody working at WishDish for their incredible support throughout the entire writing process.

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