I wish I could really explain to you how cathartic writing is.
I encourage everyone to do it now that I’m part of the club.
It takes a bit of discipline to write something everyday, but it’s worth it. Of all of the reading I’ve done, of all of the personal growth and self help books I’ve read, and of all of the things I’ve struggled through…writing has changed me the most.
It took me a lot of blogs to figure out it’s important to write for yourself first. When you don’t, you become preachy, and it comes across as a lecture. I learned this one the hard way.
I wrote a few killer blogs in the beginning and they almost killed me to go back and read them later. Everyone already knows all of the teachings, it’s been around forever, so repeating it is ludicrous anyway. I wish I knew this in the beginning.
When I feel a lecture coming on, I write that first to release it, and then I delete it and write something that matters instead. Sometimes I have to get my ego out of the way in order to hear my real voice. Writing has helped me figure out the difference.
When you write for yourself first, it’s an art. It’s self expression, it’s scary, and it’s healing to validate your thoughts and feelings by getting them out of your head. It gives you a platform to say all of the things you have been waiting to say. It gives you a medium to process all of the things you haven’t figured out yet.
It’s surprisingly important to find others who would like to read what you’re writing. You can ask a few friends or family, or you can share it on social media, but don’t skip this step.
I stumbled on it accidentally because I trusted Seth Godin when he told me to do it. I had no idea how much sharing it kept a lot more skin in the game.
Being accountable to others is a game changer.
It gives you a reason to show up when you don’t feel like it.
It makes you finish your thoughts (this one surprised me), and search for something positive to say (because who wants to listen to themselves whine).
It quietly encourages you to progress and improve because you know someone is listening.
I wish this was the kind of writing they taught in school. I wish everyone knew the magic powers of writing and being heard.
There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed.” Ernest Hemingway