How Writing Can Help You Find Your “Dharma” and Change Your Life

I learned to hear my inner voice through writing, leading to a massive shift in my mindset.

One month in my life changed everything.

In March 2020, I discovered a new motivation. I stopped seeing my job as a holy grail and got excited to explore more opportunities.

I stopped being action-oriented and became results-driven. That was a month when I started writing.

It’s ridiculous how many people are born, live, and die with the “work to live” mindset because no one told them there is a different way. They can “live to work,” wake up grateful on Mondays, and slow down when the whole world seems in a hurry.

Someone needs less time to realize his “dharma,” a person’s calling, according to author Jay Shetty. However, others spend their whole lives feeling something is off but not recognizing why it is so.

Through writing, I met inspiring and successful self-made millennials. They helped me believe in myself and showed me that money has no meaning if you have no freedom.

Instead of working 40 hours a week, I worked 60. I faced judgment from my closest family members and friends. I did not mind it because I was happily working extra hours almost for free. Do you know why? Because I did it for myself, no one else!

I switched my mindset from an employee to an entrepreneur who wants to get paid for value not hours.

In this article, I share a few milestones that helped me become an entrepreneur of my own life. No, I still can’t make a living writing. I am full-time employed, instead.

Let my story serve as an example and inspiration for someone willing to challenge the current state of life but afraid of failure and public judgment.

Milestone 1. Listening to inner-self (finally)

Your inner-self knows the real you. You can’t fool it.

If something does not feel right, it probably isn’t.

In my 20s, I felt insecure, having only one income source. I tried to look “normal,” like everybody else. Still, my inner self was always whispering to me, “you need to get better at your job,” “you have to understand what you like and what you are good at,” “you should become independent from anyone and anything.”

I call an inner voice a “guide” that navigates through life and helps make critical decisions when no one is there to help.

A few years later, I made the right choice listening to my inner self. It suggested I find something I would enjoy doing, so I started writing.

I challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone and published over 100 articles on this platform in 2020.

I thought I blogged for people, but in fact, I blogged for myself. I gained self-confidence through writing unsolicited articles.

Self-confidence is the skill you need to walk through the waves of judgment.

The “I can write too” mindset opened up a whole new world of opportunities and prepared me for the second significant milestone of my life.

Milestone 2. Becoming bold

A few success stories uplifted my self-esteem and inspired me for new endeavors.

By the time I registered on Upwork, I had a writing portfolio with over 100 works. I quickly landed a few writing gigs and felt like on cloud of nine.

My mindset shift helped me overcome my impostor syndrome, stop caring about others’ opinions and double my income in 2020.

I used to settle myself for low, dreaming about big. I owe my financial, but most importantly, mental changes to writing.

I put soul into my works, and my Upwork clients loved it. I viewed my writing as a tool to help my clients reach their business goals. These thoughts are not born out of the blue. It takes time to start thinking this way.

However, soon after, I stopped writing on Upwork for a reason. Everyone wanted more of my time, but I was not ready to sacrifice myself to do it.

Upwork writing was another milestone in my solo journey as a writer that taught me this:

• No matter how well you plan your work, it will eventually take more time. You can’t always predict it. Hence, you can’t always charge for it.
• More money does not necessarily mean you’ll feel happier.
• Freedom is a new currency, and you should put your resources into building it.

I stopped being everywhere for everyone. I refused to live my whole life in a rat race. I decided to build my freedom through writing.

Milestone 3. Building freedom

I wanted to live and work abroad when I was in my early 20s. I thought traveling was something that would make me truly happy.

Soon after, my dream came true, but nothing changed. I felt as incomplete as I used to be.

“Perhaps, being able to afford anything I want would make me feel happy.” — I thought. So, I worked twice as hard to increase my income and become self-sustainable.

Believe it or not, happiness has nothing to do with wealth. “Money is only one part of the psychological wealth,” according to psychologists Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener.

My “happiness” looked like a full-time job, writing on this platform, studying, feeling guilty for not spending evenings with my family, and prioritizing my work above my friends.

How can money make you happy if you have zero life energy?

Freedom to live, choose, and work whenever and wherever you want is among my biggest values nowadays.

I enjoy writing, and it fits my personality type. So, I decided to build my freedom around it.

I launched selfmademillenials.com in August 2021 to talk about my mindset transformation and show marketers and content creators how they can become entrepreneurs in their own lives.

My website is a one-woman show but with huge potential. I slowly but steadily grow it and monetize it through SEO writing.

Even if the whole world stops believing in me, I’ll continue writing for a reason. I wish I had anyone guiding me in moments of need. I would have saved a lot of time and energy. I want my website to become such a place for struggling souls who seek professional and personal growth.

Final thoughts

We are all born as a white sheet of paper with nothing but curiosity.

It’s us who fill out our empty cups with wisdom, love, success, and failure.

I changed my mindset and attitude to the external world through writing. I was in the war with my inner self but eventually learned to accept myself no matter what.

It’s ridiculous how a humble act of writing can lead to a massive shift in the mindset. But it did! Looking back, I am no longer who I used to be and what I used to value a few years ago.

This article turned into a great self-reflection. I’ll probably read it over and over again to remind myself why I started writing.

I wanted to conclude my piece with a powerful quote on how writing leads to mental transformation, but I failed to find a good one. So, I came up with my own quote. Perhaps, it will become famous one day.

“Writing helps your inner voice speak up. Dare to listen and wonders will start happening. “

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