Here’s Why I Continue to Write Online Even Though I’m Earning Peanuts
No, I haven’t gotten nutty.
Why do you write online?
DigitalNuisance.com offers the following library of reasons.
- To build a network.
- To make ourselves heard.
- To monetize our websites.
- To broaden our knowledge horizon.
- To gain money and fame.
- Build a portfolio of work.
- Make more money.
Money, recognition, and spreading ideas got me nodding like a chimpanzee.
Superficial? Yup.
And that is my point. These are my superficial reasons. They are like the year-end bonus to me.
Because I have my eyes on effective communication.
I write to communicate better.
1. I Struggle to Express with Clarity
I was never that guy in the spotlight.
I struggle to initiate conversation. I blend into the wallpaper during dinner parties… until kind souls decide to ask me for that day’s weather forecast.
Not just that. I sabotage myself professionally, too.
I have been given many opportunities to shine in the workplace. I prepared the proposal, plan, milestones, and return on investment for clients.
All I had to do was,
- Walk to the front.
- Get behind the lectern.
- Grab that metallic microphone.
- Charm the client.
- Own the stage.
That was the last mile. And the credit would be mine.
Long story short, that credit went to my peers. The reasons are simple.
I was boring. I spoke like a robot. I was incoherent. I was all over the place. I read word for word from the slides. Every. Single. Slide.
My consulting manager could accept my mechanical performance under professional grooming. That is… until our 8-digit diamond client says…
“I don’t understand him.”
2. Painful Feedback Leads to Action
Forget feedback.
We need painful feedback. Here’s why.
The frog in the boiling pot tolerates the high temperature when we increase it incrementally. Crank it up from 50 Degrees Celsius to 80 in 3 seconds and watch that frog bolt out of the pot.
I started writing online because I could no longer tolerate myself. I was that bolting frog.
And this is the frustrating thing in communication.
It behaves like a boomerang.
It flies out. It spins back.
It better hit something. Otherwise, it hits me. I got smacked many times.
I can say what I want, all I want. If the counterparty understands none of it — I lose. Simple as that.
It took me a while to realize that communication is a second-stage activity.
I need to work on my message.
And then the pen in my hands.
3. Beyond Quantity and Quality
I get the 2Q debate. That said, I have zero interest in it.
I write for a different reason — Delivering comprehensible, straight-through verbal communication to people I meet for the first time.
I work it through writing. I would, as practice,
- Scribble down what I want to say.
- Teeter on the length of the delivery.
- Think hard about the punchy start and action-based finish.
- Read it out loud over and over.
- Unsmooth? Rewrite.
- Bumpy? Edit again.
- Dry? Add stories.
The first 6 pointers relate to the technicalities of writing. It points to structure, water-tight flow, and consistency of idea conveyance. It helps me get to the point.
However, I felt that something else was missing.
It is chili. It’s the spice, the human touch, the story. Without it, the food tastes bland and dry.
With time, I realized precision in communication needs to be paired with simple stories. Point number 7 is born.
Stories connect. And personal stories inject confidence into our communication.
4. I Start to Communicate Better
I can feel that writing online builds clarity in my communication. Bit by bit, the flow in writing got into the flow of my speaking.
It provides stress relief too.
Let me share a story from yesterday.
I was rushing to a client site from another. Time was tight. I barked at the cab driver to speed up. He did. We were flying at 100 km/h along the Central Expressway.
That is… until we got stuck on the highway.
A serial accident upfront clogged all lanes. Vehicular movements grind to a halt.
Stress started to build within me as the cab inched 5 centimeters forward per minute. I kept thinking about the excuses I would give to my client.
My meeting overran. My client held me back. The cab had a puncture.
That is… until I decided to go clean. Why do I need to lie? I have a genuine and valid reason for being late!
I struggled internally. Go porky pie. Don’t lie. Go porky. No porky.
And then, just like that, I arrived at the client site.
5 years ago, I would be sweating buckets and apologizing non-stop when I stepped into the meeting room. Today, nope. I hurried in and moved fast to set things up.
And then, I articulated what happened.
- I shared the nail-biting anxiety I had in the cab.
- I shared the photo of the serial accident and the casualties.
- The taxi driver sped at 120 km/h once we passed the chokepoint.
- I also shared that the taxi driver left me to make my own payment in the cab while he bolted out.
- … And I found him releasing his high tide in the toilet when I rushed in.
My workshop attendees listened, shared my shock, and then laughed at the end.
I started the workshop after joining them for a good laugh.
And I thought… hey, simple storytelling works miracles.
Of course, I had my online writing muscle to thank.
Because my mind was ready when I needed it.
Parting Keynotes
We write for different reasons.
You have yours. I do me.
Writing serves an instrumental purpose. It helps us build military precision in our written and verbal communication. People get what we say.
Also, it develops our storytelling skills. We connect better.
Of course.
It helps that we earn some money along the way, too.
No longer how small that packet of peanuts is.
As a content contributor, I write my daily life observations and business exposure. Our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.